Prospective validation of a lymphocyte infiltration prognostic test in stage III colon cancer patients treated with adjuvant FOLFOX.

BACKGROUND: The prognostic value of lymphocyte infiltration (LI) of colorectal carcinoma (CC) has been demonstrated by several groups. However, no validated test is currently available for clinical practice. We previously described an automated and reproducible method for testing LI and aimed to validate it for clinical use. PATIENTS AND METHODS: According to National Institutes of Health criteria, we designed a prospective validation of this biomarker in patients included in the PETACC8 phase III study. Primary objective was to compare percentage of patients alive and without recurrence at 2 years in patients with high versus low LI (#NCT02364024). Associations of LI with patient recurrence and survival were analysed, and multivariable models were adjusted for treatment and relevant factors. Automated testing of LI was performed on virtual slides without access to clinical data. RESULTS: Among the 1220 CC patients enrolled, LI was high, low and not evaluable in 241 (19.8%), 790 (64.8%) and 189 (15.5%), respectively. Primary objective was met with a 2-year recurrence rate of 14.4% versus 21.1% in patients with high and low LI, respectively (p = 0.02). Patients with high LI also had better disease free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS). Tumour stage, grade, RAS status and BRAF status were with LI the only prognostic markers in multivariable analysis for OS. Subgroup analyses revealed that high LI had better DFS and OS in mismatch repair (MMR) proficient patients, and in patients without RAS mutation, but not in MMR deficient and RAS mutated patients. CONCLUSION: Although this is the first validation with high level of evidence (IIB) of the prognostic value of a LI test in colon cancers, it still needs to be confirmed in independent series of colon cancer patients.

Multiple peritoneal calcifying fibrous tumors revealed by ischemic colitis.

We report the case of a 41-year-old man presenting with multiple calcifying fibrous tumor (CFT) revealed by ischemic colitis. Peritoneal nodular lesions involved omental, mesenteric, mesorectal, and mesocolic serosal surfaces. Histologically, nodules were composed of dense bundles of collagen, calcifications, and lymphoplasmacytic infiltrate. These findings were diagnostic of CFTs, a rare and often asymptomatic benign fibrous process. Multiple peritoneal CFTs are very uncommon and usually occur in women. Calcifying fibrous tumors are usually cured by surgical excision. The differential diagnosis and histogenesis of this entity are discussed.

[Epithelioid schwannoma of the colon. Report of two cases]. / Schwannome épithélioïde colique: étude anatomo-clinique de deux cas.

Schwannomas of the colon are rare tumors. Most of them are spindle cell tumors. The epithelioid variant is exceedingly rare with only 10 cases reported in the literature. We report two fortuitously discovered cases in 37 and 42-year-old women. The masses were located in the sigmoid and the right colon. They measured 2,5 and 3 cm in diameter. On microscopic examination, they were composed of sheets of uniform epithelioid cells without atypia or mitosis. One of them had a cuff of benign lymphoid hyperplasia. Immunohistochemical study showed positive staining of the tumor cells for S100 protein and some of them for glial fibrillary acidic protein. Some CD34-positive fibroblast-like cells were identified in the two tumors. There was no recurrence with a follow-up ranging from 6 to 24 months. Epithelioid schwannoma of the colon is a benign tumor of uncertain histogenesis which may be confused with more aggressive neoplasms.

[Pancreatic intraductal tubular carcinoma: a sub-group of intraductal papillary-mucinous tumors or a distinct entity? A case report and review of the literature]. / Carcinome tubuleux intracanalaire pancréatique: sous-groupe ou entité distincte des tumeurs intracanalaires papillaires mucineuses? A propos d'un cas et revue de la littérature.

We report the case of a 67-year-old man presenting with an isolated 3 cm mass of the pancreatic tail revealed by weight loss. Distal pancreatectomy and splenectomy were performed. Microscopically, the tumor filled the main pancreatic duct, extending into the smaller ducts and was associated with a minor adenocarcinomatous invasive component. The intraductal tumor showed a cribriform pattern, atypical cells without mucus and a MUC1+, MUC2-, MUC5AC- phenotype, all characteristics of intraductal tubular carcinoma, a new entity described by Japanese authors. The differential diagnosis and its relationship with intraductal papillary-mucinous tumors are discussed.

Renal cell carcinoma with an Xp11.2 translocation in a 16-year-old girl: a case report with cytological features.

We report a case of a 16-year-old girl with a left renal tumor discovered by her family practitioner. On physical examination the patient had a painless abdominal mass, located in the upper medium portion of the abdomen on the left side with a voussure of the abdominal wall. Ultrasound and abdominal pelvic CAT scan revealed a large heterogeneous mass with calcifications in the inferior portion of the left kidney. We made touch-imprint cytological preparations of the biopsy fragments, obtained under ultrasound guidance. Cytological analysis revealed highly cellular smears with malignant cells arranged in large clusters or rarely isolated, sometimes surrounding hyaline nodules with numerous psammoma bodies. After May-Grünwald-Giemsa staining, cells displayed moderately irregular nuclei with an abundant and pale basophilic cytoplasm with well-defined borders and a finely granular texture. The diagnosis of a special type of renal cell carcinoma was suspected, and was then confirmed after examination of the biopsy sample and the corresponding surgical specimen. The histomorphologic features were those of a renal cell carcinoma associated with an Xp11.2 translocation. Immunohistochemistry revealed this translocation by showing nuclear positivity in tumor cells for an antibody raised against the TFE3 protein. The clinical outcome was marked several months later by metastases in lymph nodes, bone, lung, and adrenal gland as well as a local recurrence.

Imatinib mesylate-induced acute hepatitis with autoimmune features.

Autoimmune hepatitis is a disorder of unknown aetiology. Imatinib belongs to a new class of anticancer agents with high selectivity toward a specific molecular target. Its main indications are chronic myeloid leukaemia and gastrointestinal tumours. We report here, for the first time to our knowledge, imatinib mesylate-induced hepatitis with autoimmune features.

Mucinous tubular and spindle cell carcinoma: a report of 15 cases and a review of the literature.

Mucinous tubular and spindle cell carcinomas are low-grade renal epithelial neoplasms, which were first recognized as a specific entity in the World Health Organization 2004 classification. Forty-five documented cases have been reported. We present 15 additional cases that were incidentally discovered in ten women and five men, with a mean age of 53 years. The tumor is characteristically made up of large eosinophilic regular spindle cells separated by a myxoid stroma with intercellular alcian-blue-positive clear droplets. In peripheral areas, elongated tubules and papillae covered by cubic cells are found. Until this entity had been defined, pathologists used to classify these tumors as variants of solid papillary carcinomas with compressed and elongated papillae, metanephric adenomas, and sarcomatoid carcinomas. In the literature, cytogenetic data indicate various chromosomal losses and gains, but no loss of 3p or trisomy 7 and/or trisomy 17. In two cases, we demonstrate chromosomal loss involving chromosomes 1, 4, 6, 11, 8, 13, 14, 15, 18, and 22. In our 15 cases, immunohistochemistry favored a distal tubule origin (EMA(+), AE1/AE3(+), CK7(+), CK19(+), E-cadherin(+), AMACR(+), and CD10(-)). Prognosis was favorable in our cases, while in the literature, two metastatic cases were reported. Further investigations are required to determine the frequency and true prognosis of these tumors, which are easily identifiable morphologically.