Whole-exome sequencing is feasible on a fresh-frozen skin sample of intravascular large B cell lymphoma.

Intravascular large B-cell lymphoma (IVLBCL) is a rare aggressive extranodal non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The predominant, if not exclusive, growth of neoplastic cells within the lumina of small-sized vessels represents the hallmark of the disease. Diagnosis is challenging due to the absence of marked lymphadenopathy, the highly heterogeneous clinical presentation, and the rarity of the condition. Clinical presentation is characterized by variable combinations of nonspecific signs and symptoms (such as fever and weight loss), organ-specific focal manifestations due to altered perfusion, and hemophagocytic syndrome. The rarity of this entity and the paucity of neoplastic cells in biopsy samples hamper the study of recurrent molecular abnormalities. The purpose of this study was to explore the feasibility of a different approach to recover a sufficient amount of DNA of acceptable quality to perform next-generation sequencing studies. Here, we report the findings of whole-exome next-generation sequencing performed on a fresh-frozen cutaneous sample of IVLBCL, paired with the patient saliva used as germline DNA. To increase the cancer cell fraction, only the subcutaneous tissue was selected. With this approach, we obtained high-quality DNA and were able to identify oncogenic mutations specific for this entity and recapitulating its post-germinal center origin, even if the tumor fraction was low. Molecular studies performed on fresh-frozen cutaneous sample are feasible in IVLBCL, especially when analysis is restricted to the subcutaneous tissue. Wide adoption of this reproducible and cost-effective approach may foster further studies, which may be of help in supporting diagnosis, providing pathogenetic insights, and guiding treatment decisions.

Pleural Kaposi sarcoma: an unusual clinical case.

Kaposi sarcoma is a low-grade mesenchymal tumor associated with human herpesvirus-8. Here we describe the case of a 37-year old woman, who underwent to kidney and liver transplant for congenital hepatic fibrosis and bilateral polycystic kidney, with successive immunosuppressive therapy. After 5 years from first transplant, she developed cutaneous, mucosal, pleural and nodal localizations of Kaposi sarcoma, without lung lesions. Because of an initial clinical presentation with an important nodal and pleural involvement, a diagnosis of a lymphoproliferative disease was suspected. Pathological examination of the pleural sample allowed to exclude lymphoproliferative neoplasia and was consistent with Kaposi sarcoma. Subsequently involvement of other sites was diagnosed as expression of diffuse disease. The interest of this case lays in the unusual clinical presentation which can lead to diagnostic pitfalls when evaluating pleural biopsies.

Heterogeneity of the bone marrow niche in patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms: ActivinA secretion by mesenchymal stromal cells correlates with the degree of marrow fibrosis.

Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) represent an essential component of the bone marrow (BM) niche and display disease-specific alterations in several myeloid malignancies. The aim of this work was to study possible MSC abnormalities in Philadelphia-negative myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) in relationship to the degree of BM fibrosis. MSCs were isolated from BM of 6 healthy donors (HD) and of 23 MPN patients, classified in 3 groups according to the diagnosis and the grade of BM fibrosis: polycythemia vera and essential thrombocythemia (PV/ET), low fibrosis myelofibrosis (LF-MF), and high fibrosis MF (HF-MF). MSC cultures were established from 21 of 23 MPN patients. MPN-derived MSCs did not exhibit any functional impairment in their adipogenic/osteogenic/chondrogenic differentiation potential and displayed a phenotype similar to HD-derived MSCs but with a decreased expression of CD146. All MPN-MSC lines were negative for the patient-specific hematopoietic clone mutations (JAK2, MPL, CALR). MSCs derived from HF-MF patients displayed a reduced clonogenic potential and a lower growth kinetic compared to MSCs from HD, LF-MF, and PV/ET patients. mRNA levels of hematopoiesis regulatory molecules were unaffected in MSCs from HF-MF compared to HD. Finally, in vitro ActivinA secretion by MSCs was increased in HF-MF compared to LF-MF patients, in association with a lower hemoglobin value. Increased ActivinA immunolabeling on stromal cells and erythroid precursors was also observed in HF-MF BM biopsies. In conclusion, higher grade of BM fibrosis is associated with functional impairment of MSCs and the increased secretion of ActivinA may represent a suitable target for anemia treatment in MF patients.

Cytogenetic study in primary myelofibrosis at diagnosis: Clinical and histological association and impact on survival according to WHO 2017 classification in an Italian multicenter series.

