Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma: diagnostic challenges,histopathologic features and ancillary testing

Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) is an aggressive thyroid malignancy with high mortality rate. This malignancy arises in thyroid follicular cells either denovo or with an associated differentiated thyroid carcinoma component. Clinically, it usually presents as a rapidly enlarging mass, pain and locally compressive symptoms. Histopathologic variability and heterogeneity often pose diagnostic challenges, especially in scant and paucicellular specimens. This article describes the clinical, histopathologic and molecular features of ATC and also addresses the associated diagnostic limitations and challenges.     

Lymph node micrometastasis of poorly differentiated node-negative gastric cancer risks a worse-than-expected survival outcome under standard management algorithm

BackgroundInvestigation of lymph node micrometastasis (mN) of gastric cancer has been focused on either T1 disease or T1-4N0 disease. Yet, it is unclear whether standard management algorithm toward poorly differentiated gastric cancer (PDGC) is more vulnerable to existence of mN, given its inherently biological aggressiveness, as compared with other histological types.Patients and methodsA surgical series (n = 3456) of gastric cancer categorized by histological differentiation was enrolled to analyze survival stratification. Of them, a cohort of T1-T4 N0 PDGC (n = 100) were subjected to cytokeratin immunohistochemistry, a surrogate of mN.ResultsCancer-specific survival by AJCC8 staging system could be nicely differentiated in both well-/moderately differentiated and signet ring cell types, while those between stage IA versus IB (p = 0.105), and stage IB versus IIA (p = 0.141) in PDGC could not. Thirteen (13%) out of 100 node-negative PDGC cases exhibited mN, with 5, 2, 5 and 1 cases occurring in T1, T2, T3, and T4 stage, respectively, without identifiable contributing factors. Prognostic performance of AJCC8 working upon PDGC became more discriminative by incorporating mN, as hazard ratio of stage IIIC referenced to stage IA increased from 43 to 78.ConclusionDefective discriminative survival of PDGC by standard staging algorithm prompted us to survey mN occurring in T1-T4N0 PDGC. The prognostic performance of AJCC8 working upon PDGC was enhanced by incorporating mN. As so, we recommend documentation of mN exclusively on node-negative PDGC that helps unveil stage migration phenomenon and switch to appropriate adjuvant therapy in need.     

急性白血病非系限性分化抗原的动态研究

为探讨仅表达非系限性分化抗原的急性白血病的细胞起源，采用单克隆抗体免疫酶标和聚合酶链反应技术分析了１２例初诊时仅表达非系限性分化抗原的急性白血病化疗后免疫表型及免疫球蛋白重链（ＩｇＨ）和Ｔ细胞受体（ＴＣＲ）γ基因重排的变化。结果表明：初诊时仅表达ＣＤ３８抗原的５例急性白血病，化疗后３例出现Ｔ细胞相关抗原表达，并伴ＴＣＲγ基因重排；５例初诊时仅表达ＨＬＡ－ＤＲ或ＣＤ９的急性白血病，化疗后４例出现Ｂ细胞相关抗原表达，均伴有ＩｇＨ基因重排；２例无任何抗原表达者，化疗后１例表达Ｂ细胞相关抗原，另１例表达骨髓细胞相关抗原。提示免疫标志的动态研究，有助于初诊时免疫学无法分类急性白血病细胞起源的确定。     

Early gastric cancer manifested as brain metastasis: Report of a case

A case of early gastric cancer, limited to submucosal layer, which was manifested as cerebral metastasis is presented herein. A 47-year-old man was admitted to Nagaoka Chuo General Hospital with convulsions and a disturbance in consciousness, where a computed tomography (CT) scan revealed a cerebral tumor in the left temporal lobe. The resected tumor was identified as a metastatic adenocarcinoma. Further investigation revealed gastric cancer involving the posterior wall of the cardia. At laparotomy, multiple and small metastases of the liver and a jejunal metastasis were found, and a palliative total gastrectomy was performed. The surgical specimen revealed a protruding, poorly differentiated medullary adenocarcinoma, with invasion of the submucosal layer. The patient died 4 months after undergoing the laparotomy. This case report is presented to make clinicians aware of the possibility that early gastric cancers may present as brain metastasis.     

