[Diagnosis and treatment of benign eyelid tumors]. / Diagnose und Therapie der benignen Lidtumoren.

BACKGROUND: Benign tumors of the eyelids are frequent entities. They are often cause for cosmetic concern or can lead to irritation of the ocular surface. The differentiation from premalignant or malignant eyelid tumors is particularly important. In most cases this can be done clinically; however, in some cases histological evaluation is warranted. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this article is to characterize the most important benign tumors of the eyelid and to ascertain when a histological examination is necessary. Furthermore, fundamental treatment procedures are discussed. METHODS: This narrative review was prepared based on a selective literature search. The characteristics of some eyelid tumors are underlined with illustrations from clinical cases. RESULTS: Most benign eyelid tumors are treated because of cosmetic or functional concerns. Some of them, including actinic keratosis, keratoacanthoma, cutaneous horn, trichofolliculoma, resemble malignant lid tumors or precancerous lesions and are thus excised in oder to obtain a diagnosis. Dermoid cysts can cause complications and congenital melanocytic naevi can exhibit malignant transformation and may need treatment. Inflammatory tumors can be treated conservatively in most cases but might require surgery in certain cases. Systemic associations exist with some of the benign lid tumors and should not be overlooked as they can be crucial for overall patient morbidity. CONCLUSION: Benign tumors of the eyelids are frequent and can be found at any age depending on the diagnosis. This article describes the lesions most commonly encountered in the clinical routine and helps at making a plan for further management.

In vivo reflectance confocal microscopic findings in a case of trichofolliculoma.

Trichofolliculoma is a rare follicular hamartoma whose dermoscopic features have been scarcely reported. On the other hand, reflectance confocal microscopy features have not been described yet. In the present study, the authors report reflectance confocal microscopy features in a case of trichofolliculoma as squamous hyperplasia forming irregular finger-like protrusions around the hair follicle and papillomatous hyperplasia of the hair follicle epithelium, which correlated with histopathology. This case suggests that reflectance confocal microscopy may help incorrect in vivo diagnosis of trichofolliculoma in cases difficult to diagnose by morphology and dermoscopy.

Analyzing mRNAsi-Related Genes Identifies Novel Prognostic Markers and Potential Drug Combination for Patients with Basal Breast Cancer.

Basal breast cancer subtype is the worst prognosis subtypes among all breast cancer subtypes. Recently, a new tumor stemness index-mRNAsi is found to be able to measure the degree of oncogenic differentiation of tissues. The mRNAsi involved in a variety of cancer processes is derived from the innovative application of one-class logistic regression (OCLR) machine learning algorithm to the whole genome expression of various stem cells and tumor cells. However, it is largely unknown about mRNAsi in basal breast cancer. Here, we find that basal breast cancer carries the highest mRNAsi among all four subtypes of breast cancer, especially 385 mRNAsi-related genes are positively related to the high mRNAsi value in basal breast cancer. This high mRNAsi is also closely related to active cell cycle, DNA replication, and metabolic reprogramming in basal breast cancer. Intriguingly, in the 385 genes, TRIM59, SEPT3, RAD51AP1, and EXO1 can act as independent protective prognostic factors, but CTSF and ABHD4B can serve as independent bad prognostic factors in patients with basal breast cancer. Remarkably, we establish a robust prognostic model containing the 6 mRNAsi-related genes that can effectively predict the survival rate of patients with the basal breast cancer subtype. Finally, the drug sensitivity analysis reveals that some drug combinations may be effectively against basal breast cancer via targeting the mRNAsi-related genes. Taken together, our study not only identifies novel prognostic biomarkers for basal breast cancers but also provides the drug sensitivity data by establishing an mRNAsi-related prognostic model.

Immunotherapy for Non-melanoma Skin Cancer.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The therapeutic landscape for non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) has recently expanded with the development of effective and targeted immunotherapy. Here, we provide an overview of the role of immunotherapy in the management of advanced cutaneous carcinomas. RECENT FINDINGS: Several agents were recently U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved for the treatment of locally advanced and metastatic cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, Merkel cell carcinoma, and basal cell carcinoma. However, recent approvals in tissue-agnostic indications may also benefit other NMSCs including cutaneous adnexal solid tumors with high tumor mutation burdens or microsatellite instability. Furthermore, while FDA-approved indications will likely continue to expand, continued studies are needed to support the role of immunotherapy in the neoadjuvant, adjuvant, and refractory settings. Immunotherapy is emerging as the standard of care for several advanced NMSCs not amenable to surgery and radiation. Ongoing evaluation of the clinical trial landscape is needed to optimize enrollment and ensure continued innovation.

