Purity Independent Subtyping of Tumors Pancreatic Cancer Classifier: Analytic Validation of a 16-RNA Expression Signature Distinguishing Basal and Classical Subtypes.

The two major molecular subtypes of pancreatic adenocarcinoma reportedly have differential response to FOLFIRINOX-based therapy. To promote rapid assignment of basal versus classical subtypes, an array-based single-sample classifier assay was developed and applied to 74 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded biopsy or resection specimens of known subtype based on transcriptomics. The Purity Independent Subtyping of Tumors algorithm assigns subtype based on relative expression of 16 RNAs counted by RNA sequencing (RNAseq) versus more practical array-based NanoString nCounter Elements XT technology. Subtype calls were largely concordant between RNAseq and array methods (72/74, 97% agreement). Compared with the lengthy RNAseq protocol, the array-based assay takes just 3 working days to analyze, permitting rapid reporting of tumor subtype. In conclusion, the Purity Independent Subtyping of Tumors pancreatic cancer classifier has robust performance to classify pancreatic adenocarcinoma into basal versus classical subtypes. Clinical validation studies are underway to evaluate outcome in patients whose standard-of-care chemotherapy regimen is selected on the basis of rapid subtype assignment (NCT04683315).

EBV-Associated Gastric Cancer; An In Situ Hybridization Assay on Tissue Microarray: A Multi-Region Study from Four Major Provinces of Iran.

BACKGROUND: Gastric cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the world. The identification of gastric cancer subtypes related to recognizable microbial agents may play a pivotal role in the targeted prevention and treatment of this cancer. The current study is conducted to define the frequency of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection in gastric cancers of four major provinces, with different incidence rates of gastric cancers, in Iran. METHODS: Paraffin blocks of 682 cases of various types of gastric cancer from Tehran, South and North areas of Iran were collected. Twelve tissue microarray (TMA) blocks were constructed from these blocks. Localization of EBV in tumors was assessed by in situ hybridization (ISH) for EBV-encoded RNA (EBER). Chi-squared test was used to evaluate the statistical significance between EBV-associated gastric cancer (EBVaGC) and clinicopathologic tumor characteristics. RESULTS: Fourteen out of 682 cases (2.1%) of gastric adenocarcinoma were EBER-positive. EBER was positive in 8 out of 22 (36.4%) of medullary carcinomas and 6 out of 660 (0.9%) of non-medullary type, which was a statistically significant difference (P<0.001). The EBVaGCs were more frequent in younger age (P=0.009) and also showed a trend toward the lower stage of the tumor (P=0.075). CONCLUSION: EBV-associated gastric adenocarcinoma has a low prevalence in Iran. This finding can be due to epidemiologic differences in risk factors and exposures, and the low number of gastric medullary carcinomas in the population. It may also be related to gastric tumor heterogeneity not detected with the TMA technique.

Calibration of cell-free DNA measurements by next-generation sequencing.

OBJECTIVES: Accurate monitoring of disease burden depends on accurate disease marker quantification. Although next-generation sequencing (NGS) is a promising technology for noninvasive monitoring, plasma cell-free DNA levels are often reported in misleading units that are confounded by non-disease-related factors. We proposed a novel strategy for calibrating NGS assays using spiked normalizers to improve precision and to promote standardization and harmonization of analyte concentrations. METHODS: In this study, we refined our NGS protocol to calculate absolute analyte concentrations to (1) adjust for assay efficiency, as judged by recovery of spiked synthetic normalizer DNAs, and (2) calibrate NGS values against droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR). As a model target, we chose the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) genome. In patient (n = 12) and mock (n = 12) plasmas, NGS and 2 EBV ddPCR assays were used to report EBV load in copies per mL of plasma. RESULTS: Next-generation sequencing was equally sensitive to ddPCR, with improved linearity when NGS values were normalized for spiked DNA read counts (R2 = 0.95 for normalized vs 0.91 for raw read concentrations). Linearity permitted NGS calibration to each ddPCR assay, achieving equivalent concentrations (copies/mL). CONCLUSIONS: Our novel strategy for calibrating NGS assays suggests potential for a universal reference material to overcome biological and preanalytical variables hindering traditional NGS strategies for quantifying disease burden.

The clinical significance of adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) and catenin Beta 1 (CTNNB1) genetic aberrations in patients with melanoma.