血清Tg、TgAb对甲状腺癌根治术联合131I治疗后随访期间复发/转移的评估价值

目的 研究血清甲状腺球蛋白（Tg）、甲状腺球蛋白抗体（TgAb）对甲状腺癌根治术联合¹³¹I治疗后随访期间复发/转移的评估价值。方法 回顾性分析2018年6月—2020年6月中国贵航集团三〇二医院收治的106例分化型甲状腺癌患者的临床资料,患者均接受甲状腺癌根治术治疗,术后均采用¹³¹I进行清除残留的甲状腺组织（清甲）治疗。随访24个月,将患者分为复发转移组（21例）和未复发转移组（85例）。比较两组临床资料、¹³¹I治疗情况及血清促甲状腺激素（TSH）、Tg、TgAb。绘制受试者工作特征（ROC）曲线分析血清Tg、TgAb检测对甲状腺癌根治术联合¹³¹I治疗后复发/转移的预测价值。采取非条件一般Logistic回归模型进行多因素分析。结果 与未复发转移组比较,复发转移组原位肿瘤T₄分期、手术方式为腺叶切除或近全切、残余甲状腺质量≥1 g、手术至¹³¹I治疗时间> 3个月、24 h摄¹³¹I率≤ 20%患者的占比均较高（P <0.05）;复发转移组血清Tg和TgAb水平均较高（P <0.05）;ROC曲线分析结果显示：血清Tg预测甲状腺癌根治术联合¹³¹I治疗后复发或转移的最佳截断值为1.674 μg/L,AUC为0.803（95% CI：0.721,0.884）,敏感性为81.1%（95% CI：0.724,0.898）,特异性为63.8%（95% CI：0.585,0.691）;血清TgAb预测的最佳截断值为44.19 3 IU/mL,AUC为0.911（95% CI：0.859,0.963）,敏感性为89.2%（95% CI：0.813,0.971）,特异性为72.5%（95% CI：0.674,0.774）。非条件Logistic一般回归分析结果显示：原位肿瘤T₄分期［O^R=2.916（95% CI：1.325,6.417）］、腺叶切除或近全切［O^R=3.243（95% CI：2.174,4.838）］、残余甲状腺质量≥ 10 g［O^R=1.835（95% CI：1.514,2.224）］、手术至¹³¹I治疗时间> 3个月［O^R=1.962（95% CI：1.371,2.808）］、24 h摄¹³¹I率≤ 20%［O^R=2.638（95% CI：1.219,5.709）］、血清Tg ≥ 1.674 μg/L［O^R=2.503（95% CI：1.430,4.360）］、血清TgAb≥ 44.193 IU/mL［O^R=2.944（95% CI：2.016,4.299）］可能是甲状腺癌根治术联合¹³¹I治疗后复发或转移的危险因素（P <0.05）;风险因素预测模型预测甲状腺癌根治术联合¹³¹I治疗后复发/转移的ROC曲线下面积为0.961（95% CI：0.935,0.987）,标准误为0.010,临界值为73.162,敏感性为91.9%（95% CI：0.863,0.957）,特异性为88.2%（95% CI：0.845,0.922）。结论 甲状腺癌根治术联合¹³¹I治疗后出现复发/转移的患者血清Tg、TgAb水平明显升高,Tg、TgAb对预测复发/转移具有较好的价值,联合其他危险因素建立风险因素预测模型可进一步提高预测价值。     

Primary cerebral neuroblastoma (neurocytoma) in adults

Summary We report a case of a third ventricular neuroblastoma (neurocytoma) in a 66 year old man. A stereotactic needly biopsy was performed to obtain a tissue diagnosis and was followed by total resection. We elected not to give radiation or chemotherapy and to follow the patient closely with serial CT scans. Presently, 48 months postoperatively, the patient is free of tumor by head CT scan and able to live independently. We reviewed the literature of primary cerebral neuroblastomas/neurocytomas occurring in adults (15 years of age) and found 32 cases. Our patient is the oldest of this group with a mean age of 32 ± 14 years (S.D.). The location of the 33 neoplasms was intraventricular in 17 cases (52%) and intraparenchymal in 16 cases. The male to female ratio was 2: 1. Of the 17 patients having a minimal follow-up period of 5 months (mean 51 months), five developed recurrences after 5 to 144 months (mean 50 months) compared to 12 patients without recurrence after a 6- to 72-month follow-up period (mean 52 months). Recurrences occurred statistically significantly more often in parenchymal neuroblastomas/neurocytomas than in intraventricular tumor locations.     

CD8+T-bet+ cells as a predominant biomarker for inclusion body myositis

Background

Myositis is a heterogeneous group of muscular auto-immune diseases with clinical and pathological criteria that allow the classification of patients into different sub-groups. Inclusion body myositis is the most frequent myositis above fifty years of age. Diagnosing inclusion body myositis requires expertise and is challenging. Little is known concerning the pathogenic mechanisms of this disease in which conventional suppressive-immune therapies are inefficacious.