We analyzed cytogenetic data at diagnosis in 395 primary myelofibrosis (PMF) patients to evaluate any possible association between karyotype and WHO 2017 classification and its impact on prognosis. All the cases were diagnosed and followed at five Italian Hematological Centers between November 1983 and December 2016. An abnormal karyotype (AK) was found in 69 patients and clustered differently according to bone marrow fibrosis grade as it was found in 31 (27.0%) cases with overt fibrotic and 38 (13.6%) with pre-fibrotic PMF (p = 0.001). Sex, anemia, thrombocytopenia, circulating blasts ≥1%, higher lactate dehydrogenase, and International Prognostic Scoring System risk classes were all significantly associated with karyotype. At a median follow-up of >6 years, 101 deaths were recorded. Survival was different between AK and normal karyotype (NK) patients with an estimated median overall survival (OS) of 11.6 and 25.7 years, respectively (p = 0.0148). In conclusion, in our cohort around 20% of patients had an AK, more frequently in subjects with an advanced bone marrow fibrosis grade and clinical-laboratory features indicative of a more aggressive disease. This study shows that an AK confers a more severe clinical phenotype and impacts adversely on OS, thus representing an additional parameter to be considered in the evaluation of PMF prognosis.

Comprehensive Genomic Analysis Reveals the Prognostic Role of LRRK2 Copy-Number Variations in Human Malignancies.

Genetic alterations of leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2), one of the most important contributors to familial Parkinson's disease (PD), have been hypothesized to play a role in cancer development due to demographical and preclinical data. Here, we sought to define the prevalence and prognostic significance of LRRK2 somatic mutations across all types of human malignancies by querying the publicly available online genomic database cBioPortal. Ninety-six different studies with 14,041 cases were included in the analysis, and 761/14,041 (5.4%) showed genetic alterations in LRRK2. Among these, 585 (76.9%) were point mutations, indels or fusions, 168 (22.1%) were copy number variations (CNVs), and 8 (1.0%) showed both types of alterations. One case showed the somatic mutation R1441C. A significant difference in terms of overall survival (OS) was noted between cases harboring somatic LRRK2 whole deletions, amplifications, and CNV-unaltered cases (median OS: 20.09, 57.40, and 106.57 months, respectively; p = 0.0008). These results suggest that both LRRK2 amplifications and whole gene deletions could play a role in cancer development, paving the way for future research in terms of potential treatment with LRRK2 small molecule inhibitors for LRRK2-amplified cases.

Clinical and molecular characteristics of lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma not associated with an IgM monoclonal protein: A multicentric study of the Rete Ematologica Lombarda (REL) network.

Lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma (LPL) is usually associated with a serum IgM paraprotein, corresponding to Waldenström's Macroglobulinemia (WM). Cases presenting with IgG or IgA, or without a monoclonal protein are extremely rare. We analyzed clinical characteristics, frontline treatment, and the outcome of 45 patients with non-IgM LPL, and compared them with a control group of WM patients. The median age was similar, with significantly higher prevalence of females in non-IgM LPL, than in WM patients (60% vs 39%, P = .016). Patients with non-IgM LPL more frequently presented with lymphadenopathies (53% vs 15%, P < .001), splenomegaly (22% vs 8%, P = .015) or extranodal involvement (20% vs 8%, P = .05). In non-IgM LPL a serum monoclonal protein and bone marrow infiltration were less common than in WM patients (69% and 84% of cases respectively, P < .001 for both comparisons). The MYD88 (L265P) mutation was found in 8/19 patients using allele-specific polymerase chain reaction. A CXCR4 mutation was found in 4/17 cases using Sanger. In 16 patients we performed targeted next-generation sequencing of genes MYD88, CXCR4, ARID1-A, KMT2D, NOTCH2, TP53, PRDM1, CD79B, TRAF3, MYBBP1A, TNFAIP3. Seven patients (44%) had a MYD88 mutation (S219C in one), four (25%) a CXCR4 mutation, three (19%) a KMT2D mutation, one (6%) a TP53 mutation and one (6%) a TRAF3 mutation. With a median follow-up of 55.7 months, 36 non-IgM LPL patients (80%) were treated. Non-IgM LPL patients received more frequently anthracycline-containing regimens, as compared with WM patients, who mainly received alkylating-based therapies. Five-year overall survival (OS) was 84%, similar to that of WM patients.

Integrating clinical, morphological, and molecular data to assess prognosis in patients with primary myelofibrosis at diagnosis: A practical approach.