BACKGROUND: Melanoma-intrinsic activated ß-catenin pathway, the product of the catenin beta 1 (CTNNB1) gene, has been associated with low/absent tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, accelerated tumor growth, metastases development, and resistance to anti-PD-L1/anti-CTLA-4 agents in mouse melanoma models. Little is known about the association between the adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) and CTNNB1 gene mutations in stage IV melanoma with immunotherapy response and overall survival (OS). METHODS: We examined the prognostic significance of somatic APC/CTNNB1 mutations in the Cancer Genome Atlas Project for Skin Cutaneous Melanoma (TCGA-SKCM) database. We assessed APC/CTNNB1 mutations as predictors of response to immunotherapies in a clinicopathologically annotated metastatic patient cohort from three US melanoma centers. RESULTS: In the TCGA-SKCM patient cohort (n = 434) presence of a somatic APC/CTNNB1 mutation was associated with a worse outcome only in stage IV melanoma (n = 82, median OS of APC/CTNNB1 mutants vs. wild-type was 8.15 vs. 22.8 months; log-rank hazard ratio 4.20, p = 0.011). APC/CTNNB1 mutation did not significantly affect lymphocyte distribution and density. In the 3-melanoma institution cohort, tumor tissues underwent targeted panel sequencing using two standards of care assays. We identified 55 patients with stage IV melanoma and APC/CTNNB1 genetic aberrations (mut) and 169 patients without (wt). At a median follow-up of more than 25 months for both groups, mut compared with wt patients had slightly more frequent (44% vs. 39%) and earlier (66% vs. 45% within six months from original diagnosis of stage IV melanoma) development of brain metastases. Nevertheless, time-to-development of brain metastases was not significantly different between the two groups. Fortunately, mut patients had similar clinical benefits from PD-1 inhibitor-based treatments compared to wt patients (median OS 26.1 months vs. 29.9 months, respectively, log-rank p = 0.23). Less frequent mutations in the NF1, RAC1, and PTEN genes were seen in the mut compared with wt patients from the 3-melanoma institution cohort. Analysis of brain melanoma tumor tissues from a separate craniotomy patient cohort (n = 55) showed that melanoma-specific, activated ß-catenin (i.e., nuclear localization) was infrequent (n = 3, 6%) and not prognostic in established brain metastases. CONCLUSIONS: APC/CTNNB1 mutations are associated with a worse outcome in stage IV melanoma and early brain metastases independent of tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte density. However, PD1 inhibitor-based treatments provide comparable benefits to both mut and wt patients with stage IV melanoma.

The addition of chemotherapy to adjuvant radiation is associated with inferior survival outcomes in intermediate-risk HPV-negative HNSCC.

BACKGROUND: Only high-risk tumors with extranodal extension (ENE) and/or positive surgical margins (PSM) benefit from adjuvant therapy (AT) with concurrent chemoradiation (CRT) compared to radiation therapy (RT) in locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Optimal treatment for intermediate-risk tumors remains controversial. We categorized patients based on their surgical pathologic risk factors and described AT treatment patterns and associated survival outcomes. METHODS: Patients were identified from CHANCE, a population-based study, and risk was classified based on surgical pathology review. High-risk patients (n = 204) required ENE and/or PSM. Intermediate-risk (n = 186) patients had pathological T3/T4 disease, perineural invasion (PNI), lymphovascular invasion (LVI), or positive lymph nodes without ENE. Low-risk patients (n = 226) had none of these features. RESULTS: We identified 616 HPV-negative HNSCC patients who received primary surgical resection with neck dissection. High-risk patients receiving AT had favorable OS (HR 0.50, p = 0.013) which was significantly improved with the addition of chemotherapy compared to RT alone (HR 0.47, p = 0.021). When stratified by node status, the survival benefit of AT in high-risk patients persisted only among those who were node-positive (HR: 0.17, p < 0.0005). On the contrary, intermediate-risk patients did not benefit from AT (HR: 1.26, p = 0.380) and the addition of chemotherapy was associated with significantly worse OS compared to RT (HR: 1.76, p = 0.046). CONCLUSION: In high-risk patients, adjuvant chemoradiotherapy improved OS compared to RT alone. The greatest benefit was in node-positive cases. In intermediate-risk patients, the addition of chemotherapy to RT increased mortality risk and therefore should only be used cautiously in these patients.

Low Epstein-Barr Virus Prevalence in Cardia Gastric Cancer Among a High-Incidence Chinese Population.

