STIM1/SOX2 proteins are co-expressed in the tumor and microenvironmental stromal cells of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and ampullary carcinoma.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and ampullary carcinoma (AAC) are lethal malignancies with modest benefits from surgery. SOX2 and STIM1 have been linked to anticancer activity in several human malignancies. This study included 94 tumor cases: 48 primary PDAC, 25 metastatic PDAC, and 21 primary AAC with corresponding non-tumor tissue. All cases were immunohistochemically stained for STIM1 and SOX2 and results were correlated with clinicopathologic data, patient survival, and BCL2 immunostaining results. Results revealed that STIM1 and SOX2 epithelial/stromal expressions were significantly higher in PDAC and AAC in comparison to the control groups. STIM1 and SOX2 expressions were positively correlated in the primary and metastatic PDAC (P = 0.016 and, P = 0.001, respectively). However, their expressions were not significantly associated with BCL2 expression. SOX2 epithelial/stromal expressions were positively correlated with the large tumor size in the primary AAC group (P = 0.052, P = 0.044, respectively). STIM1 stromal and SOX2 epithelial over-expressions had a bad prognostic impact on the overall survival of AAC (P = 0.002 and P = 0.001, respectively). Therefore, STIM1 and SOX2 co-expression in tumor cells and intra-tumoral stroma could contribute to the development of PDAC and AAC. STIM1/SOX2 expression is linked to a bad prognosis in AAC.

The expression of VEGF and cyclin D1/EGFR in common primary liver carcinomas in Egypt: an immunohistochemical study.

Background: The most common types of primary malignant liver tumours are hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and cholangiocarcinoma (CCA). Treatment options for patients who are inoperable/advanced, or recurring are challenging. Cyclin D1, epidermal growth factor (EGFR) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGR) are common carcinogenic proteins that have potential therapeutic targets in various cancers. They have been implicated in the development of HCC and CCA. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the oncogenic function expression of cyclin D1, EGFR and VEGF in HCC and CCA of Egyptian patients. This could help to validate their therapeutic potential. Material and methods: Tumour cases were selected from 82 cases of primary liver carcinomas, with 58 cases being from HCC and 24 cases from CCA compared to 51 non-tumour adjacent liver cases and 18 from normal liver tissue. The immunohistochemical study of cyclin D1, EGFR and VEGR was conducted. Results: Cyclin D1, EGFR and VEGF are overexpressed in HCC and CCA as compared to the control group (p < 0.001). Cyclin D1 was related to well-differentiated grade and early pathologic stage in HCC (p = 0.016 and p = 0.042, respectively). The well-differentiated grade showed significantly higher VEGF levels (p = 0.04). In the CCA group, however, EGFR was strongly related to high tumour size (p = 0.047). EGFR and VEGF were overexpressed in HCC raised in the non-cirrhotic liver compared to those developed in post-hepatitic liver cirrhosis (p = 0.003 and p = 0.014). Conclusion: Cyclin D1, EGFR and VEGF shared significant overexpression in HCC and CCA. EGFR and VEGF may play an oncogenic function in the development of HCC in non-cirrhotic liver. Furthermore, cyclin D1 and VEGF may play a good prognostic function in HCC, but EGFR may play a bad prognostic role in CCA.

The clinicopathological and prognostic factors of hepatocellular carcinoma: a 10-year tertiary center experience in Egypt.

BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains a major health problem despite the emergence of several preventive and therapeutic modalities. HCC has heterogeneous and wide morpho-molecular patterns, resulting in unique clinical and prognostic criteria. Therefore, we aimed to study the clinical and pathological criteria of HCC to update the morpho-molecular classifications and provide a guide to the diagnosis of this disease. METHODS: Five hundred thirty pathologically analyzed HCC cases were included in this study. The clinical and survival data of these cases were collected. RESULTS: Hepatitis C virus is still the dominant cause of HCC in Egypt. Post-direct-acting antiviral agent HCC showed an aggressive course compared to interferon-related HCC. Old age, male gender, elevated alpha-fetoprotein level, tumor size, and background liver were important prognostic parameters. Special HCC variants have characteristic clinical, laboratory, radiological, prognostic, and survival data. Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes rather than neutrophil-rich HCC have an excellent prognosis. CONCLUSIONS: HCC is a heterogenous tumor with diverse clinical, pathological, and prognostic parameters. Incorporating the clinicopathological profile per specific subtype is essential in the treatment decision of patients with HCC. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This was a retrospective study that included 530 HCC cases eligible for analysis. The cases were obtained from the archives of the Pathology Department, during the period between January 2010 and December 2019. Clinical and survival data were collected from the patients' medical records after approval by the institutional review board (IRB No. 246/2021) of Liver National Institute, Menoufia University. The research followed the guidelines outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki and registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05047146).