Molecular alterations in basal cell carcinoma subtypes.

A number of genes have been implicated in the pathogenesis of BCC in addition to the Hedgehog pathway, which is known to drive the initiation of this tumour. We performed in-depth analysis of 13 BCC-related genes (CSMD1, CSMD2, DPH3 promoter, PTCH1, SMO, GLI1, NOTCH1, NOTCH2, TP53, ITIH2, DPP10, STEAP4, TERT promoter) in 57 BCC lesions (26 superficial and 31 nodular) from 55 patients and their corresponding blood samples. PTCH1 and TP53 mutations were found in 71.9% and 45.6% of BCCs, respectively. A high mutation rate was also detected in CSMD1 (63.2%), NOTCH1 (43.8%) and DPP10 (35.1%), and frequent non-coding mutations were identified in TERT (57.9%) and DPH3 promoter (49.1%). CSMD1 mutations significantly co-occurred with TP53 changes (p = 0.002). A significant association was observed between the superficial type of BCC and PTCH1 (p = 0.018) and NOTCH1 (p = 0.020) mutations. In addition, PTCH1 mutations were significantly associated with intermittent sun exposure (p = 0.046) and the occurrence of single lesions (p = 0.021), while NOTCH1 mutations were more frequent in BCCs located on the trunk compared to the head/neck and extremities (p = 0.001). In conclusion, we provide further insights into the molecular alterations underlying the tumorigenic mechanism of superficial and nodular BCCs with a view towards novel rationale-based therapeutic strategies.

ARP-T1-associated Bazex-Dupré-Christol syndrome is an inherited basal cell cancer with ciliary defects characteristic of ciliopathies.

Actin-Related Protein-Testis1 (ARP-T1)/ACTRT1 gene mutations cause the Bazex-Dupré-Christol Syndrome (BDCS) characterized by follicular atrophoderma, hypotrichosis, and basal cell cancer. Here, we report an ARP-T1 interactome (PXD016557) that includes proteins involved in ciliogenesis, endosomal recycling, and septin ring formation. In agreement, ARP-T1 localizes to the midbody during cytokinesis and the basal body of primary cilia in interphase. Tissue samples from ARP-T1-associated BDCS patients have reduced ciliary length. The severity of the shortened cilia significantly correlates with the ARP-T1 levels, which was further validated by ACTRT1 knockdown in culture cells. Thus, we propose that ARP-T1 participates in the regulation of cilia length and that ARP-T1-associated BDCS is a case of skin cancer with ciliopathy characteristics.

The ECM Modulator ITIH5 Affects Cell Adhesion, Motility and Chemotherapeutic Response of Basal/Squamous-Like (BASQ) Bladder Cancer Cells.

This study aims at characterizing the role of the putative tumor suppressor ITIH5 in basal-type bladder cancers (BLCA). By sub-classifying TCGA BLCA data, we revealed predominant loss of ITIH5 expression in the basal/squamous-like (BASQ) subtype. ITIH5 expression inversely correlated with basal-type makers such as KRT6A and CD44. Interestingly, Kaplan-Meier analyses showed longer recurrence-free survival in combination with strong CD44 expression, which is thought to mediate ITIH-hyaluronan (HA) binding functions. In vitro, stable ITIH5 overexpression in two basal-type BLCA cell lines showing differential CD44 expression levels, i.e., with (SCaBER) and without squamous features (HT1376), demonstrated clear inhibition of cell and colony growth of BASQ-type SCaBER cells. ITIH5 further enhanced HA-associated cell-matrix attachment, indicated by altered size and number of focal adhesion sites resulting in reduced cell migration capacities. Transcriptomic analyses revealed enrichment of pathways and processes involved in ECM organization, differentiation and cell signaling. Finally, we provide evidence that ITIH5 increase sensitivity of SCaBER cells to chemotherapeutical agents (cisplatin and gemcitabine), whereas responsiveness of HT1376 cells was not affected by ITIH5 expression. Thus, we gain further insights into the putative role of ITIH5 as tumor suppressor highlighting an impact on drug response potentially via the HA-CD44 axis in BASQ-type BLCA.