BACKGROUND: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) positivity is associated with better gastric cancer prognosis and is found in a relatively fixed 9% of tumors worldwide. AIM: We aimed to examine the EBV status of gastric adenocarcinomas in a very high-incidence population and to compare prevalence between cardia and non-cardia anatomic subsites. METHODS: We evaluated 1035 adult gastric adenocarcinoma cases presenting during 1997-2005 to the Shanxi Cancer Hospital in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, China. EBV-encoded RNA was detected in alcohol-fixed paraffin-embedded tumor specimens by in situ hybridization. Associations were assessed in case-case comparisons using the Chi-squared test for categorical variables and the Mann-Whitney U test for continuous variables, with p values < 0.05 considered statistically significant. Adjusted odds ratios were calculated using logistic regression, and mortality hazard ratios (HRs) were estimated by Cox proportional hazards regression. RESULTS: Sixty-four percent of the evaluated cancers were found in the cardia. Cardia tumor localization was associated with male sex, advanced primary tumor stage, better differentiated histology, and intestinal-type Lauren classification. Four percent of the non-cardia and only 0.9% of cardia cancers were EBV-positive. EBV positivity was associated with better overall survival (adjusted HR 0.30, 95% CI 0.14-0.63). CONCLUSIONS: Our study highlights unusually low EBV prevalence in gastric adenocarcinoma among a high-incidence population, particularly for cardia cancers. These findings suggest a unique risk factor profile for the high incidence of gastric cancer in this population.

Decline in circulating viral and human tumor markers after resection of head and neck carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: DNA sequencing panels can simultaneously quantify human and viral tumor markers in blood. We explored changes in levels of plasma tumor markers following surgical resection of head and neck carcinoma. METHODS: In preresection and postresection plasmas, targeted DNA sequencing quantified variants in 28 human cancer genes and levels of oncogenic pathogens (human papillomavirus [HPV], Epstein-Barr virus [EBV], Helicobacter pylori) from 21 patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. RESULTS: Preresection, 11 of 21 patients (52%) had detectable tumor markers in plasma, most commonly TP53 mutation or HPV genome. Several days postresection, levels fell to undetectable in 8 of 10 evaluable patients, while two high-stage patients retained circulating tumor markers. CONCLUSIONS: Modern sequencing technology can simultaneously quantify human gene variants and oncogenic viral genomes in plasma. Falling levels of cancer-specific markers upon resection can help identify viral and human markers to track at subsequent timepoints as a means to evaluate efficacy of interventions.

Use of Spiked Normalizers to More Precisely Quantify Tumor Markers and Viral Genomes by Massive Parallel Sequencing of Plasma DNA.

A problematic aspect of massive parallel sequencing is that somatic mutations and viral loads are typically quantified as a fraction relative to wild-type human DNA, yet wild-type levels vary with diverse biologic and preanalytic interferences. A novel strategy was devised to quantify target analytes in copies per mL of plasma after normalizing for read counts of spiked DNAs. Five synthetic DNAs (called EndoGenus spikes) were added to plasma before library preparation (modified ArcherDX LiquidPlex 28). By normalizing to the fractional recovery of EndoGenus spike reads, numerical values for each disease marker were reportable in units of copies per mL. To show how well this system operates, replicate assays were performed on 40 mock plasmas having 23 engineered mutations and on 21 natural plasmas. Reads for all five EndoGenus spikes were recovered (means, 313 and 376 copies/mL in mock and natural plasmas, respectively). Normalizing read counts for the proportional recovery of spikes helped control for variables in the multistep protocol, reducing the CV in replicate tests from 34% to 22% for mutations and from 25% to 7% for viral loads. In conclusion, the EndoGenus system is useful for evaluating efficiency of the total test system and for precisely quantifying target molecules. This system may benefit patients being monitored for disease burden while also tracking emerging subclones.

