Clinicopathological alterations in wild mammals from the reservoir system of Trypanosoma cruzi:a scoping review

Trypanosoma cruzi is the etiologic agent of Chagas disease.This flagellated protozoan is transmitted to humans as well as different species of domestic and wild animals via vectors from the Reduviidae family(known as"kissing bugs").Despite the fact that hundreds of species of wild mammals are part of the reservoir system,the morphologi-cal changes and clinical manifestations resulting from the pathogenesis of the infection have been largely neglected.The aim of this review is to systematically compile the available information regarding clinicopathological altera-tions in wild mammals due to natural infection by T.cruzi.Information was obtained from six online bibliographic data search platforms,resulting in the identification of 29 publications that met the inclusion criteria.Mortality was the most common clinical manifestation,cardiac damage was the main finding at necropsy,and lymphoplas-macytic inflammation was the most frequent microscopic injury.Thus,regardless of its role as a reservoir,T.cruzi has the potential to affect the health status of wild mammals,a situation that highlights the need for further research to analyze,measure,and compare its effects at both the individual and population levels.

Analysis of clinicopathological features and prognostic factors of breast cancer brain metastasis

BACKGROUND Breast cancer(BC)has become the most common malignancy in women.The incidence and detection rates of BC brain metastasis(BCBM)have increased with the progress of imaging,multidisciplinary treatment techniques and the extension of survival time of BC patients.BM seriously affects the quality of life and survival prognosis of BC patients.Therefore,clinical research on the clinicopathological features and prognostic factors of BCBM is valuable.By analyzing the clinicopathological parameters of BCBM patients,and assessing the risk factors and prognostic indicators,we can perform hierarchical diagnosis and treatment on the high-risk population of BCBM,and achieve clinical benefits of early diagnosis and treatment.AIM To explore the clinicopathological features and prognostic factors of BCBM,and provide references for diagnosis,treatment and management of BCBM.METHODS The clinicopathological data of 68 BCBM patients admitted to the Air Force Medical Center,Chinese People’s Liberation Army(formerly Air Force General Hospital)from 2000 to 2022 were collected.Another 136 BC patients without BM were matched at a ratio of 1:2 based on the age and site of onset for retrospective analysis.Categorical data were subjected to χ^(2) test or Fisher’s exact probability test,and the variables with P<0.05 in the univariate Cox proportional hazards model were incorporated into the multivariate model to identify high-risk factors and independent prognostic factors of BCBM,with a hazard ratio(HR)>1 suggesting poor prognostic factors.The survival time of patients was estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method,and overall survival was compared between groups by log-rank test.RESULTS Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that patients with stage Ⅲ/Ⅳ tumor at initial diagnosis[HR:5.58,95% confidence interval(CI):1.99–15.68],lung metastasis(HR:24.18,95%CI:6.40-91.43),human epidermal growth factor receptor 2(HER2)-overexpressing BC and triple-negative BC were more prone to BM.As can be seen from the prognostic data,52 of the 68 BCBM patients had died by the end of follow-up,and the median time from diagnosis of BC to the occurrence of BM and from the occurrence of BM to death or last follow-up was 33.5 and 14 mo,respectively.It was confirmed by multivariate Cox regression analysis that patients with neurological symptoms(HR:1.923,95%CI:1.005-3.680),with bone metastasis(HR:2.011,95%CI:1.056-3.831),and BM of HER2-overexpressing and triple-negative BC had shorter survival time.CONCLUSION HER2-overexpressing,triple-negative BC,late tumor stage and lung metastasis are risk factors of BM.The presence of neurological symptoms,bone metastasis,and molecular type are influencing prognosis factors of BCBM.

Clinicopathological features of 11 cases of chronic hepatitis B infection complicated with primary biliary cholangitis

BACKGROUND Only a few cases of chronic hepatitis B(CHB)with primary biliary cholangitis(PBC)have been reported based on histological evidence from liver biopsies.AIM To observe the clinicopathological features and outcomes of 11 patients with CHB infection complicated by PBC.METHODS Eleven patients with CHB and PBC who underwent liver biopsy at the Zhenjiang Third Hospital,affiliated with Jiangsu University,and Wuxi Fifth People’s Hospital,from January 2005 to September 2020,were selected.All patients initially visited our hospital with CHB and were pathologically diagnosed with CHB and PBC.RESULTS Only five had elevated alkaline phosphatase levels,nine were positive for antimitochondrial antibody(AMA)-M2,and two were negative for AMA-M2.Two had jaundice and pruritus symptoms,10 had mildly abnormal liver function,and one had severely elevated bilirubin and liver enzyme levels.The pathological characteristics of CHB complicated by PBC overlapped with those of PBCautoimmune hepatitis(AIH).When necroinflammation of the portal area is not obvious,the pathological features of PBC are predominant,similar to the features of PBC alone.When the interface is severe,biliangitis will occur,with a large number of ductular reactions in zone 3.Unlike the PBC-AIH overlap pathology,this pathology is characterized by a small amount of plasma cell infiltration.Unlike PBC,lobulitis is often observed.CONCLUSION This is the first large case series to show that the rare pathological features of CHB with PBC are similar to those of PBC-AIH and small duct injury was observed.