The importance of flaps in reconstruction of locoregionally advanced lateral skull-base cancer defects: a tertiary otorhinolaryngology referral centre experience.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to identify the value of extensive resection and reconstruction with flaps in the treatment of locoregionally advanced lateral skull-base cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The retrospective case review of patients with lateral skull-base cancer treated surgically with curative intent between 2011 and 2019 at a tertiary otorhinolaryngology referral centre was made. RESULTS: Twelve patients with locoregionally advanced cancer were analysed. Lateral temporal bone resection was performed in nine (75.0%), partial parotidectomy in six (50.0%), total parotidectomy in one (8.3%), ipsilateral selective neck dissection in eight (66.7%) and ipsilateral modified radical neck dissection in one patient (8.3%). The defect was reconstructed with anterolateral thigh free flap, radial forearm free flap or pectoralis major myocutaneous flap in two patients (17.0%) each. Mean overall survival was 3.1 years (SD = 2.5) and cancer-free survival rate 100%. At the data collection cut-off, 83% of analysed patients and 100% of patients with flap reconstruction were alive. CONCLUSIONS: Favourable local control in lateral skull-base cancer, which mainly involves temporal bone is achieved with an extensive locoregional resection followed by free or regional flap reconstruction. Universal cancer registry should be considered in centres treating this rare disease to alleviate analysis and multicentric research.

High SLC20A1 Expression Is Associated With Poor Prognoses in Claudin-low and Basal-like Breast Cancers.

BACKGROUND/AIM: SLC20A1 has been identified as a prognostic marker in ER+ breast cancer. However, the role of SLC20A1 expression in breast cancer subtypes other than the ER+ types remains unclear. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Genomics datasets were downloaded and analyzed, and the effect of SLC20A1 knockdown using targeted siRNA on cell viability and tumor-sphere formation was assessed. RESULTS: SLC20A1high patients with ER+, claudin-low or basal-like breast cancers showed poor prognoses. SLC20A1high patients treated with radiotherapy had poor clinical outcomes. SLC20A1 knockdown suppressed the viability of MDA-MB 231 (claudin-low), MDA-MB 468 (basal-like) and MCF-7 (ER+) cells, and tumor-sphere formation by ALDH1high cells. These results suggest that SLC20A1 is involved in cancer progression and contributes to clinical outcomes in patients with ER+, claudin-low and basal-like breast cancers. CONCLUSION: SLC20A1 is a potential prognostic marker and therapeutic target in ER+, claudin-low and basal-like breast cancers.

Solitary asymptomatic lobular perianal nodule on an infant.

Folliculosebaceous cystic hamartoma (FSCH) is a benign lesion that presents as a solitary papule or nodule that typically affects the face and scalp of adults. A few reports have observed a congenital presentation. We present an infant boy exhibiting a tumor with overlap features between an FSCH and fibrofolliculoma in the perianal region that was first noticed at 6 months of age. The histological examination showed a hamartomatous benign proliferation of hair follicles and disordered sebaceous glands, which is consistent with the infundibular structures and radiating sebaceous glands that are typically observed in previously reported cases of FSCH. Sebaceous differentiation is a hallmark feature of FSCH. Folliculosebaceous cystic hamartoma is believed to be a late-stage form of trichofolliculoma (TF). Another consideration is that FSCH and TF are two distinct entities set apart by their degree of sebaceous or follicular differentiation and development of the mesenchymal stroma.

Congenital trichofolliculoma: a very rare presentation.

Trichofolliculoma is an uncommon hair follicle hamartoma. It usually appears during adulthood on the face or scalp as a single, asymptomatic, skin-colored papule/nodule with small protruding hairs. Histopathological features are diagnostic. Very rare congenital cases have been reported. Herein, we report a congenital trichofolliculoma in a 15-year-old girl.