Circulating Antibodies against Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) and p53 in EBV-Positive and -Negative Gastric Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-positive gastric cancers have clinicopathologic differences from EBV-negative tumors and lack TP53 mutation. Serologic profiles may inform viral contribution to carcinogenesis. METHODS: We compared humoral responses of EBV-positive (n = 67) and EBV-negative (n = 137) patients with gastric cancer from the International EBV-Gastric Cancer Consortium. Serum antibodies against four EBV proteins, nuclear (EBNA), viral capsid (VCA), early-diffuse (EA-D), and Zta replication activator (ZEBRA), and to p53 were assessed by multiplex assays. OR of antibody level tertiles (T1-T3) were adjusted by logistic regression. We also conducted a meta-analysis of reported anti-p53 seropositivity in gastric cancer. RESULTS: Consistent with EBV's ubiquity, 99% of patients were seropositive for anti-EBNA and 98% for anti-VCA, without difference by tumor EBV status. Seropositivity varied between patients with EBV-positive and EBV-negative tumors for anti-EA-D (97% vs. 67%, respectively, P < 0.001) and anti-ZEBRA (97% vs. 85%, respectively, P = 0.009). Adjusted ORs (vs. T1) for patients with EBV-positive versus EBV-negative tumors were significantly elevated for higher antibodies against EBNA (2.6 for T2 and 13 for T3), VCA (1.8 for T2 and 2.4 for T3), EA-D (6.0 for T2 and 44 for T3), and ZEBRA (4.6 for T2 and 12 for T3). Antibodies to p53 were inversely associated with EBV positivity (3% vs. 15%; adjusted OR = 0.16, P = 0.021). Anti-p53 prevalence from the literature was 15%. CONCLUSIONS: These serologic patterns suggest viral reactivation in EBV-positive cancers and identify variation of p53 seropositivity by subtype. IMPACT: Anti-EBV and anti-p53 antibodies are differentially associated with tumor EBV positivity. Serology may identify EBV-positive gastric cancer for targeted therapies.

Clinicopathological characteristics of Epstein-Barr virus-positive gastric cancer in Latvia.

OBJECTIVE: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-associated gastric cancer has been proposed to be a distinct gastric cancer molecular subtype. The prognostic significance of EBV infection in gastric cancer remains unclear and needs further investigation. Our study aimed to analyze EBV-positive and EBV-negative gastric cancer patients regarding their personal and tumor-related characteristics, and compare their overall survival. METHODS: Gastric cancer patients consecutively treated at the Riga East University Hospital during 2009-2016 were identified retrospectively. Tumor EBV status was determined by in-situ hybridization for EBV-encoded RNA (EBER). Information about clinicopathological characteristics was obtained from patient questionnaires, hospital records. Overall survival was ascertained through 30 July 2017. Cox proportional hazard regression models adjusted for personal and tumor-related covariates compared survival between EBV-positive and EBV-negative patients. RESULTS: There were a total of 302 gastric cancer patients (61% males) with mean and SD age 63.6 ± 11.5 years. EBER positivity was present in 8.6% of tumors. EBV-positive gastric cancer patients had better survival at 80 months [adjusted hazard ratio = 0.37, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.19-0.72] compared to EBV-negative patients. Worse survival was observed for patients with stage III (hazard ratio = 2.76, 95% CI = 1.67-4.56) and stage IV (hazard ratio = 10.02, 95% CI = 5.72-17.57) compared to stage I gastric cancer, and overlapping and unspecified subsite (hazard ratio = 1.85; 95% CI = 1.14; 3.00) compared to distal tumors. CONCLUSION: Tumor EBV positivity is a favorable prognostic factor in gastric cancer.

Geospatial analyses identify regional hot spots of diffuse gastric cancer in rural Central America.

BACKGROUND: Geospatial technology has facilitated the discovery of disease distributions and etiology and helped target prevention programs. Globally, gastric cancer is the leading infection-associated cancer, and third leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide, with marked geographic variation. Central and South America have a significant burden, particularly in the mountainous regions. In the context of an ongoing population-based case-control study in Central America, our aim was to examine the spatial epidemiology of gastric cancer subtypes and H. pylori virulence factors. METHODS: Patients diagnosed with gastric cancer from 2002 to 2013 in western Honduras were identified in the prospective gastric cancer registry at the principal district hospital. Diagnosis was based on endoscopy and confirmatory histopathology. Geospatial methods were applied using the ArcGIS v10.3.1 and SaTScan v9.4.2 platforms to examine regional distributions of the gastric cancer histologic subtypes (Lauren classification), and the H. pylori CagA virulence factor. Getis-Ord-Gi hot spot and Discrete Poisson SaTScan statistics, respectively, were used to explore spatial clustering at the village level (30-50 rural households), with standardization by each village's population. H. pylori and CagA serologic status was determined using the novel H. pylori multiplex assay (DKFZ, Germany). RESULTS: Three hundred seventy-eight incident cases met the inclusion criteria (mean age 63.7, male 66.3%). Areas of higher gastric cancer incidence were identified. Significant spatial clustering of diffuse histology adenocarcinoma was revealed both by the Getis-Ord-GI* hot spot analysis (P-value < 0.0015; range 0.00003-0.0014; 99%CI), and by the SaTScan statistic (P-value < 0.006; range 0.0026-0.0054). The intestinal subtype was randomly distributed. H. pylori CagA had significant spatial clustering only in association with the diffuse histology cancer hot spot (Getis-Ord-Gi* P value ≤0.001; range 0.0001-0.0010; SaTScan statistic P value 0.0085). In the diffuse gastric cancer hot spot, the lowest age quartile range was 21-46 years, significantly lower than the intestinal cancers (P = 0.024). CONCLUSIONS: Geospatial methods have identified a significant cluster of incident diffuse type adenocarcinoma cases in rural Central America, suggest of a germline genetic association. Further genomic and geospatial analyses to identify potential spatial patterns of genetic, bacterial, and environmental risk factors may be informative.