Correlation of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 expression with clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis in gastric cancer

AIM:To investigate human epidermal growth factor receptor 2(HER2) gene amplification and protein expression in Chinese patients with resectable gastric cancer and the association with clinicopathological characteristics and survival.METHODS:One hundred and ninety-seven gastric cancer patients who underwent curative surgery procedures were enrolled into this study.HER2 gene amplification and protein expression were examined using fluorescence in-situ hybridization(FISH) and immunohistochemistry(IHC) analysis on formalin-fixed paraffinembedded gastric cancer samples from all patients.For scoring,Hofmann's HER2 gastric cancer scoring system was adopted.All cases showing IHC3+ or FISH positiv-ity were defined as HER2 positive.Patient clinicopathological data and survival information were collected.Finally,χ 2 statistical analysis was performed to analyze the HER2 positivity rate amongst the subgroups with different clinicopathological characteristics including;gender,age,tumor location,Lauren classification,differentiation,TNM staging,depth of invasion,lymph node metastases and distant metastasis.The probability of survival for different subgroups with different clinicopathological characteristics was calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method and survival curves plotted using log rank inspection.RESULTS:According to Hofmann's HER2 gastric cancer scoring criteria,31 cases(15.74%) were identified as HER2 gene amplified and 19 cases(9.64%) were scored as strongly positive for HER2 membrane staining(3+),25 cases(12.69%) were moderately positive(2+) and 153 cases(77.66%) were HER2 negative(0/1+).The concordance rate between IHC and FISH analyses was 88.83%(175/197).Thirty-six cases were defined as positive for HER2 gene amplification and/or protein expression,with 24 of these cases being eligible for Herceptin treatment according to United States recommendations,and 29 of these cases eligible according to EU recommendations.Highly consistent results were detected between IHC3+,IHC0/1 and FISH(73.68% and 95.42%),but low consistency was observed between IHC2+ and FISH(40.00%).The positivity rates in intestinal type and well-differentiated gastric cancer were higher than those in diffuse/mixed type and poorly-differentiated gastric cancer respectively(28.57% vs 13.43%,P = 0.0103;37.25% vs 11.64%,P < 0.0001),but were not correlated with gender,age,tumor location or TNM stage,depth of invasion,lymph node metastases and distant metastasis.In poorly-differentiated gastric cancer patients,those without lymph node metastasis showed a higher HER2 positivity rate than those with lymph node metastasis(26.47% vs 7.14%,P = 0.0021).This association was not present in thosepatients with well-differentiated gastric cancer(28.57% vs 43.33%,P = 0.2832).Within our patient cohort,26 cases were lost to follow-up.The median survival time for the remaining 171 patients was 18 mo.The median survival times of the HER2 positive and negative groups were 17 and 18.5 mo respectively.Overall survival was not significantly different between HER2-positive and negative groups(χ 2 = 0.9157,P = 0.3386),but in patients presenting well-differentiated tumors,the overall survival of the HER2-positive group was significantly worse than that of the HER2-negative group(P = 0.0123).In contrast,patients with poorly differentiated and diffuse/mixed subtype gastric cancers showed no significant differences in overall survival associated with HER2.Furthermore,the median survival time of the HER2 positive group did not show any statistically significant differences when compared to the subgroups of gender,age,tumor location,TNM classification,lymph node metastases and distant metastasis.CONCLUSION:Patients with intestinal type gastric cancer(GC),well-differentiated GC and poorly-differentiated GC without lymph node metastasis,may all represent suitable candidates for targeted therapy using Herceptin.