Epithelial cell plasticity defines heterogeneity in lung cancer.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death for both men and women and accounts for almost 18.4% of all deaths due to cancer worldwide, with the global incidence increasing by approximately 0.5% per year. Lung cancer is regarded as a devastating type of cancer owing to its high prevalence, reduction in the health-related quality of life, frequently delayed diagnosis, low response rate, high toxicity, and resistance to available therapeutic options. The highly heterogeneous nature of this cancer with a proximal-to-distal distribution throughout the respiratory tract dramatically affects its diagnostic and therapeutic management. The diverse composition and plasticity of lung epithelial cells across the respiratory tract are regarded as significant factors underlying lung cancer heterogeneity. Therefore, definitions of the cells of origin for different types of lung cancer are urgently needed to understand lung cancer biology and to achieve early diagnosis and develop cell-targeted therapies. In the present review, we will discuss the current understanding of the cellular and molecular alterations in distinct lung epithelial cells that result in each type of lung cancer.

C1orf106, an innate immunity activator, is amplified in breast cancer and is required for basal-like/luminal progenitor fate decision.

Basal-like breast cancer with a luminal progenitor gene expression profile is an aggressive subtype of breast cancer with a poorer prognosis compared with other subtypes. However, genes that specifically promote basal-like breast cancer development remain largely unknown. Here, we report that a novel gene C1orf106 plays an important role in maintaining the feature of basal-like/luminal progenitors. C1orf106 is frequently amplified and overexpressed in basal-like breast cancer and is associated with a poor outcome in patients. In human TCGA database, C1orf106 expression was correlated with upregulation of ELF5 and downregulation of GATA3, two transcription factors that regulate mammary gland stem cell fate. Enhanced expression of C1orf106 promotes tumor progression and expression of basal-like/luminal progenitor marker ELF5; depletion of C1orf106 suppresses tumorigenesis and expression of basal-like/luminal progenitor marker GATA3. These findings suggest that C1orf106 maintains the basal-like/luminal progenitor character through balancing the expression of ELF5 and GATA3. Taken together, we demonstrated that C1orf106 is an important regulator for basal-like/luminal progenitors and targeting C1orf106 is of therapeutic value for breast cancer.

Differential expression of claudin­4, occludin, SOX2 and proliferating cell nuclear antigen between basaloid squamous cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma.

Basaloid squamous cell carcinomas (BSCCs) in oral lesions are extremely rare, and the histology is not well understood. Histologically, they are often similar to conventional squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). The present study was designed with an aim to distinguish BSCC from SCC using claudin­4, occludin, SRY­box 2 (SOX2) and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) immunoreactivities and staining patterns. Three BSCCs (with abundant, with moderate, and without squamous components) specimens and 20 SCC specimens were selected for comparison of their immunoreactivity. These specimens were stained with claudin­4, occludin, SOX2 and PCNA. In addition to histological analysis, the expression of claudin­4, occludin and PCNA was determined in oral cancer HSC2 and HSC3 cells with or without SOX2 overexpression, and cell proliferation was determined by XTT assay. Claudin­4 had strong and occludin had weak immunoreactivity as detected in the membrane of squamous components of BSCC but not in cancer cells. No obvious detection of squamous components and cancer cells were observed in SCC. SOX2 and PCNA immunoreactivities in SCC had dot­like staining patterns in the nuclei of partial and marginal cancer cells. In contrast, in BSCCs, SOX2 and PCNA had diffuse staining patterns in almost all cancer cells. SOX2 overexpression had little effect on the expression levels of claudin­4, occludin and PCNA. It also had little effect on the cell proliferation of HSC2 and HSC3 cells. Differences in immunoreactivity and staining pattern may be valuable to distinguish between BSCC and SCC in diagnosis.

Schlafen-11 expression is associated with immune signatures and basal-like phenotype in breast cancer.

