A case of hyalinizing trabecular tumor of the thyroid: diagnostic significance of PAX8-GLIS3 fusion.

BACKGROUND: Hyalinizing trabecular tumor (HTT) is an uncommon follicular cell-derived thyroid tumor classified as a low-risk neoplasm by the World Health Organization Classification of Tumors of Endocrine Organs, 5th edition. The PAX8-GLIS3 gene fusion is reportedly a pathognomonic genetic alteration of HTT. CASE PRESENTATION: A 43-year-old Japanese female was incidentally discovered to have an 8-mm, well-defined, hypoechoic mass in the left lobe of the thyroid gland by ultrasound examination. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography scan revealed a solid mass exhibiting slight homogeneous enhancement in the lower pole of the thyroid gland. The mass was diagnosed as atypia of undetermined significance by fine-needle aspiration cytology. The patient underwent left hemithyroidectomy with routine central compartment dissection. Histologic findings revealed tumor cells with elongated nuclei and intranuclear pseudoinclusions arranged with trabeculae architecture or small nests in hyalinized stroma. Weak membranous and cytoplasmic staining was found by MIB1 (Ki-67) immunostaining. The final diagnosis was HTT of the thyroid gland. Next-generation sequencing genetic analysis of a surgical specimen revealed no pathologic mutations, including BRAF, H/K/NRAS, or RET-PTC fusions. The PAX8-GLIS3 fusion was detected by RT-PCR. CONCLUSIONS: A rare case of HTT was demonstrated through imaging, cytologic, histologic and molecular investigations. PAX8-GLIS3 fusion detected by RT-PCR and Sanger sequencing was confirmed to be a genetic hallmark of HTT.

Salivary Duct Carcinoma Arising in the Submandibular Gland in a Patient with Neurofibromatosis Type 1.

A 71-year-old man with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) presented to our department with a 1-week history of a painful mass in the left submandibular area. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging revealed an irregular-shaped tumor with a diameter of 2.0 cm in the left submandibular gland and a metastatic lymph node with a diameter of 1.0 cm adjacent to the tumor. Fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography/CT revealed increased uptake in the tumor. Fine-needle aspiration cytology revealed atypical cells, suggesting salivary duct carcinoma (SDC). Left neck dissection with resection of the tumor and submandibular gland was performed under general anesthesia. Histologic examination revealed ductal formation with a solid, cystic, cribriform, and papillary structure with intraductal comedonecrosis, diagnosing as SDC originating in the submandibular gland (pT3N1M0 pStage III). Mutational analysis of 160 cancer-related genes by next-generation sequencing (NGS) revealed a germline and frameshift mutation in the NF1 gene (p.R2408Kfs*14) and a somatic and frameshift mutation in the TP53 gene (p.C176Wfs*22). The patient received postoperative radiotherapy to the left neck area at 66 Gy. No evidence of recurrence or metastasis has been observed as of 10 months postoperatively. This is the first reported case of SDC in the submandibular gland in a patient with NF1. The mutational data by NGS may contribute to a better understanding of the oncogenesis of SDC in patients with NF1.

BRAF V600E mutation co-existing with oncogenic mutations is associated with aggressive clinicopathologic features and poor prognosis in papillary thyroid carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation among mutations in cancer-related genes, clinicopathologic features, and clinical outcome in classical papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 130 patients with classical PTC who underwent curative surgery between April 2012 and June 2023 at Hokuto Hospital were included. Mutations in targeted regions of 160 cancer-related genes were detected by next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based cancer panel testing. RESULTS: The BRAF V600E mutation was detected in 108 (83.1%) of 130 PTC patients. Among the 108 patients with the BRAF V600E mutation, other co-existing oncogenic mutations were found in 12 (9.2%) patients. When we divided into 3 groups of no mutations, BRAF V600E mutation alone, and BRAF V600E and other oncogenic mutations, significant differences were observed in terms of tracheal invasion (P = 0.0024), and bilateral neck lymph node metastasis (P = 0.0047). Kaplan-Meier analysis of overall survival (OS) revealed patients with BRAF V600E and other oncogenic mutations had significantly poorer survival than those with BRAF V600E mutation alone (P = 0.0026). Multivariate cox proportional hazard analysis revealed BRAF V600E and other oncogenic mutations was an independent prognostic factor for OS (HR: 10.559; 95%CI: 1.007-110.656, P = 0.0493). CONCLUSIONS: The BRAF V600E mutation co-existing with other oncogenic mutations but not the BRAF V600E mutation alone was associated with aggressive clinicopathologic features, resulting in poor prognosis in patients with classical PTC. Detection of oncogenic mutations using NGS-based cancer panel testing could enhance understanding of the clinical features of classical PTC.

Novel design of high voltage pulse source for efficient dielectric barrier discharge generation by using silicon diodes for alternating current.

This work focuses on design, construction, and optimization of configuration of a novel high voltage pulse power source for large-scale dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) generation. The pulses were generated by using the high-speed switching characteristic of an inexpensive device called silicon diodes for alternating current and the self-terminated characteristic of DBD. The operation started to be powered by a primary DC low voltage power supply flexibly equipped with a commercial DC power supply, or a battery, or DC output of an independent photovoltaic system without transformer employment. This flexible connection to different types of primary power supply could provide a promising solution for the application of DBD, especially in the area without power grid connection. The simple modular structure, non-control requirement, transformer elimination, and a minimum number of levels in voltage conversion could lead to a reduction in size, weight, simple maintenance, low cost of installation, and high scalability of a DBD generator. The performance of this pulse source has been validated by a load of resistor. A good agreement between theoretically estimated and experimentally measured responses has been achieved. The pulse source has also been successfully applied for an efficient DBD plasma generation.