Distribution of Antigens Detected with MB1, MB2 and MB3 on Non-hematopoietic Human Organs and Various Tumors

We have examined the distribution of antigens detected by MB1, MB2 and MB3 on non-hematopoietic normal human tissues and various types of benign and malignant tumors. MB1 and MB2 reacted with various organs, such as the epithelium of various glands, smooth muscle cells, vascular endothelial cells, and peripheral nerve tissue. The distributions of these two antibodies were essentially identical. Reactivity with MB3 was confined to the ductal eDithelium of salivary glands, the pancreas, and sweat glands, and the cortex of the adrenal gland. lmmunoblotting analysis demonstrated that MB1 and MB2 reacted with a few bands of an extract of myometrial cytoskeletal fraction and salivary gland cytosol fraction, whereas MB3 failed to show any bands on these materials. The reactivities of MB1 and MB2 with various neoplasms were similar to those in normal organs, with slight variations of staining pattern and preponderance in well differentiated tumors. Exceptionally, carcinoid tumor and small round cell tumors, such as small cell carcinoma or neuroblastoma, were not reactive with MB1 and MB2. MB3 reacted with several cases of well differentiated benign and malignant epithelial tumors in various organs, and exceptional cases of malignant schwannoma and glioma. These results indicate that the antigens detected by MB1 and MB2 are distributed broadly on non-hematopoietic normal organs, whereas those detected by MB3 are confined to exceptional cases of epithelial and non-epithelial tumors. Thus, although the use of MB1, MB2 and MB3 is of little value for differential diagnosis of various tumors, these three antibodies may be useful for determining of the origin of some tumor types. Acta Pathol Jpn 42: 339–346, 1992.     

cyclin D1和p16蛋白在鼻咽低分化鳞癌表达与预后的关系

目的探讨中细胞周期素D1(cyclin D1)和p16蛋白的表达与鼻咽低分化鳞癌预后的关系.方法应用免疫组化SP法检测cyclin D1和p16在66例鼻咽低分化鳞癌和20例鼻咽部炎症黏膜组织中的表达.分析这两种蛋白与鼻咽癌颈淋巴结转移、临床分期、复发和预后的关系.结果 p16的缺失表达在有淋巴结转移组高于无转移组(P＜0.0 5),而cyclin D1的过表达与淋巴结转移无关(P＞0.05).cyclin D1的过表达在有复发组高于无复发组(P＜0.05),而p16的缺失表达与复发无关(P＞0.05) .p16的缺失表达和cyclin D1的过表达均与临床分期无关(P＞0.05).p16的缺失表达和c yclin D1的过表达小于5年生存组均明显高于大于5年生存组(P＜0.05).结论 p16的缺失表达可能与淋巴结的转移和预后有关;cyclin D1的过表达可能与复发和预后有关.p16和cyclin D1均有可能独立作为鼻咽低分化鳞癌的预后评估指标.     

Phenotypic shift in human differentiated gastric cancers from gastric to intestinal epithelial cell type during disease progression

Background. The phenotypic expression of tumor cells is widely thought to resemble that of the tissue of origin. In the present study, to assess phenotypic changes that occur with disease progression, we investigated human differentiated gastric cancers at different depths of invasion for component cancer cell types. Methods. Using a combined mucin histochemical and immunohistochemical approach, we classified surgical specimens of 301 differentiated gastric cancers into three types: gastric epithelial cell (G) type, intestinal epithelial cell (I) type and mixed gastric and intestinal (GI) type, according to the phenotypic differentiation of the component cancer cells. The relation between the phenotypic type of cancer and their depth of invasion was evaluated. Results. The proportion of G type cancers was 41.4% in early (tumor invasion of mucosa or submucosa) cases, decreasing to 22.2% in advanced (tumor invasion of muscularis propia or deeper) cases, whereas the proportion of I type cancers increased with progressive disease from 23.5% to 31.1% (P < 0.01). Cancers invading the subserosa or deeper included more I type cases and fewer G type than cancers limited to the mucosa (P < 0.01). In most cases of each phenotypic type, intestinal metaplasia was recognized in the surrounding background mucosa, but no clear relation was shown between the phenotype of cancers and the degree of intestinal metaplasia in the background mucosa, suggesting that intestinal metaplasia is not always a preneoplastic lesion. Conclusions. A phenotypic shift from G to I type expression was observed with the progression of human differentiated gastric cancers. Intestinalization may occur independently in cancerous and noncancerous gastric mucosa. Received for publication on May 1, 1998; accepted on Oct. 22, 1998