PURPOSE: Breast cancer (BC) is a heterogeneous disorder, with variable response to systemic chemotherapy. Likewise, BC shows highly complex immune activation patterns, only in part reflecting classical histopathological subtyping. Schlafen-11 (SLFN11) is a nuclear protein we independently described as causal factor of sensitivity to DNA damaging agents (DDA) in cancer cell line models. SLFN11 has been reported as a predictive biomarker for DDA and PARP inhibitors in human neoplasms. SLFN11 has been implicated in several immune processes such as thymocyte maturation and antiviral response through the activation of interferon signaling pathway, suggesting its potential relevance as a link between immunity and cancer. In the present work, we investigated the transcriptional landscape of SLFN11, its potential prognostic value, and the clinico-pathological associations with its variability in BC. METHODS: We assessed SLFN11 determinants in a gene expression meta-set of 5061 breast cancer patients annotated with clinical data and multigene signatures. RESULTS: We found that 537 transcripts are highly correlated with SLFN11, identifying "immune response", "lymphocyte activation", and "T cell activation" as top Gene Ontology processes. We established a strong association of SLFN11 with stromal signatures of basal-like phenotype and response to chemotherapy in estrogen receptor negative (ER-) BC. We identified a distinct subgroup of patients, characterized by high SLFN11 levels, ER- status, basal-like phenotype, immune activation, and younger age. Finally, we observed an independent positive predictive role for SLFN11 in BC. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings are suggestive of a relevant role for SLFN11 in BC and its immune and molecular variability.

Management of 3 Proliferating Pilar Tumors: Definition, Differential Diagnosis, and Treatment Options. / Experiencia en el manejo de 3 tumores pilares proliferantes: definición, diagnósticos diferenciales y alternativas terapéuticas.

A proliferating pilar tumor is a rare skin neoplasm that arises from the outer root sheath of a hair follicle. Presentation varies widely, as the tumor can be benign or malignant and has a high probability of recurring after excision. We report our experience managing 3 proliferating pilar tumors with different clinical presentations and pathology findings at Hospital de San José, Bogota, Colombia.

Evaluation of AAV-mediated delivery of shRNA to target basal-like breast cancer genetic vulnerabilities.

Adeno-associated viral vectors (AAV) for gene therapy applications are gaining momentum, with more therapies moving into later stages of clinical development and towards market approval, namely for cancer therapy. The development of cytotoxic vectors is often hampered by side effects arising when non-target cells are infected, and their production can be hindered by toxic effects of the transgene on the producing cell lines. In this study, we evaluated the potential of rAAV-mediated delivery of short hairpin RNAs (shRNA) to target basal-like breast cancer genetic vulnerabilities. Our results show that by optimizing the stoichiometry of the plasmids upon transfection and time of harvest, it is possible to increase the viral titers and quality. All rAAV-shRNA vectors obtained efficiently transduced the BLBC cell lines MDA-MB-468 and HCC1954. In MDA-MB-468, transduction with rAAV-shRNA vector targeting PSMA2 was associated with significant decrease in cell viability and apoptosis induction. Importantly, rAAV2-PSMA2 also slowed tumor growth in a BLBC mouse xenograft model, thus potentially representing a therapeutic strategy against this type of cancer.

Acquisition of a hybrid E/M state is essential for tumorigenicity of basal breast cancer cells.

Carcinoma cells residing in an intermediate phenotypic state along the epithelial-mesenchymal (E-M) spectrum are associated with malignant phenotypes, such as invasiveness, tumor-initiating ability, and metastatic dissemination. Using the recently described CD104+/CD44hi antigen marker combination, we isolated highly tumorigenic breast cancer cells residing stably-both in vitro and in vivo-in an intermediate phenotypic state and coexpressing both epithelial (E) and mesenchymal (M) markers. We demonstrate that tumorigenicity depends on individual cells residing in this E/M hybrid state and cannot be phenocopied by mixing two cell populations that reside stably at the two ends of the spectrum, i.e., in the E and in the M state. Hence, residence in a specific intermediate state along the E-M spectrum rather than phenotypic plasticity appears critical to the expression of tumor-initiating capacity. Acquisition of this E/M hybrid state is facilitated by the differential expression of EMT-inducing transcription factors (EMT-TFs) and is accompanied by the expression of adult stem cell programs, notably, active canonical Wnt signaling. Furthermore, transition from the highly tumorigenic E/M state to a fully mesenchymal phenotype, achieved by constitutive ectopic expression of Zeb1, is sufficient to drive cells out of the E/M hybrid state into a highly mesenchymal state, which is accompanied by a substantial loss of tumorigenicity and a switch from canonical to noncanonical Wnt signaling. Identifying the gatekeepers of the various phenotypic states arrayed along the E-M spectrum is likely to prove useful in developing therapeutic approaches that operate by shifting cancer cells between distinct states along this spectrum.