Multilaboratory Assessment of a New Reference Material for Quality Assurance of Cell-Free Tumor DNA Measurements.

We conducted a multilaboratory assessment to determine the suitability of a new commercially available reference material with 40 cancer variants in a background of wild-type DNA at four different variant allele frequencies (VAFs): 2%, 0.50%, 0.125%, and 0%. The variants include single nucleotides, insertions, deletions, and two structural variations selected for their clinical importance and to challenge the performance of next-generation sequencing (NGS) methods. Fragmented DNA was formulated to simulate the size distribution of circulating wild-type and tumor DNA in a synthetic plasma matrix. DNA was extracted from these samples and characterized with different methods and multiple laboratories. The various extraction methods had differences in yield, perhaps because of differences in chemistry. Digital PCR assays were used to measure VAFs to compare results from different NGS methods. Comparable VAFs were observed across the different NGS methods. This multilaboratory assessment demonstrates that the new reference material is an appropriate tool to determine the analytical parameters of different measurement methods and to ensure their quality assurance.

Associations of Epstein-Barr Virus-Positive Gastric Adenocarcinoma with Circulating Mediators of Inflammation and Immune Response.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-positive gastric adenocarcinoma exhibits locally intense inflammation but systemic manifestations are uncertain. Our study examined whether circulating mediators of inflammation and immune response differ by tumor EBV status. From a Latvian series of 302 gastric cancer cases, we measured plasma levels of 92 immune-related proteins in the 28 patients with EBV-positive tumors and 34 patients with EBV-negative tumors. Eight markers were statistically significantly higher with tumor EBV positivity: chemokine C-C motif ligand (CCL) 20 (Odds Ratio (OR) = 3.6; p-trend = 0.001), chemokine C-X-C motif ligand 9 (OR = 3.6; p-trend = 0.003), programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1; OR = 3.4; p-trend = 0.004), interleukin (IL)-10 (OR = 2.4; p-trend = 0.019), CCL19 (OR = 2.3; p-trend = 0.019), CCL11 (OR = 2.2; p-trend = 0.026), IL-17A (OR = 2.0; p-trend = 0.038) and CCL8 (OR = 1.9; p-trend = 0.049). Systemic responses to EBV-positive gastric cancer are characterized by alterations in chemokines and PD-L1. Profiling of these molecules may enable non-invasive diagnosis of EBV status when tumor tissue is unavailable. Our findings provide theoretical justification for clinical evaluations of immune checkpoint therapy for EBV-positive gastric cancer.

Reporting Results of Molecular Tests: A Retrospective Examination of BRAF Mutation Reporting.