Currently available prognostic scoring systems in primary myelofibrosis (PMF) do not integrate clinical, histological, and molecular data, or they also required information on "other" mutations that are available in the clinical practice only in a very limited number of laboratories. In the present multicenter study, including 401 PMF patients, an integrated International Prognostic Scoring System (I-IPSS) was developed by combining IPSS, grade of bone marrow fibrosis (GBMF), and driver mutations molecular status (MS) to define PMF prognosis at diagnosis. Four prognostic categories were identified: I-IPSS-low risk (113 patients), I-IPSS-intermediate-1 risk (56 patients), I-IPSS-intermediate-2 risk (154 patients), and I-IPSS-high risk (78 patients). Median overall survival was 26.7 years in I-IPSS-intermediate-1, 10.8 in I-IPSS-intermediate-2, and 6.4 in I-IPSS-high-risk patients (log-rank test <0.0001); instead, it was not reached in the I-IPSS-low-risk cohort because of the extremely low number of registered deaths. The addition of GBMF and MS to IPSS improved the efficacy for predicting the risk of death. Indeed, the sensitivity of I-IPSS was significantly higher (P < .05) than that of IPSS, considering both total deaths and 5- and 10-year mortality. This comprehensive approach allows clinicians to evaluate mutual interactions between IPSS, GBMF, and MS and identify high-risk patients with poor prognosis who may benefit from aggressive treatments. More importantly, this integrated score can be easily applicable worldwide as it only required information that represent the good clinical practice in the management of PMF patients.

Biopsy-proven multiple sclerosis in an adult patient with atypical craniometaphyseal dysplasia.

Craniometaphyseal dysplasia (CMD) is a rare condition characterised by progressive, diffuse hyperostosis of cranial and long bones, with compression of cranial nerves, linked to mutations in ANKH or GJA1 genes. Here we describe an adult case with clinical features of CMD, who developed cerebral expansive lesion of undetermined nature. Brain biopsy revealed active demyelinating lesions, consistent with multiple sclerosis. The genetic screening of target genes for CMD (ANKH and GJA1) resulted negative in this patient. The peculiar clinical association and the negativity of genetic analyses allow to hypothesise that other genetic causes, not already known, are responsible for the combination of these pathological conditions. Future studies aim to identify the genetic causes of CMD, which will be important to further understand the pathogenetic mechanism of this rare and invalidating disease.

JAK2-mutated Langerhans cell histiocytosis associated with primary myelofibrosis treated with ruxolitinib.

The pathogenesis and cellular origin of Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) are debated. Recently, mutations on MAPK and PI3K pathways have been linked to disrupted cell proliferation in LCH. Janus Kinase 2 (JAK2) mutations play the same role in Philadelphia-negative chronic myeloproliferative neoplasms. We describe the case of a patient affected by JAK2-positive primary myelofibrosis (PMF) who developed a clonally related LCH while in treatment with ruxolitinib. JAK inhibitors are well known to affect function and differentiation of different hematological lineages, including mononuclear phagocytes precursors. Nevertheless, the literature describes cases of LCH clonally associated with non-LCH hematological neoplasm, suggesting how multilinear myeloid neoplasms may arise from bone marrow. Hence, we briefly discuss the possible pathogenic roles of genetic mutations and JAK inhibition therapy in the pathogenesis of LCH and associated neoplasms.

TREX1 C-terminal frameshift mutations in the systemic variant of retinal vasculopathy with cerebral leukodystrophy.

Retinal vasculopathy with cerebral leukodystrophy (RVCL) is an adult-onset disorder caused by C-terminal heterozygous frameshift (fs) mutations in the human 3'-5' DNA exonuclease TREX1. Hereditary systemic angiopathy (HSA) is considered a variant of RVCL with systemic involvement of unknown genetic cause, described in a unique family so far. Here we describe the second case of RVCL with systemic involvement, characterized by cerebral calcifications and pseudotumoral lesions, retinopathy, osteonecrosis, renal and hepatic failure. The genetic screening of TREX1 in this patient revealed the novel heterozygous T270fs mutation on the C-terminal region. On the same gene, we found the V235fs mutation, formerly shown in RVCL, in one patient previously reported with HSA. These mutations lead to important alterations of the C-terminal of the protein, with the loss of the transmembrane helix (T270fs) and the insertion of a premature stop codon, resulting in a truncated protein (V235fs). Functional analysis of T270fs-mutated fibroblasts showed a prevalent localization of the protein in the cytosol, rather than in the perinuclear region. RVCL with systemic involvement is an extremely rare condition, whose diagnosis is complex due to multiorgan manifestations, unusual radiological and histopathological findings, not easily attributable to a single disease. It should be suspected in young adults with systemic microangiopathy involving retina, liver, kidney, bones and brain. Here we confirm the causative role played by TREX1 autosomal dominant fs mutations disrupting the C-terminal of the protein, providing a model for the study of stroke in young adults.

