Pathological response of colorectal liver metastases treated after induction treatment.

BACKGROUND: Mortality for colorectal cancer is mainly due to liver metastases, surgical resection remains the curative treatment and use of neoadjuvant therapy improves resectability of metastases. Pathological response is an important prognostic factor. AIM: To evaluate tumor response by Tumor regression grade (TRG) according Rubbia-Brandt et al and correlation with survival. To establish chemotherapy-related liver injury. METHODS: Thrity-eight patients resected for colorectal cancer liver metastases after neoadjuvant chemotherapy were enrolled in this study. Tumor regression grade (TRG) according to Gradding Rubbia-Brandt et al. was evaluated. RESULTS: Sex ratio was 1.5 with an average age of was 55 years. Twenty-five patients were in stage IV (65.7% of patients with synchronous liver metastases). Overall survival was 62% at 12 months, 42% at 24 months and 21% at 36 months. Thirty-four patients (89.5%) received Oxaliplatin and nine (23.7%) irinotecan. Twenty patients (52.6%) had no histologic response (TRG 4 and 5), nine (23.7%) had a major response (TRG 1 and 2) and nine had a partial response (TRG3). Survival was more important with major pathologic response than with partial response or no response. No statistically significant relation was found between survival and the different types of response. Chemotherapy-related liver injury were present in 21 patients (55.2%).  Conclusions: Scoring system with three grades are currently recommanded to evaluate pathological response and new histopathological data are proposed. Larger studies are required to validate these items and their utility for therapeutic decisions.

A Challenging Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma.

Cutaneous peripheral T-cell lymphomas not otherwise specified (CPTL-NOS) are rare neoplasms accounting for just 2% of cutaneous peripheral T-cell lymphomas (CPTL). Only very few case series have been reported. They represent a phenotypically and prognostically heterogenous group of CPTL that do not fit into any of CPTL well-defined subtypes. The authors report a case of a 64-year-old man with simultaneous plaque-like lesions and disseminated nodules growing rapidly on the face, trunk, and extremities over a 6-month period. There was no a history of preceding patches, erythematous plaques, rash, or pruritic lesions. These lesions were extending over 80% of the skin surface. Histopathologic analysis revealed dense diffuse infiltrates composed of mostly medium-sized to large lymphoid cells throughout the entire dermis without epidermotropism. Neoplastic cells were atypical with markedly pleomorphic nuclei. Immunohistochemistry showed that the tumor cells were positive for CD3, CD4, and CD5 with a loss of CD7. They were negative for CD20, CD8, CD56, CXCL13, PD1, TIA-1, granzyme-B, perforin, CD25, and CD30. The proliferative fraction was low, with MIB-1 labeling less than 10% of cells. The authors diagnosed the patient with primary CPTL-NOS. Despite the rarity of these tumors, clinicians as well as dermatopathologists and pathologists should be familiar with these rare CPTL especially because most of these lymphomas have an aggressive behavior and exhibit an unfavorable prognosis.