Relationship between expression of EGFR in gastric cancer tissue and clinicopathological features

Objective:To investigate the relationship between the expression of epidermal growth factor receptor(ECFR) in gastric cancer and the clinicopalhological features and prognosis. Methods:A total of 78 paraffin specimens of gastric cancer operation were collected.The immunohistochemical method was used to detect the expression of ECFR in 78 cases of gastric cancer and 20 cases of adjacent normal tissue.The relationship between the high expression of ECFR and clinicopathological features was analyzed.Results:ECFR positive expression rate in the 78 cases of gastric cancer tissue was 57.7%(43/78),while ECFR was not expressed in 20 cases of adjacent normal tissue.The high ECFR expression was positively correlated with the position of gastric cancer,tumor size,cell differentiation,invasive depth,lymph node metastasis and TNM staging,yet having no obvious relation with gender or age.Conclusions:ECFR expression level in gastric cancer is closely related to the incidence and development of gastric cancer,which can provide a theoretical basis for the targeted therapy for gastric cancer with ECFR as the target.

Clinicopathological Characteristics and Prognosis of Hepatoid Adenocarcinoma of the Stomach:Evaluation of a Pooled Case Series

Hepatoid adenocarcinoma of the stomach (HAS)is an extremely rare and unique gastric malignancy.The present study aimed to examine the relevance of the clinicopathological characteristics of HAS with patient prognosis.We retrospectively reviewed clinical data of 34 HAS patients treated at our institution between January 2010 and December 2016,as well as 294 cases reported prior to 2017 in research databases.Among these patients,45.6%(115/252)had lesions in the gastric antrum and 77.0%(235/305)were male.Elevated levels of serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP)were detected in most patients(75/93,80.6%).Vascular invasion(199/286,69.6%),lymph node metastasis (222/283,78.4%),and preoperative distant metastasis (121/328,36.9%)were commonly observed.The 5-year disease-free survival (DFS)and disease-specific survival (DSS) were 20.7%and 29.2%,respectively.DFS and DSS of patients receiving neoadjuvant therapy were significantly higher than those of patients receiving postoperative adjuvant therapy [DFS:P<0.001, hazard ratio (HR)=-1.831,95%confidence interval (CI):0.060-0.429;DSS:P<0.001,HR=-2.185, 95%CI:0.032-0.401].In conclusion,HAS exhibits distinct clinicopathological characteristics and a strikingly worse prognosis when compared with common gastric cancer.Complete surgery,early pTNM stage,and adjuvant therapy may predict a more favorable prognosis.Neoadjuvant therapy is strongly recommended for patients with lymph node metastasis or/and preoperative distant metastasis.

Clinicopathological features and survival analysis of gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms: a retrospective study in a single center of China

Objective： To investigate the clinicopathological features, survival and prognostic factors for gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms（GEP-NENs） in a Chinese population.Methods： We investigated 154 consecutive patients（88 males, 66 females; median age 56 years, age range 9-86 years） diagnosed with GEP-NENs between 2001 and 2013 at The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University. Demographic, clinical and pathological variables and survival data were retrieved.Results： The pancreas was the most common site of involvement（63/154, 40.9%）. Tumor size varied from 0.3 to 16.0 cm（median, 1.2 cm）. The patients were followed up for a median period of 22 months（range, 1-157 months）. The estimated 3- and 5-year overall survival（OS） rates for all patients were 84.0% and 81.9%, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that larger tumor size, lymphatic metastases and distant metastases were significant predictors for poor survival outcome.Conclusions： Our data provide further information on the clinicopathological features of GEP-NENs in China. Additionally, we identified tumor size, lymphatic metastases and distant metastases as independent prognostic factors for long-term survival.

Clinicopathological characteristics of 15 patients with combined hepatocellular carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma

BACKGROUND: Combined hepatocellular carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma (cHCC-CC) is a rare subtype of primary liver cancer, and clinicopathological features of cHCC-CC have seldom been reported in detail. This study was undertaken to explore the diagnosis and clinicopathological characteristics of cHCC-CC in comparison with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and cholangiocarcinoma (CC), respectively. METHODS: The clinical data from 15 patients with cHCC-CC, 132 patients with HCC and 44 patients with CC who had undergone hepatic resection were analyzed retrospectively. Clinicopathological characteristics of cHCC-CC, HCC and CC such as hepatitis B viral infection, serum hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibody, serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) level, cirrhosis, vascular invasion, lymph node metastasis, surgical procedure and adjuvant treatment were also analyzed. Follow up was carried out in the patients, and their 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates were calculated. RESULTS: Two patients with cHCC-CC were correctly diagnosed by enhanced CT before operation, the other 13 patients were diagnosed by histology and immunohistochemistry after operation. Radical (8/15) and conservative hepatectomy (7/15) for cHCC-CC was similar to that for HCC and CC (P > 0.05). Pathologically cHCC-CC showed more significantly vascular invasion and lymph node metastasis than HCC (P < 0.05), and a similarity to CC (P > 0.05). Hepatitis B viral infection, serum HCV antibody, cirrhosis, and serum AFP level of cHCC-CC patients were similar to those of HCC patients (P > 0.05) but different from CC patients (P < 0.05). The cumulative 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates in patients with cHCC-CC were poorer than in patients with HCC or CC (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with cHCC-CC are seldom diagnosed before operation. The progression of cHCC-CC is more rapid than that of HCC or CC. Survival rate of patients with cHCC-CC after hepatic resection is poorer than that of patients with HCC or CC.

