Clinical practice recommendations for the use of next-generation sequencing in patients with solid cancer: a joint report from KSMO and KSP.

In recent years, next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based genetic testing has become crucial in cancer care. While its primary objective is to identify actionable genetic alterations to guide treatment decisions, its scope has broadened to encompass aiding in pathological diagnosis and exploring resistance mechanisms. With the ongoing expansion in NGS application and reliance, a compelling necessity arises for expert consensus on its application in solid cancers. To address this demand, the forthcoming recommendations not only provide pragmatic guidance for the clinical use of NGS but also systematically classify actionable genes based on specific cancer types. Additionally, these recommendations will incorporate expert perspectives on crucial biomarkers, ensuring informed decisions regarding circulating tumor DNA panel testing.

Pathologic characteristics of histiocytic and dendritic cell neoplasms.

Histiocytic and dendritic cell neoplasms comprise diverse tumors originating from the mononuclear phagocytic system, which includes monocytes, macrophages, and dendritic cells. The 5th edition of the World Health Organization (WHO) classification updating the categorization of these tumors, reflecting a deeper understanding of their pathogenesis.In this updated classification system, tumors are categorized as Langerhans cell and other dendritic cell neoplasms, histiocyte/macrophage neoplasms, and plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasms. Follicular dendritic cell neoplasms are classified as mesenchymal dendritic cell neoplasms within the stroma-derived neoplasms of lymphoid tissues.Each subtype of histiocytic and dendritic cell neoplasms exhibits distinct morphological characteristics. They also show a characteristic immunophenotypic profile marked by various markers such as CD1a, CD207/langerin, S100, CD68, CD163, CD4, CD123, CD21, CD23, CD35, and ALK, and hematolymphoid markers such as CD45 and CD43. In situ hybridization for EBV-encoded small RNA (EBER) identifies a particular subtype. Immunoprofiling plays a critical role in determining the cell of origin and identifying the specific subtype of tumors. There are frequent genomic alterations in these neoplasms, especially in the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway, including BRAF (notably BRAF V600E), MAP2K1, KRAS, and NRAS mutations, and ALK gene translocation.This review aims to offer a comprehensive and updated overview of histiocytic and dendritic cell neoplasms, focusing on their ontogeny, morphological aspects, immunophenotypic profiles, and molecular genetics. This comprehensive approach is essential for accurately differentiating and classifying neoplasms according to the updated WHO classification.

A Phase II Open-Label Randomized Clinical Trial of Preoperative Durvalumab or Durvalumab plus Tremelimumab in Resectable Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

PURPOSE: Clinical implications of neoadjuvant immunotherapy in patients with locally advanced but resectable head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) remain largely unexplored. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with resectable HNSCC were randomized to receive a single dose of preoperative durvalumab (D) with or without tremelimumab (T) before resection, followed by postoperative (chemo)radiotherapy based on multidisciplinary discretion and 1-year D treatment. Artificial intelligence (AI)-powered spatial distribution analysis of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes and high-dimensional profiling of circulating immune cells tracked dynamic intratumoral and systemic immune responses. RESULTS: Of the 48 patients enrolled (D, 24 patients; D+T, 24 patients), 45 underwent surgical resection per protocol (D, 21 patients; D+T, 24 patients). D±T had a favorable safety profile and did not delay surgery. Distant recurrence-free survival (DRFS) was significantly better in patients treated with D+T than in those treated with D monotherapy. AI-powered whole-slide image analysis demonstrated that D+T significantly reshaped the tumor microenvironment toward immune-inflamed phenotypes, in contrast with the D monotherapy or cytotoxic chemotherapy. High-dimensional profiling of circulating immune cells revealed a significant expansion of T-cell subsets characterized by proliferation and activation in response to D+T therapy, which was rare following D monotherapy. Importantly, expansion of specific clusters in CD8+ T cells and non-regulatory CD4+ T cells with activation and exhaustion programs was associated with prolonged DRFS in patients treated with D+T. CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative D±T is feasible and may benefit patients with resectable HNSCC. Distinct changes in the tumor microenvironment and circulating immune cells were induced by each treatment regimen, warranting further investigation.

Diagnosis of Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia via Whole Exome Sequencing and Histologic Findings.

PURPOSE: To assess the diagnostic potential of whole-exome sequencing (WES) and elucidate the clinical and genetic characteristics of primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) in the Korean population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-seven patients clinically suspected of having PCD were enrolled at a tertiary medical center. WES was performed in all patients, and seven patients received biopsy of cilia and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). RESULTS: Overall, PCD was diagnosed in 10 (21.3%) patients: eight by WES (8/47, 17%), four by TEM. Among patients diagnosed as PCD based on TEM results, two patients showed consistent results with WES and TEM of PCD (2/4, 50%). In addition, five patients, who were not included in the final PCD diagnosis group, had variants of unknown significance in PCD-related genes (5/47, 10.6%). The most frequent pathogenic (P)/likely pathogenic (LP) variants were detected in DNAH11 (n=4, 21.1%), DRC1 (n=4, 21.1%), and DNAH5 (n=4, 21.1%). Among the detected 17 P/LP variants in PCD-related genes in this study, 8 (47.1%) were identified as novel variants. Regarding the genotype-phenotype correlation in this study, the authors experienced severe PCD cases caused by the LP/P variants in MCIDAS, DRC1, and CCDC39. CONCLUSION: Through this study, we were able to confirm the value of WES as one of the diagnostic tools for PCD, which increases with TEM, rather than single gene tests. These results will prove useful to hospitals with limited access to PCD diagnostic testing but with relatively efficient in-house or outsourced access to genetic testing at a pre-symptomatic or early disease stage.