Evaluation of magnifying colonoscopy in the diagnosis of serrated polyps

AIM:To elucidate the colonoscopic features of serrated lesions of the colorectum using magnifying colonoscopy.METHODS:Broad division of serrated lesions of the colorectum into hyperplastic polyps(HPs),traditional serrated adenomas(TSAs),and sessile serrated adenomas/polyps(SSA/Ps) has been proposed on the basis of recent molecular biological studies.However,few reports have examined the colonoscopic features of these divisions,including magnified colonoscopic findings.This study examined 118 lesions excised in our hospital as suspected serrated lesions after magnified observation between January 2008 and September 2011.Patient characteristics(sex,age),conventional colonoscopic findings(location,size,morphology,color,mucin) and magnified colonoscopic findings(pit pattern diagnosis) were interpreted by five colonoscopists with experience in over 1000 colonoscopies,and were compared with histopathological diagnoses.The pit patterns were categorized according to Kudo's classification,but a more detailed investigation was also performed using the subclassification [type Ⅱ-Open(type Ⅱ-O),type Ⅱ-Long(type Ⅱ-L),or type Ⅳ-Serrated(type Ⅳ-S)] proposed by Kimura T and Yamano H.RESULTS:Lesions comprised 23 HPs(23/118:19.5%),39 TSAs(39/118:33.1%:with cancer in one case),50 SSA/Ps(50/118:42.4%:complicated with cancer in three cases),and six others(6/118:5.1%).We excluded six others,including three regular adenomas,one hamartoma,one inflammatory polyp,and one juvenile polyp for further analysis.Conventional colonoscopy showed that SSA/Ps were characterized as larger in diameter than TSAs and HPs(SSA/P vs HP,13.62 ± 8.62 mm vs 7.74 ± 3.24 mm,P < 0.001;SSA/Ps vs TSA,13.62 ± 8.62 mm vs 9.89 ± 5.73 mm,P < 0.01);common in the right side of the colon [HPs,30.4%(7/23):TSAs,20.5%(8/39):SSA/P,84.0%(42/50),P < 0.001];flat-elevated lesion [HPs,30.4%(7/23):TSAs,5.1%(2/39):SSA/Ps,90.0%(45/50),P < 0.001];normal-colored or pale imucosa [HPs,34.8%(8/23):TSAs,10.3%(4/39):SSA/Ps,80%(40/50),P < 0.001];and with large amounts of mucin [HPs,21.7%(5/23):TSAs,17.9%(7/39):SSA/Ps,72.0%(36/50),P < 0.001].In magnified colonoscopic findings,17 lesions showed either type Ⅱ pit pattern alone or partial type Ⅱ pit pattern as the basic architecture,with 14 HPs(14/17,70.0%) and 3 SSA/Ps.Magnified colonoscopy showed the type Ⅱ-O pit pattern as characteristic of SSA/Ps [sensitivity 83.7%(41/49),specificity 85.7%(54/63)].Cancer was also present in three lesions,in all of which a type Ⅵ pit pattern was also present within the same lesion.There were four HPs and four TSAs each.The type Ⅳ-S pit pattern was characteristic of TSAs [sensitivity 96.7%(30/31),specificity 89.9%(72/81)].Cancer was present in one lesion,in which a type Ⅵ pit pattern was also present within the same lesion.In our study,serrated lesions of the colorectum also possessed the features described in previous reports of conventional colonoscopic findings.The pit pattern diagnosis using magnifying colonoscopy,particularly magnified colonoscopic findings using subclassifications of surface architecture,reflected the pathological characteristics of SSA/Ps and TSAs,and will be useful for colonoscopic diagnosis.CONCLUSION:We suggest that this system could be a good diagnostic tool for SSA/Ps using magnifying colonoscopy.