Clinicopathological features of early gastric cancers arising in Helicobacter pylori uninfected patients

BACKGROUND Persistent Helicobacter pylori(H.pylori)infection causes chronic inflammation,atrophy of the gastric mucosa,and a high risk of developing gastric cancer.In recent years,awareness of eradication therapy has increased in Japan.As H.pylori infections decrease,the proportion of gastric cancers arising from H.pylori uninfected gastric mucosa will increase.The emergence of gastric cancer arising in H.pylori uninfected patients though rarely reported,is a concern to be addressed and needs elucidation of its clinicopathological features.AIM To evaluate the clinicopathological features of early gastric cancer in H.pyloriuninfected patients.METHODS A total of 2462 patients with 3375 instances of early gastric cancers that were treated by endoscopic submucosal dissection were enrolled in our study between May 2000 and September 2019.Of these,30 lesions in 30 patients were diagnosed as H.pylori-uninfected gastric cancer(Hp UIGC).We defined a patient as H.pylori-uninfected using the following three criteria:(1)The patient did not receive treatment for H.pylori,which was determined by investigating medical recordsand conducting patient interviews;(2)Lack of endoscopic atrophy;and(3)The patient was negative for H.pylori after being tested at least twice using various diagnostic methods,including serum anti-H.pylori-Ig G antibody,urease breath test,rapid urease test,and microscopic examination.RESULTS The frequency of Hp UIGC was 1.2%(30/2462)for the patients in our study.The study included 19 males and 11 females with a mean age of 59 years.The location of the stomach lesions was divided into three sections;upper third(U),middle third(M),lower third(L).Of the 30 lesions,15 were U,1 was M,and 14 were L.Morphologically,17 lesions were protruded and flat elevated type(0-I,0-IIa,0-IIa+IIc),and 13 lesions were flat and depressed type(0-IIb,0-IIc).The median tumor diameter was 8 mm(range 2-98 mm).Histological analysis revealed that22 lesions(73.3%)were differentiated type.The Hp UIGC lesions were classified into fundic gland type adenocarcinoma(7 cases),foveolar type welldifferentiated adenocarcinoma(8 cases),intestinal phenotype adenocarcinoma(7 cases),and pure signet-ring cell carcinoma(8 cases).Among 30 Hp UIGCs,24 lesions(80%)were limited to the mucosa;wherein,the remaining 6 lesions showed submucosal invasion.One of the submucosal invasive lesions showed more than 500μm invasion.The mucin phenotype analysis identified 7 Hp UIGC with intestinal phenotype and 23 with gastric phenotype.CONCLUSION We elucidated the clinicopathological characteristics of Hp UIGC,revealing recognition not only undifferentiated-type but also differentiated-type.In addition,intestinal phenotype tumors were also observed and could be an important tip.

Detection of ALK translocation in non-small cell lung carcinoma(NSCLC) and its clinicopathological significance using the Ventana immunohistochemical staining method: a single-center large-scale investigation of 1,504 Chinese Han patients

