A Review of Primary Thyroid Lymphoma: Molecular Factors,Diagnosis and Management

Purpose/aim: To focus on current aspects of primary thyroid lymphoma (PTL), which is a rare clinical entity usually manifested by a rapidly growing mass in the neck that can cause pressure symptoms.

Materials and Methods: Relevant papers in PubMed published through June 2017 were selected to track updated information about PTL with an emphasis on diagnosis and novel therapeutic management.

Results: The most frequent cases include non-Hodgkin lymphoma derived from B-cells, mainly diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) followed by mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma or a mixed type. Other subtypes are less common. Lymphomas derived from T-cells and Hodgkin lymphomas are extremely rare. Hashimoto's autoimmune thyroiditis has been implicated as a risk factor for lymphoma. At the molecular level, the Wnt5a protein and its receptor Ror2 are involved in the course of the disease. Ultrasonography, fine needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy, and core or open biopsy combined with new diagnostic facilities contribute to an accurate diagnosis. An increased potential exists for a cure without the need for a radical surgical procedure. Modern chemoradiation therapy plus the monoclonal antibody rituximab, which acts against CD20, have limited the need for surgical interventions and provide an excellent outcome in most cases. However, some cases have resulted in treatment failure or recurrence.

Conclusions: A multidisciplinary approach must be used to define the management policy in each case. Future efforts by researchers are likely to be focused on the molecular level.     

Association Between Patient and Physician Sex and Physician-Estimated Stroke and Bleeding Risks in Atrial Fibrillation

Background

Physicians treating nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (AF) assess stroke and bleeding risks when deciding on anticoagulation. The agreement between empirical and physician-estimated risks is unclear. Furthermore, the association between patient and physician sex and anticoagulation decision-making is uncertain.

Multidisciplinary management of patients presenting with Lyme disease suspicion

Objective

The teaching hospital of Nancy, France, implemented a specific multidisciplinary care pathway (French acronym AMDPL) to improve the management of patients presenting with Lyme borreliosis (LB) suspicion. We aimed to assess the first year of activity of this care pathway.

Damage-associated molecular pattern (DAMP) activation in melanoma: investigation of the immunogenic activity of 15-deoxy, Δ12,14 prostamide J2

Metastatic melanoma is the most deadly skin neoplasm in the United States. Outcomes for this lethal disease have improved dramatically due to the use of both targeted and immunostimulatory drugs. Immunogenic cell death (ICD) has emerged as another approach for initiating antitumor immunity. ICD is triggered by tumor cells that display damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs). These DAMP molecules recruit and activate dendritic cells (DCs) that present tumor-specific antigens to T cells which eliminate neoplastic cells. Interestingly, the expression of DAMP molecules occurs in an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-dependent manner. We have previously shown that ER stress was required for the cytotoxic activity of the endocannabinoid metabolite, 15-deoxy, Δ^12,14 prostamide J₂ (15dPMJ₂). As such, the current study investigates whether 15dPMJ₂ induces DAMP signaling in melanoma. In B16F10 cells, 15dPMJ₂ caused a significant increase in the cell surface expression of calreticulin (CRT), the release of ATP and the secretion of high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), three molecules that serve as surrogate markers of ICD. 15dPMJ₂ also stimulated the cell surface expression of the DAMP molecules, heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) and Hsp90. In addition, the display of CRT and ATP was increased by 15dPMJ₂ to a greater extent in tumorigenic compared to non-tumorigenic melanocytes. Consistent with this finding, the activation of bone marrow-derived DCs was upregulated in co-cultures with 15dPMJ₂-treated tumor compared to non-tumor melanocytes. Moreover, 15dPMJ₂-mediated DAMP exposure and DC activation required the electrophilic cyclopentenone double bond within the structure of 15dPMJ₂ and the ER stress pathway. These results demonstrate that 15dPMJ₂ is a tumor-selective inducer of DAMP signaling in melanoma.