Prognostic significance of BMP and activin membrane-bound inhibitor in colorectal cancer

AIM: To investigate the clinical significance of BMP and activin membrane-bound inhibitor (BAMBI) which is a pseudoreceptor of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) type Ⅰreceptors and acts as a negative regulator of TGF-β signaling and expression aberrantly elevated in colorectal cancers (CRCs). We studied BAMBI expression in CRCs. METHODS: We studied BAMBI expression in 183 surgically resected CRCs by immunochemical and immunoblotting analyses using a generated monoclonal anti-BAMBI antibody. Commercially available anti-β-catenin and anti-p53 antibodies were also applied for immunochemical analyses as a comparison control.RESULTS: Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that BAMBI expression was observed in 148 (80.8%), and strong BAMBI expression was observed in 46% of the CRCs. Strong BAMBI expression was positively correlated with histological type, depth of invasion, lymph node metastases, and tumor node metastasis (TNM) stage (P < 0.05). Clear associations were found between BAMBI and β-catenin (P = 0.035) and p53 (P = 0.049) expression. In curatively resected CRC, 5-year recurrence-free survival was 51.9% (P = 0.037) for strong BAMBI expression compared to 79.8% for weak BAMBI expression. In the Cox’s multivariate analysis, lymph node metastases (RR 6.685; P < 0.001) and depth of invasion (RR 14.0; P = 0.013) were signifi cant indicators for recurrence, and strong BAMBI expression (RR 2.26; P = 0.057) tended to be signifi cant. CONCLUSION: BAMBI was linked to a potentially aggressive tumor phenotype and predicted tumor recurrence and cancer-related death in CRC. BAMBI expression might be applicable in the routine clinical setting of CRC.

Pathological response measured using virtual microscopic slides for gastric cancer patients who underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy

BACKGROUND Although pathological response is a common endpoint used to assess the efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) for gastric cancer, the problem of a low rate of concordance from evaluations among pathologists remains unresolved. Moreover, there is no globally accepted consensus regarding the optimal evaluation. A previous study based on a clinical trial suggested that pathological response measured using digitally captured virtual microscopic slides predicted patients’ survival well. However, the pathological concordance rate of this approach and its usefulness in clinical practice were unknown. AIM To investigate the prognostic utility of pathological response measured using digital microscopic slides in clinical practice. METHODS We retrospectively evaluated pathological specimens of gastric cancer patients who underwent NAC followed by surgery and achieved R0 resection between March 2009 and May 2015. Residual tumor area and primary tumor beds were measured in one captured image slide, which contained the largest diameter of the resected specimens. We classified patients with < 10% residual tumor relative to the primary tumorous area as responders, and the rest as non-responders;we then compared overall survival (OS) and relapse-free survival (RFS) between these two groups. Next, we compared the prognostic utility of this method using conventional Japanese criteria. RESULTS Fifty-four patients were evaluated. The concordance rate between two evaluators was 96.2%. Median RFS of 25 responders and 29 non-responders was not reached (NR) vs 18.2 mo [hazard ratio (HR)= 0.35, P = 0.023], and median OS was NR vs 40.7 mo (HR = 0.3, P = 0.016), respectively. This prognostic value was statistically significant even after adjustment for age, eastern cooperative oncology group performance status, macroscopic type, reason for NAC, and T- and Nclassification (HR = 0.23, P = 0.018). This result was also observed even in subgroup analyses for different macroscopic types (Borrmann type 4/non-type 4) and histological types (differentiated/undifferentiated). Moreover, the adjusted HR for OS between responders and non-responders was lower in this method than that in the conventional histological evaluation of Japanese Classification of Gastric Carcinoma criteria (0.23 vs 0.39, respectively). CONCLUSION The measurement of pathological response using digitally captured virtual microscopic slides may be useful in clinical practice.

日本的变质带

在研究日本变质地质时意外地获得了牙形刺和放射虫生物地层学的新知识,而且促进了放射性测年法的新进展,同时这些研究结果敦促我们去重新认识年代问题以及深入研究变质带,将其与构造环境联系在一起,通过对桑甘(Sangun)、领家、阿武隈、秩父、四万十变质带的研究,获得了许多新的发现,而且对以前的一些传统理论进行了修正。