Objective： The novel fully automated immunohistochemistry （IHC） assay-Ventana anaplastic lymphoma kinase （ALK）-DSF3 for screening ALK rearrangements has been approved by China＇s Food and Drug Administration in 2013, our previous study disclosed a highly specificity and sensitivity nearly 100%, and its efficacy needs to be evaluated in a large cohort of primary lung adenocarcinoma patients, and to compare clinicopathological features with ALK （＋） and ALK （-） lung adenocarcinoma.Methods： A total of 1,504 consecutive surgical lung adenocareinoma eases of Chinese Han population were collected and re-diagnosed according to the 2011 multidisciplinary classification of lung adenocarcinoma. Fully automated Ventana ALK-D5F3 IHC staining with a binary scoring was adopted to evaluate staining and correlated with dinieopathologieal characters, including age, sex, differentiation degree, histological subtype, lymph node metastasis, and clinical staging. ALK （＋） patients were followed-up, and targeted therapy of ALKinhibitors was adopted and observed in patients with stage IV according to the NCCN guideline.Results： ALK positive adenocarcinomas were identified in 6.6% of the surgically resected 1,504 NSCLCs, and significantly younger than the negative group （P〈0.05）.Mucinous adenocarcinoma （28.2%） was determined to be predominant in ALK （＋） cases, followed by the solid type （11.7%）, specific type （6.8%）, papillary type （5.6%）, acinar type （5.5%）, and lepidic type （3.1%）, and the differences were statistically significant （χ2=42.01 1, P〈0.05）. ALK （＋） adenocarcinoma with lymph node metastasis （10.8%） were significantly higher than that without lymph node metastasis （4.5%） （g2=19.809, P〈0.05）; and ALK （＋） in phase Ⅳ （20%） was significantly higher than phaseⅢ （12.9%）, phase Ⅱ （4.2%）, phase Ⅰ （4.5%）, and phase 0 （0） （g2=36.068, P〈0.05）. Multivariate logistic regression disclosed that patient age, AJCC staging, and histological mucinous subtype were correlated with ALK positive staining （OR=0.959, 1.578, 5.036, respectively）. Sixty eight patients had followed-up results, five patients out of which primarily diagnosed or progressed into Stage IV benefited well from targeted therapy with Crizotinib.Conclusions： The ALK fusion protein was seen in 6.6% Chinese NSCLC patients, and mosdy seen in younger, clinically higher staging, mueinous and solid predominant adenoearcinoma. Clinical trials in patients of Stage Ⅳ eonfirmed that ALK-DSF3 Ventana IHC is serviceable in screening ALK-positive candidates for molecular targeted therapy.

Clinicopathological parameters predicting recurrence of pT1N0 esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

AIM To identify the clinicopathological characteristics of pT1 N0 esophageal squamous cell carcinoma(ESCC) that are associated with tumor recurrence. METHODS We reviewed 216 pT1 N0 thoracic ESCC cases who underwent esophagectomy and thoracoabdominal two-field lymphadenectomy without preoperative chemoradiotherapy. After excluding those cases with clinical follow-up recorded fewer than 3 mo and those who died within 3 mo of surgery, we included 199 cases in the current analysis. Overall survival and recurrencefree survival were assessed by the Kaplan-Meier method, and clinicopathological characteristics associated with any recurrence or distant recurrence were evaluated using univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards models. Early recurrence(≤ 24 mo) and correlated parameters were assessed using univariate and multivariate logistic regression models.RESULTS Forty-seven(24%) patients had a recurrence at 3 to 178(median, 33) mo. The 5-year recurrence-free survival rate was 80.7%. None of 13 asymptomatic cases had a recurrence. Preoperative clinical symptoms, upper thoracic location, ulcerative or intraluminal mass macroscopic tumor type, tumor invasion depth level, basaloid histology, angiolymphatic invasion, tumor thickness, submucosal invasion thickness, diameter of the largest single tongue of invasion, and complete negative aberrant p53 expression were significantly related to tumor recurrence and/or recurrence-free survival. Upper thoracic tumor location, angiolymphatic invasion, and submucosal invasion thickness were independent predictors of tumor recurrence(Hazard ratios = 3.26, 3.42, and 2.06, P < 0.001, P < 0.001, and P = 0.002, respectively), and a nomogram for predicting recurrence-free survival with these three predictors was constructed. Upper thoracic tumor location and angiolymphatic invasion were independent predictors of distant recurrence. Upper thoracic tumor location, angiolymphatic invasion, submucosal invasion thickness, and diameter of the largest single tongue of invasion were independent predictors of early recurrence.CONCLUSION These results should be useful for designing optimal individual follow-up and therapy for patients with T1 N0 ESCC.

