COVID-19 can lead to rapid progression of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia by dysregulating the immune system: A hypothesis.

COVID-19 is a multisystem disease and cause of a global pandemic. Lately, cases of disease progression of HPV-infected CIN under SARS-CoV-2 infection were reported giving rise to the hypothesis of direct virus-infection induced pro-carcinogenic effect of SARS-CoV-2. We herein present a case of rapid progression from HPV-induced CIN 2 to microinvasive carcinoma within three months under COVID-19 without direct virus infection. Histopathologic evaluation, Fluorescence-in-situ hybridization and qRT-PCR against SARS-CoV-2 RNA as well as gene expression analysis were performed from the available FFPE-tissue and accompanied by an analysis of white blood cell differential. No signs of direct SARS-CoV-2 infection or COVID-19 typical alterations of cervical tissue were found. As expected, p53 decreased in expression with progression of dysplasia, while APOBEC3A and VISTA showed a decrease in expression contrary to observations in dysplasia progression. PD-L1 was expressed consistently or increased slightly but did not show the expected strong induction of expression. DNMT1 showed an increase in expression in CIN III and a slight decrease in carcinoma, while DNMT3a is consistently expressed in CIN II and decreased in carcinoma. Blood tests after COVID-19 showed substantial reduction of lymphocytes, eosinophils, T-cells, and NK-cells. Our results hint at an indirect effect of COVID-19 on the cervical neoplasm. We conclude that the immune system might be preoccupied and exhausted by the concurring COVID-19 disease, leading to less immunological pressure on the HPV-infected cervical dysplasia enabling rapid disease progression. Further, indirect proangiogenic and proinflammatory micromilieu due to the multisystemic effects of COVID-19 might play an additional role.

Activating human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) gene mutation in bone metastases from breast cancer.

In addition to amplification, point mutations of the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) gene (ERBB2) have been shown to activate the corresponding signaling pathway in breast cancer. The prevalence of ERBB2/HER2 mutation in bone metastasis of breast cancer and the associated phenotype are not known. In this study, bone metastases from breast cancer patients (n = 231) were analyzed for ERBB2/HER2 mutation. In 7 patients (3%; median age 70 years, range 50-83 years), gain-of-function mutations of ERBB2/HER2 were detected. The most frequent mutation was p.L755S (71%). In 29% of mutated cases, p.V777L was found. Lobular breast cancer was present in 71% of mutated cases (n = 5) and in 49% of all samples (n = 231; p = 0.275). Mutation frequency was 4.4% in the lobular subgroup and 17.4% in the pleomorphic subtype of lobular cancer (n = 23), respectively. All but one mutated lobular cancers were of the pleomorphic subtype (p = 0.006). Mutated cancers belonged either to the luminal (n = 4) or to the triple-negative types (n = 3). With regard to protein expression and gene amplification, HER2 was negative in all mutated cases. Among the 14% of metastatic luminal cancers with estrogen receptor gene (ESR1) mutation, conveying resistance against aromatase inhibitors, no concomitant ERBB2/HER2 mutation occurred. We conclude that activating HER2 mutation is present in about 3% of bone metastases from breast cancers, with significantly higher rates in the pleomorphic subtype of lobular cancer. Since mutated cases appear to be HER2-negative by conventional testing, the opportunity for specific anti-HER2 therapy may be missed.

CDKN2A loss and PIK3CA mutation in myoepithelial-like metaplastic breast cancer.

Metaplastic breast carcinoma comprises a heterogeneous group of tumours with poorly understood pathogenesis. A subset of metaplastic breast cancers show myoepithelial differentiation and constitute a morphological spectrum with ill-defined borders from fibromatosis-like spindle cell carcinoma to myoepithelial carcinoma. In a series of 34 metaplastic breast cancers with spindle cell and myoepithelial differentiation, we found recurrent genetic aberrations, which set them apart from other metaplastic breast cancers and suggest a unique pathogenesis. The majority of cases (28 of 34 patients; 82.4%) showed distinct chromosomal loss in the 9p21.3 region, including CDKN2A and CDKN2B. Biallelic loss of the CDKN2A/B region was found in 50% of deleted cases. Expression of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor CDKN2A (p16) was missing in all samples affected by 9p21.3 loss. Other genomic alterations frequently occurring in triple-negative and metaplastic breast cancer were absent or found in only a minority of cases. Gains of whole chromosome 5 and chromosomal region 5p were observed in nine cases, and were associated with recurrences (p < 0.001). In 64.3% of cases, 9p21.3 loss was accompanied by concurrent PIK3CA mutation. Both genomic abnormalities were also detectable in adenomyoepitheliomas (4/12), which are considered to represent the precursor lesion of myoepithelial metaplastic breast cancer. In adenomyoepithelioma, PIK3CA mutation was present in both luminal epithelial and myoepithelial cells, whereas p16 loss was found only in the latter. We conclude that 9p21.3 (CDKN2A) loss and PIK3CA mutation characterize a subgroup of metaplastic breast cancers with myoepithelial and spindle cell differentiation. Myoepithelial cells in adenomyoepithelioma may show identical aberrations. Copyright © 2018 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Estrogen receptor (ESR1) mutation in bone metastases from breast cancer.

Activating mutations of estrogen receptor α gene (ESR1) in breast cancer can cause endocrine resistance of metastatic tumor cells. The skeleton belongs to the metastatic sides frequently affected by breast cancer. The prevalence of ESR1 mutation in bone metastasis and the corresponding phenotype are not known. In this study bone metastases from breast cancer (n=231) were analyzed for ESR1 mutation. In 27 patients (12%) (median age 73 years, range: 55-82 years) activating mutations of ESR1 were detected. The most frequent mutation was p.D538G (53%), no mutations in exon 4 (K303) or 7 (S463) were found. Lobular breast cancer was present in 52% of mutated cases (n=14) and in 49% of all samples (n=231), respectively. Mutated cancers constantly displayed strong estrogen receptor expression. Progesterone receptor was positive in 78% of the mutated cases (n=21). From 194 estrogen receptor-positive samples, 14% had ESR1 mutated. Except for one mutated case, no concurrent HER2 overexpression was noted. Metastatic breast cancer with activating mutations of ESR1 had a higher Ki67 labeling index than primary luminal cancers (median 30%, ranging from 5 to 60% with 85% of cases revealing ≥20% Ki67-positive cells). From those patients from whom information on endocrine therapy was available (n=7), two had received tamoxifen only, 4 tamoxifen followed by aromatase inhibitors and one patient had been treated with aromatase inhibitors only. We conclude that ESR1 mutation is associated with estrogen receptor expression and high proliferative activity and affects about 14% of estrogen receptor-positive bone metastases from breast cancer.