CONTEXT: - With enormous growth in the field of molecular pathology, the reporting of results gleaned from this testing is essential to guide patient care. OBJECTIVE: - To examine molecular reports from laboratories participating in proficiency testing for required elements to convey molecular laboratory test results to clinicians and patients. DESIGN: - Molecular laboratories participating in the College of American Pathologists (CAP) proficiency testing program for BRAF mutation analysis were solicited to submit examples of final reports from 2 separate proficiency testing reporting cycles. Reports were reviewed for the presence or absence of relevant components. RESULTS: - A total of 107 evaluable reports were received (57 demonstrating a positive result for the BRAF V600E mutation and 50 negative). Methods for BRAF testing varied, with 95% (102 of 107) of reports adequately describing their assay methods and 87% (93 of 107) of reports adequately describing the target(s) of their assays. Information on the analytic sensitivity of the assay was present in 74% (79 of 107) of reports and 83% (89 of 107) reported at least 1 assay limitation, though only 34% (36 of 107) reported on variants not detected by their assays. Analytic and clinical interpretive comments were included in 99% (106 of 107) and 90% (96 of 107) of reports, respectively. Of participants that perform a laboratory-developed test, 88% (88 of 100) included language addressing the development of the assay. CONCLUSIONS: - Laboratories participating in BRAF proficiency testing through the CAP are including most of the required reporting elements to unambiguously convey molecular results. Laboratories should continue to strive to report these results in a concise and comprehensive manner.

Current and Emerging Molecular Tests for Human Papillomavirus-Related Neoplasia in the Genomic Era.

Laboratory tests have a key role in preventing human papillomavirus (HPV)-driven carcinomas and in guiding therapeutic interventions. An understanding of the virology, immunology, and carcinogenesis of HPV is essential for choosing appropriate diagnostic test modalities and developing new and even more effective cancer prevention strategies. HPV infects basal epithelial cells on multiple surfaces and induces carcinoma primarily in the cervix and the oropharynx. HPV types are stratified as high risk or low risk based on their carcinogenic potential. During oncogenesis, HPV interferes with cell cycle regulation and incites DNA damage responses that thwart apoptosis and enable mutations to accumulate. Such mutations are an adverse effect of innate and adaptive antiviral immune responses that up-regulate DNA-editing enzymes, with natural selection of cells having a chromosomally integrated viral genome lacking expression of viral proteins targeted by the immune system. Infected cancers share a similar mutation signature, reflecting the effect of apolipoprotein B mRNA-editing catalytic polypeptide enzyme DNA-editing enzymes. It is feasible that genomic tests for characteristic mutations or methylation signatures, along with tests for dysregulated HPV gene expression, add value in predicting behavior of premalignant lesions. Furthermore, these tumor markers in cell-free DNA of plasma or body fluids may one day assist in early detection or monitoring cancer burden during treatment.

Variation in risk and outcomes of Epstein-Barr virus-associated breast cancer by epidemiologic characteristics and virus detection strategies: an exploratory study.

PURPOSE: A relationship of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and breast cancer etiology and outcome may have clinical utility and potential to enhance understanding of tumor biology. Research to date has yielded variable results, likely reflecting differing virus detection assays and unaddressed epidemiologic heterogeneity across studies. METHODS: Applying our novel, five-target assay detection strategy in an exploratory study, we examined demographic, clinical, and tumor characteristics, and overall survival, associated with EBV positivity in breast adenocarcinomas from 59 non-Hispanic white and 68 Hispanic women sampled by age (<50, 50+) and stage (localized, regional/remote) and examined associations based on single assay targets. RESULTS: EBV was localized only to lymphocytes. Nevertheless, viral prevalence, although low, varied across patient subgroups. Adjusted odds ratios (OR) for EBV positivity were lower for younger Hispanic than white women (p interaction = 0.05), and marginally higher for larger [OR (95% confidence intervals) 1.03 (1.00-1.05) per mm increase] and right-sided [2.8 (0.97-7.8)] tumors. In whites, ORs were marginally higher for larger tumors [1.04 (1.00-1.07)] and marginally lower for age 50+ [0.24 (0.06-1.03)]; in Hispanics, ORs were higher for ER negative [5.6 (1.1-30.5)], and marginally higher for right-sided, tumors [5.8 (0.94-36.2)]. Survival was suggestively poorer for EBV-positive than EBV-negative tumors in older women with localized disease. EBV associations differed across single assay targets, indicating variation in prior findings likely due to assay performance. CONCLUSIONS: The differing EBV associations by age and race/ethnicity suggest a non-random role of EBV in breast cancer and support further study using multi-target assays, relevant epidemiologic design, and a larger study sample.