Clinicopathological and prognostic significance of aberrant Arpin expression in gastric cancer

AIM To detect the expression of Arpin, and determine its correlation with clinicopathological characteristics and the prognosis of gastric cancer(GC) patients.METHODS A total of 176 GC patients were enrolled as study subjects and classified into groups according to different clinicopathological variables. GC mucosal tissues were obtained via surgery. Another 43 paraffin-embedded tissue blocks of normal gastric epithelium(> 5 cm away from the edge of the tumor) were included in the control group. Immunohistochemistry(IHC) for the Arpin and Arp3 proteins was performed on the formalinfixed, paraffin-embedded GC tissues. Additionally, expression of the Arpin protein in 43 normal gastric tissues was also determined using IHC.RESULTS Expression of the Arpin protein in GC was lower than that in normal gastric mucosa(30.68% vs 60.47%, P < 0.001). A χ2 test of the 176 GC samples used for IHC showed that decreased Arpin expression was associated with advanced TNM stage(P < 0.01) and the presence or absence of lymph node metastasis(80.92% vs 35.56%, P < 0.001). Additionally, a significant correlation was observed between the expression of Arpin and the presence of the Arp2/3 complex in GC tissues(χ2 = 30.535, P < 0.001). Moreover, a multivariate Coxregression analysis revealed that Arpin expression [hazard ratio(HR) = 0.551, P = 0.029] and TNM stage(HR = 5.344, P = 0.001) were independent prognostic markers for overall survival of GC patients. Regarding the 3-year disease-free survival(DFS), the recurrence rate of GC patients with low Arpin expression levels(median DFS 19 mo) was higher than that in the highArpin-expression group(median DFS 34 mo, P = 0.022).CONCLUSION Low Arpin levels are associated with clinicopathological variables and a poor prognosis in GC patients. Arpin may be regarded as a potential prognostic indicator in GC.

Clinicopathological Features of Breast Cancer with Different Molecular Subtypes in Chinese Women

A retrospective study was performed to explore the relationship between molecular subtypes and clinicopathological features of breast cancer in Chinese women. Six hundred and twenty-eight Chi- nese women with breast cancer were classified into four molecular subtypes according to their estrogen receptor （ER）, progesterone receptor （PR） and Her-2 status. The prevalence rate of each molecular sub- type was analyzed. Relationship between the subtypes and clinicopathologic features was determined. The distribution of molecular subtypes was as follows： luminal A 46.5%, luminal B 17.0%, basal 21.5%, HER2/neu 15.0%. The subtypes had no significant difference under different menopausal status. How- ever, in the age-specific groups, the age group of〈35 years was more likely to get basal cell-like cancer （36.9%）. Statistically significant differences were found among molecular subtypes by age, nuclear grade, tumor size, lymph node （LN） metastasis, tumor stage by American Joint Committee on Cancer （AJCC）, radiotherapy but not by chemotherapy, types of surgery. After adjusting for several relative confounding factors, the basal subtype more likely had lower nodal involvement in both the incidence of LN metastasis （〉1 positive LN） and incidence of high-volume LN metastasis （〉4 positive LN）. The HER2/neu subtype had higher nodal involvement in the incidence of high-volume LN metastases. After adjusting for relative confounding factors, the HER2/neu subtype more likely had higher AJCC tumor stages. It was suggested that there existed close relationship between molecular subtypes and clinicopa- thological features of breast cancer. In addition, the breast cancer subtypes have been proven to be an independent predictor of LN involvement and AJCC tumor stage. These findings are very important for understanding the occurrence, development, prognosis and treatment of breast cancer in Chinese popu-lation.

Clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of 232 patients with poorly differentiated gastric neuroendocrine neoplasms

BACKGROUND Poorly differentiated gastric neuroendocrine neoplasms(PDGNENs)include gastric neuroendocrine carcinoma(NEC)and mixed adenoneuroendocrine carcinoma,which are highly malignant and rare tumors,and their incidence has increased over the past few decades.However,the clinicopathological features and outcomes of patients with PDGNENs have not been completely elucidated.AIM To investigate the clinicopathological characteristics and prognostic factors of patients with PDGNENs.METHODS The data from seven centers in China from March 2007 to November 2019 were analyzed retrospectively.RESULTS Among the 232 patients with PDGNENs,191(82.3%)were male,with an average age of 62.83±9.11 years.One hundred and thirteen(49.34%)of 229 patients had a stage III disease and 86(37.55%)had stage IV disease.Three(1.58%)of 190 patients had no clinical symptoms,while 187(98.42%)patients presented clinical symptoms.The tumors were mainly(89.17%)solitary and located in the upper third of the stomach(cardia and fundus of stomach:115/215,53.49%).Most lesions were ulcers(157/232,67.67%),with an average diameter of 4.66±2.77 cm.In terms of tumor invasion,the majority of tumors invaded the serosa(116/198,58.58%).The median survival time of the 232 patients was 13.50 mo(7,31 mo),and the overall 1-year,3-year,and 5-year survival rates were 49%,19%,and 5%,respectively.According to univariate analysis,tumor number,tumor diameter,gastric invasion status,American Joint Committee on Cancer(AJCC)stage,and distant metastasis status were prognostic factors for patients with PDGNENs.Multivariate analysis showed that tumor number,tumor diameter,AJCC stage,and distant metastasis status were independent prognostic factors for patients with PDGNENs.CONCLUSION The overall prognosis of patients with PDGNENs is poor.The outcomes of patients with a tumor diameter>5 cm,multiple tumors,and stage IV tumors are worse than those of other patients.