Lymph node hyperplasia: clonal chromosomal and genomic rearrangements. Report of two new cases and literature review.

Cytogenetic analysis is not routinely performed on lymph node hyperplasia (LH). We describe clonal chromosomal rearrangements in two unrelated cases of LH. Lymph nodes of both patients showed typical morphologic features of benign follicular hyperplasia. Cytogenetic analysis revealed clonal chromosomal rearrangements in both cases. Patient 1 showed interstitial 14q and 6q mosaic deletions, whereas patient 2 showed a terminal 14q mosaic deletion. Fluorescence in situ hybridization with IGH break-apart probes identified a partial deletion of IGH in both cases, but the loss of the LSI IGH in patient 2 and loss of the LSI IGHV in patient 1 were observed on the morphologically normal chromosome 14. In the latter case, the finding of two morphologically normal chromosomes 14 with the IGHV deletion in one of the chromosomes suggested that the first mutational event was the IGH deletion and the second event was the interstitial deletion of chromosome 14 with the IGH intact. Array comparative genomic hybridization performed on both biopsies confirmed the IGH deletion at mosaic, but not the chromosomal deletion. Patient 1 was re-biopsied after 9 months and a marginal zone lymphoma was diagnosed. The finding of clonal cytogenetic abnormalities in LH highlighted the difficulties in interpretation of results and clinical follow-up.

Ganglioglioma of the spinal cord in neurofibromatosis type 1.

The oncologic involvement of the spinal cord in neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is not a typical feature of the disease. Here, we present a case of ganglioglioma of the spinal cord in a child with NF1 and try to define if this tumor can be considered coincidental or not. A 4-year-old boy affected by NF1 was diagnosed with a spinal cord-enhancing tumor extending from C4 to D3, with a disappearance in the T2 MRI sequences of the cerebrospinal fluid signal. The patient underwent a subtotal resection. The pathological exam revealed a ganglioglioma. To the best of our knowledge, only 1 other case of spinal cord ganglioglioma has been described in an NF1 patient. We suggest considering ganglioglioma in the differential diagnosis of an NF1 patient with a spinal cord tumor due to its favorable survival rate, especially in relation to the anatomical and surgical issues of this tumor that do not always entail a gross total resection.

Delineating the cytogenomic and epigenomic landscapes of glioma stem cell lines.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most common and malignant type of glioma, is characterized by a poor prognosis and the lack of an effective treatment, which are due to a small sub-population of cells with stem-like properties, termed glioma stem cells (GSCs). The term "multiforme" describes the histological features of this tumor, that is, the cellular and morphological heterogeneity. At the molecular level multiple layers of alterations may reflect this heterogeneity providing together the driving force for tumor initiation and development. In order to decipher the common "signature" of the ancestral GSC population, we examined six already characterized GSC lines evaluating their cytogenomic and epigenomic profiles through a multilevel approach (conventional cytogenetic, FISH, aCGH, MeDIP-Chip and functional bioinformatic analysis). We found several canonical cytogenetic alterations associated with GBM and a common minimal deleted region (MDR) at 1p36.31, including CAMTA1 gene, a putative tumor suppressor gene, specific for the GSC population. Therefore, on one hand our data confirm a role of driver mutations for copy number alterations (CNAs) included in the GBM genomic-signature (gain of chromosome 7- EGFR gene, loss of chromosome 13- RB1 gene, loss of chromosome 10-PTEN gene); on the other, it is not obvious that the new identified CNAs are passenger mutations, as they may be necessary for tumor progression specific for the individual patient. Through our approach, we were able to demonstrate that not only individual genes into a pathway can be perturbed through multiple mechanisms and at different levels, but also that different combinations of perturbed genes can incapacitate functional modules within a cellular networks. Therefore, beyond the differences that can create apparent heterogeneity of alterations among GSC lines, there's a sort of selective force acting on them in order to converge towards the impairment of cell development and differentiation processes. This new overview could have a huge importance in therapy.

Primary angiitis of the central nervous system: 2 atypical cases.