HER2 Testing and Clinical Decision Making in Gastroesophageal Adenocarcinoma: Guideline From the College of American Pathologists, American Society for Clinical Pathology, and the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Context ERBB2 (erb-b2 receptor tyrosine kinase 2 or HER2) is currently the only biomarker established for selection of a specific therapy for patients with advanced gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma (GEA). However, there are no comprehensive guidelines for the assessment of HER2 in patients with GEA. Objectives To establish an evidence-based guideline for HER2 testing in patients with GEA, formalize the algorithms for methods to improve the accuracy of HER2 testing while addressing which patients and tumor specimens are appropriate, and to provide guidance on clinical decision making. Design The College of American Pathologists (CAP), American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP), and the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) convened an Expert Panel to conduct a systematic review of the literature to develop an evidence-based guideline with recommendations for optimal HER2 testing in patients with GEA. Results The Panel is proposing 11 recommendations with strong agreement from the open comment participants. Recommendations The Panel recommends that tumor specimen(s) from all patients with advanced GEA, who are candidates for HER2-targeted therapy, should be assessed for HER2 status before the initiation of HER2-targeted therapy. Clinicians should offer combination chemotherapy and an HER2-targeted agent as initial therapy for all patients with HER2-positive advanced GEA. For pathologists, guidance is provided for morphologic selection of neoplastic tissue, testing algorithms, scoring methods, interpretation and reporting of results, and laboratory quality assurance. Conclusion This guideline provides specific recommendations for assessment of HER2 in patients with advanced GEA while addressing pertinent technical issues and clinical implications of the results.

HER2 Testing and Clinical Decision Making in Gastroesophageal Adenocarcinoma: Guideline From the College of American Pathologists, American Society for Clinical Pathology, and American Society of Clinical Oncology.

CONTEXT: - ERBB2 (erb-b2 receptor tyrosine kinase 2 or HER2) is currently the only biomarker established for selection of a specific therapy for patients with advanced gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma (GEA). However, there are no comprehensive guidelines for the assessment of HER2 in patients with GEA. OBJECTIVES: - To establish an evidence-based guideline for HER2 testing in patients with GEA, to formalize the algorithms for methods to improve the accuracy of HER2 testing while addressing which patients and tumor specimens are appropriate, and to provide guidance on clinical decision making. DESIGN: - The College of American Pathologists, American Society for Clinical Pathology, and American Society of Clinical Oncology convened an expert panel to conduct a systematic review of the literature to develop an evidence-based guideline with recommendations for optimal HER2 testing in patients with GEA. RESULTS: - The panel is proposing 11 recommendations with strong agreement from the open-comment participants. RECOMMENDATIONS: - The panel recommends that tumor specimen(s) from all patients with advanced GEA, who are candidates for HER2-targeted therapy, should be assessed for HER2 status before the initiation of HER2-targeted therapy. Clinicians should offer combination chemotherapy and a HER2-targeted agent as initial therapy for all patients with HER2-positive advanced GEA. For pathologists, guidance is provided for morphologic selection of neoplastic tissue, testing algorithms, scoring methods, interpretation and reporting of results, and laboratory quality assurance. CONCLUSIONS: - This guideline provides specific recommendations for assessment of HER2 in patients with advanced GEA while addressing pertinent technical issues and clinical implications of the results.

Karyotypic abnormalities associated with Epstein-Barr virus status in classical Hodgkin lymphoma.

Classical Hodgkin lymphoma (CHL) is morphologically characterized by scattered malignant Hodgkin/Reed-Sternberg (HRS) cells that are far outnumbered by surrounding reactive hematolymphoid cells. Approximately half of all cases of CHL are associated with infection by Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), an oncogenic herpesvirus that expresses a number of proteins thought to contribute to transformation. While a small number of published studies have attempted to identify recurrent cytogenetic abnormalities in CHL, no large case series have explored karyotypic differences between EBV-positive and EBV-negative tumors. Here, we report a two-institution retrospective investigation of cytogenetic features characterizing CHL. In our cohort, cases of EBV-negative CHL were characterized by more complex routine karyotypes than their EBV-positive counterparts (24.6 versus 15.6 independent aberrations per case, P = 0.009). The increased complexity of EBV-negative cases was driven by a number of features suggestive of genomic instability, including a larger number of independent chromosomal breakpoints (P = 0.03) and apparently aneuploid autosomes (P = 0.008). Compelling but nonsignificant trends also suggest a larger modal number and increased marker chromosomes in EBV-negative cases (P = 0.13 and 0.06, respectively). While some of these differences are related to histologic subtype, others appear independent of histology. Finally, a significant subset of EBV-positive tumors has a surprisingly simple karyotype relative to what is normally seen in CHL, an observation suggesting considerable biological and genetic diversity in this disease.