Clinicopathological Features and Prognosis of Small Cell Carcinoma of the Cervix

Small cell carcinoma of cervix (SCCC) is a rare disease with highly aggressive behaviour and is pathologically hard to diagnose.In this study, the clinicopathological features, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of the condition were examined.Clinical records and follow-up data of 7 cases of SCCC were retrospectively studied.Our results showed that five non-recurrent cases initially presented irregular vaginal bleeding or increased apocenosis of varying degrees.Pathological examination revealed that the stroma was diffusely infiltrated with small monomorphous cells ranging from round to oval shape.Three cases were immunohistochemically confirmed.One case was accompanied with squamous cell cancer.Of the 7 cases, one case was classified as stage Ⅰb 1, two stageⅠ b2, one stage Ⅱ a, one stage Ⅱb , and one stage Ⅲ b.On the basis of their stages of condition, one subject with stage III b underwent chemotherapy, and one with stage Ib2 received extensive hysterectomy plus pelvic lymphadenectomy, while the other 5 cases were treated by extensive hysterectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy in combination with pre-and/or post-operative adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy.Of the 7 patients, 4 had relapse-free survival of 14, 14, 16 and 28 months respectively.It is concluded that SCCC is an aggressive tumor with propensity for early pelvis lymph node metastases.Early-stage patients should be treated by extensive hysterectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy in combination with pre-and/or post-operative adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Clinical characteristics and clinicopathological correlations of bilateral breast cancer in China:A multicenter study from Chinese Society of Breast Surgery(CSBrS-006)

Objective:To investigate the clinical characteristics and clinicopathological correlations of bilateral breast cancer(BBC)in China.Methods:Data of 440 patients diagnosed with BBC in 2018 were collected from 33 centers of the Chinese Society of Breast Surgery.Demographic characteristics,bilateral tumor characteristics,and comprehensive treatment data were obtained.Correlations between the clinicopathological characteristics of bilateral tumors were analyzed.Results:The proportion of BBC was 0.22%-3.08%.A total of 33(7.5%)patients had a family history of malignant tumors,304(69.1%)patients had synchronous BBC.Only 1(0.2%)patient was male.More than half of all patients received concurrent or asynchronous endocrine/chemotherapy,32.5%of all human epidermal growth factor receptor 2(HER2)-positive patients received HER2-targeted therapy,and approximately 21.6%of all patients received radiotherapy.The most common pathological cancer type was invasive ductal cancer(>60%).Approximately 70%of all patients had bilateral hormone receptor(HR)-positive tumors and presented with a single breast mass.Significant correlations were found with pathological type,histological grade,locations of tumor,molecular subtype,Ki-67 index,tumor site and size of bilateral tumors.Results of the subgroup analysis showed more clinicopathological characteristics when synchronous BBC was compared with metachronous BBC.Conclusions:In China,the clinicopathological characteristics of bilateral tumors showed significant correlations,and more significant clinicopathological correlations were observed when synchronous BBC was compared with metachronous BBC.

Clinicopathological differences,risk factors and prognostic scores for western patients with intestinal and diffuse-type gastric cancer

