Programmed cell death-1 inhibitor-related sclerosing cholangitis:A systematic review

BACKGROUND Programmed cell death-1(PD-1)inhibitor has been indicated for many types of malignancies.However,these inhibitors also cause immune-related adverse events.Hepatobiliary disorder is a phenotype of immune-related adverse event affecting 0%–4.5%of patients treated with PD-1 inhibitors.Recent studies have reported PD-1 inhibitor-related sclerosing cholangitis(SC);however,the associated clinical and pathological features are unclear.AIM To evaluate the clinical and pathological features of PD-1 inhibitor-related SC through a systematic review of the literature.METHODS The review,conducted using electronic databases in PubMed,was restricted to the period from January 2014 to September 2019 and focused on case reports/series on PD-1 inhibitor-related SC published in English.We scanned the references of the selected literature to identify any further relevant studies.Six cases previously studied by us,including three that have not yet been published,were included in this review.RESULTS Thirty-one PD-1 inhibitor-related SC cases were evaluated.Median age of patients was 67 years(range,43–89),with a male to female ratio of 21:10.The main disease requiring PD-1 inhibitor treatment was non-small cell lung cancer.Agents that caused PD-1 inhibitor-related SC were nivolumab(19 cases),pembrolizumab(10 cases),avelumab(1 case),and durvalumab(1 case).The median number of cycles until PD-1 inhibitor-related SC onset was 5.5(range,1–27).Abdominal pain or discomfort(35.5%,11/31)was the most frequent symptom.Blood serum tests identified liver dysfunction with a notable increase in biliary tract enzymes relative to hepatic enzymes,and a normal level of serum immunoglobulin G4.Biliary dilation without obstruction(76.9%,20/26),diffuse hypertrophy of the extrahepatic biliary tract(90.5%,19/21),and multiple strictures of the intrahepatic biliary tract(30.4%,7/23)were noted.In 11/23(47.8%)cases,pathological examination indicated that CD8+T cells were the dominant inflammatory cells in the bile duct or peribiliary tract.Although corticosteroids were mainly used for PD inhibitor-related SC treatment,the response rate was 11.5%(3/26).CONCLUSION Some clinical and pathological features of PD-1 inhibitor-related SC were revealed.To establish diagnostic criteria for PD-1 inhibitor-related SC,more cases need to be evaluated.

Role of the preoperative usefulness of the pathological diagnosis of pancreatic diseases

Pancreatic cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer death and has the lowest survival rate of any solid cancer.Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy(EUS-FNA) is currently capable of providing a cytopathological diagnosis of pancreatic malignancies with a higher diagnostic power,with a sensitivity and specificity of 85%-89% and 98%-99%,compared to pancreatic juice cytology(PJC),whose sensitivity and specificity are only 33.3%-93% and 83.3%-100%.However,EUS-FNA is not effective in the cases of carcinoma in situ and minimally invasive carcinoma because both are undetectable by endoscopic ultrasonography,although PJC is able to detect them.As for the frequency of complications such as post endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography pancreatitis,EUS-FNA is safer than PJC.To diagnose pancreatic cancer appropriately,it is necessary for us to master both procedures so that we can select the best methods of sampling tissues while considering the patient's safety and condition.

Expression of AID, P53, and Mlh1 proteins in endoscopically resected differentiated-type early gastric cancer

AIM: To analyze the expression of the tumor-related proteins in differentiated-type early gastric carcinoma (DEGC) samples. METHODS: Tumor specimens were obtained from 102 patients (75 males and 27 females) who had received an endoscopic tumor resection at Tottori University Hospital between 2007 and 2009. Ninety-one cancer samples corresponded to noninvasive or intramucosal carcinoma according to the Vienna classification system, and 11 samples were submucosal invasive carcinomas. All of the EGCs were histologically differentiated carcinomas. All patients were classified as having Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infections by endoscopic atrophic changes or by testing seropositive for H. pylori IgG. All of the samples were histopathologically classified as either tubular or papillary adenocarcinoma according to their structure. The immunohistochemical staining was performed in a blinded manner with respect to the clinical information. Two independent observers evaluated protein expression. All data were statistically analyzed then. RESULTS: The rates of aberrant activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) expression and P53 overexpression were both 34.3% in DEGCs. The expression of Mlh1 was lost in 18.6% of DEGCs. Aberrant AID expression was not significantly associated with P53 overexpression in DEGCs. However, AID expression was associated with the severity of mononuclear cell activity in the non-cancerous mucosa adjacent to the tumor (P = 0.064). The rate of P53 expression was significantly greater in flat or depressed tumors than in elevated tumors. The frequency of Mlh1 loss was significantly increased in distal tumors, elevated gross-type tumors, papillary histological-type tumors, and tumors with a severe degree of endoscopic atrophic gastritis (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Aberrant AID expression, P53 overexpression, and the loss of Mlh1 were all associated with clinicopathological features and gastric mucosal alterations in DEGCs. The aberrant expression of AID protein may partly contribute to the induction of nuclear P53 expression.

Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy-Recent topics and technical tips

Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy (EUS-FNA) is a useful procedure that enables reliable pathological diagnoses of pancreatobiliary diseases, subepithelial lesions, and swollen lymph nodes. In recent years, a pathological diagnosis based on EUS-FNA has made it possible to provide accurate treatment methods not only in these fields, but also in respiratory organs and otorhinolaryngology. This review discusses the latest topics pertaining to EUS-FNA as well as procedural tips.

Review on acute pancreatitis attributed to COVID-19 infection

The coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)is known to cause gastrointestinal symptoms.Recent studies have revealed COVID-19-attributed acute pancreatitis(AP).However,clinical characteristics of COVID-19-attributed AP remain unclear.We performed a narrative review to elucidate relation between COVID-19 and AP using the PubMed database.Some basic and pathological reports revealed expression of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 and transmembrane protease serine 2,key proteins that aid in the entry of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2)into the pancreas.The experimental and pathological evaluation suggested that SARS-CoV-2 infects human endocrine and exocrine pancreas cells,and thus,SARS-CoV-2 may have a direct involvement in pancreatic disorders.Additionally,systemic inflammation,especially in children,may cause AP.Levels of immune mediators associated with AP,including interleukin(IL)-1β,IL-10,interferon-γ,monocyte chemotactic protein 1,and tumor necrosis factor-αare higher in the plasma of patients with COVID-19,that suggests an indirect involvement of the pancreas.In real-world settings,some clinical features of AP complicate COVID-19,such as a high complication rate of pancreatic necrosis,severe AP,and high mortality.However,clinical features of COVID-19-attributed AP remain uncertain due to insufficient research on etiologies of AP.Therefore,high-quality clinical studies and case reports that specify methods for differential diagnoses of other etiologies of AP are needed.