The presence of an angiitis process in the central nervous system (CNS) characterizes different groups of conditions: from idiopathic pachymeningitis to lymphoproliferative disorders. In absence of specific infections, inflammatory and neoplastic diseases, the term "PACNS" (Primary Angiitis of the CNS) was proposed to indicate a peculiar vascular inflammation of unknown origin of meningeal vessels extending to the brain or spinal cord parenchyma. We report two cases of PACNS with peculiar and atypical features: the first one with a possible Epstein Barr Virus (EBV) relationship, the second one with spinal cord involvement only, treated surgically. We also hypothesize a correlation between EBV chronic infection and possible subtypes of PACNS stressing the importance of EBER (EBV-encoded RNA) test in the routine examination of brain biopsies suspicious for PACNS.

Extramedullary hemopoiesis and littoral cell angioma of the spleen: our experience and review.

Littoral cell angioma (LCA) is a rare primary vascular neoplasm of the spleen. A 54-year-old man was referred to our emergency department for abdominal pain. A CT scan showed multiple round hypodense lesions of various sizes throughout the spleen. The spleen was increased in volume. An MRI confirmed the lesion with a suspect of multiple angiomas vs. amartomas. The haematologists excluded any haematological disease. After a collegial discussion, we decided to perform laparotomic splenectomy. Histologically, the multiple lesions consisted in anastomosing vascular channels lined by plump cells. There was an increased number of dysmorphic megakaryocites inside the splenic parenchyma and along the tumour's border, known signs of extramedullary hemopoiesis, whose etiology in our patient was unexplained. To the best of our knowledge this is the third description of the association between littoral cell angioma and extramedullary hemopoiesis. LCA is a rare primary splenic vascular tumour that originates from the splenic littoral cells. The diagnosis of littoral cell angioma is confirmed histologically and on immunohistochemistry. This case report underlines the rarity of this type of benign splenic neoplams, but since the malignant potential of LCA, we recommend close clinical follow- up of patients with LCA of the spleen.

Malignant epidermoid cyst of the pineal region with lumbar metastasis.

This report describes a malignant neoplasia of the pineal region in a 65-year-old woman who presented with symptoms of intracranial hypertension and dissemination to CSF with radiologically documented lumbar intradural localizations. The histological examination of the lesion showed fragments of a cystic malignant neoplasia with epithelial elements resembling squamous cell carcinoma. We excluded the possibility of a cerebral metastasis from a squamous cell carcinoma arising in the genital or gastrointestinal tract, lung and skin. We propose this unique report for cyto- histological correlation and, as suggested in the American and Japanese literature, we discuss the hypothesis of the development of a squamous cell carcinoma arising from the malignant degeneration of a cerebral epidermoid cyst and we show by cytological examination of the CSF the exceptional presence of malignant cells and by lumbar MRI their intradural localizations.

Conservative management in primary genital lymphomas: the role of chemotherapy.

BACKGROUND: The female genital lymphomas are an extremely rare disease accounting for less than 0.5% of gynecological cancers and for 1.5% of all NHL. Because of their low incidence there is no widely accepted consensus on its treatment. Literature data support a radiotherapy-based treatment in case of primary genital lymphomas stages I-II. The role of chemotherapy as neoadjuvant or exclusive treatment is still to be defined. METHODS: From 1984 to 2003, the treatments in our institution of 19 patients with genital lymphoma were reviewed. Nine women presented with cervical, 3 with vaginal, 1 with cervical-vaginal, 2 with vulvar and 4 with ovarian lymphoma. Seven were staged IE, nine IIE, one IIIE and two IVE. As a whole, chemotherapy was used in 18/19 cases: chemotherapy was proposed as first line treatment in 12 cases, while surgery in 7 (followed by chemotherapy in 6 cases). RESULTS: Primary chemotherapy alone obtained a complete response (CR) in 9/12 patients; pathological complete response (pCR) was confirmed in 3 operated patients out of 9. Partial response (PR) was observed in 3, requiring radiotherapy. Chemotherapy obtained CR after incomplete surgical debulking in 3 out of 4 cases. Two patients relapsed in the group treated with chemotherapy alone. Both have been salvaged by further chemotherapy. Only one patient deceased due to her tumor after surgery and chemotherapy. CONCLUSION: The use of exclusive chemotherapy obtained promising results not only as regards survival rates but also for reducing the need of radiotherapy. A conservative management based on exclusive chemotherapy in primary genital lymphoma stages I-II may be attempted in selected patients desiring pregnancy.