BACKGROUND In the molecular era,the Laurén system is still a cost-effective and widely implemented classification for gastric cancer(GC)and it has been recently associated with clinical,histological and molecular features of these tumors.Despite recent advances in the understanding of the molecular biology of GC,there is a need to develop new prognostic tools for patient stratification in clinical practice.Thus,the identification of easily available prognostic factors in patients with intestinal and diffuse-type tumors can significantly improve risk assessment and patient stratification in GC.AIM To identify clinicopathological differences,risk factors,and to develop costeffective prognostic scores for patients with intestinal and diffuse-type GC.METHODS Retrospective study of all patients undergoing surgery for GC at a tertiary referral center from 2001 to 2019.286 cases met inclusion criteria(intestinal:190,diffuse:96).Clinical data and gross findings were collected.All specimens were reviewed by two independent pathologists and a detailed protocol for histologic evaluation was followed.Five tissue microarrays(TMAs)were constructed and sections of the TMA block were immunostained for HERCEPTEST,MSH2,MSH6,MLH1 and PMS2.Statistical analyses were performed and prognostic scores were developed based on hazard ratios.RESULTS Intestinal and diffuse-type GC showed different epidemiological,clinicopathological and prognostic features.Diffuse tumors were significantly associated with younger age,less symptomatology,flat morphology,deeper invasion,perineural infiltration,advanced stage at diagnosis,administration of adjuvant therapy and poorer prognosis.Intestinal lesions were fungoid or polypoid,showed necrosis,desmoplasia,microsatellite instability and HERCEPTEST positivity and were diagnosed at earlier stages.Tumor depth,desmoplasia,macroscopic type and lymph node involvement were independently related to the Laurén subtype.Furthermore,intestinal and diffuse GC were associated with different risk factors for progression and death.Vascular invasion,perineural infiltration and growth pattern were important prognostic factors in intestinal-type GC.On the contrary,tumor size and necrosis were significant prognosticators in diffuse-type GC.Our recurrence and cancer-specific death scores for patients with intestinal and diffuse-type GC showed an excellent patient stratification into three(diffuse GC)or four(intestinal)prognostic groups.CONCLUSION Our findings support that Laurén subtypes represent different clinicopathological and biological entities.The development of specific prognostic scores is a useful and cost-effective strategy to improve risk assessment in GC.

Pancreatic perivascular epithelioid cell tumor: A case report with clinicopathological features and a literature review

Perivascular epithelioid cell tumor(PEComa) of the pancreas is an unusual tumor deriving from mesenchyma. This paper described a case of pancreatic PEComa, which was initially suspected as neuroendocrine carcinoma by biopsy, and therefore surgical treatment was recommended due to undetermined diagnosis. Examination of the surgical specimen under a microscope showed that the tumor cell's morphology was epithelioid or spindle-shaped, and ranged in a nested pattern. Additionally, these cells had a large extent of acidophilic cytoplasm, no mitotic figures, and expressed HMB-45, melan-p, and smooth muscle actin immunohistochemically. Pathological examination indicated that PEComa originated from the pancreas, but symptoms related to tuberous sclerosis were absent. Since PEComa is extremely rare in the pancreas, it is likely to be ignored in differential diagnosis. In conclusion, our article highlighted the clinicopathological features of PEComa, and we conducted a literature review focusing on PEComa so as to deepen the understanding of this tumor type.

Papillary serous carcinoma of the uterine cervix:a clinicopathological analysis of 4 cases and a literature review

Objective To investigate the clinicopathological characteristics and clinical treatment outcomes of patients with papillary serous carcinoma of the uterine cervix(PSCC).Methods In this study, 4 patients with histologically confirmed papillary serous carcinoma of the uterine cervix were retrospectively investigated. Pap smears, human papillomavirus(HPV) screening, tumor marker status, biopsy analysis, and relevant imaging examinations were conducted for the confirmation of primary diagnosis and recurrence. Patients underwent surgery, chemotherapy, or radiotherapy, and survival were the main endpoint.Results The 4 patients were diagnosed with IB1, IB1, IIA, or IIIB disease. Two patients(2/4) presented with recurrence within 18 months after primary therapy. Compared with chemotherapy alone(progressionfree survival(PFS): 11 months), radiotherapy combined with adjuvant chemotherapy showed favorable PFS rates(PFS: 20, 36, 13 months in 3 cases), although valid statistical analysis was not feasible because of the small sample size. The 5-year survival rate was 0%, and the 3-year survival rate was 75%. Our data, in agreement with the literature evidence, showed that the number of moderate-risk and high-risk factors in patients diagnosed with PSCC at an early stage was higher than that in patients diagnosed with common adenocarcinoma/squamous carcinoma of the uterine cervix.Conclusion PSCC has a poor clinical prognosis, and compared with chemotherapy alone, radiotherapy combined with adjuvant chemotherapy may lead to improved PFS.

Human parvovirus B19-associated hematopathy in HIV disease:need for clinicopathological revisit

Persons living with HIV infection occasionally suffer from anemia due to varying causes.These include the use of zidovudine,malnutrition especially vitamin B12and iron deficiency,opportunistic infections by Mycobacterium tuberculosis,Pneumocystis jiroveci,and direct hematological effects of HIV infection itself within the marrow microenvironment.Persistent Parvovirus B19（B19V）infection is a clinically important and treatable etiology of anemia in HIV-infected persons.