[Molecular diagnostics enable targeted therapies for anaplastic and poorly differentiated thyroid cancer]. / Molekylär diagnostik ger bättre behandling av tyreoideacancer.

Anaplastic and poorly differentiated thyroid cancer (ATC, PDTC) are rare and highly aggressive tumors that historically have been associated with a short life expectancy and low chance of cure. Molecular pathology and the introduction of highly effective targeted drugs have revolutionized the possibilities of management of patients with ATC and PDTC, with BRAF and MEK inhibitors as the most prominent example. Here we provide updated recommendations regarding diagnostics and management, including primary surgical management and targeted therapies based on specific molecular pathological findings.

[Treatment of Graves' disease is moving towards precision medicine]. / Behandling av Graves sjukdom.

This is the first national guideline in hyperthyroidism to harmonise and update clinical practice according to what is evidence based and direct care from patients' needs. We present 4 articles in Läkartidningen of different views of the guideline, including family care perspectives, patient care perspectives and perspectives on ophthalmology. This article concerns treatment of Graves' disease and includes endocrinological, surgical and oncological perspectives on what is established practice, but also news in the national guideline that remain to be fully implemented in Sweden in the years to come. News are precision medicine using the GREAT score, preoperative calcium/D vitamin treatment, individualized levothyroxine treatment after thyroid surgery, uniformed levothyroxine replacement strategy, access to national patient information and national guidelines on radiation protection and treatment schemes for radioactive iodine. A national guideline is the creation of many persons' views, including patient representatives, and the recommendations have undergone a thorough national review process from stakeholders. It is a guideline with future perspectives for an improved care.

pRb2/p130 protein in relation to clinicopathological and biological variables in rectal cancers with a clinical trial of preoperative radiotherapy.

BACKGROUND: pRb2/p130 plays a key role in cell proliferation and is a considerable progress about expression patterns of pRb2/p130 in number of malignancies. However, pRb2/p130 expression and its significance in rectal cancer remain unknown. The purpose of the present study was to investigate pRb2/p130 protein patterns and their correlations with clinicopathological and biological factors in rectal cancer patients with or without preoperative radiotherapy (RT). PATIENT/METHODS: pRb2/p130 protein was examined by immunohistochemistry in 130 primary tumors, along with the corresponding 61 distant normal mucosa specimens, 85 adjacent normal mucosa specimens, 34 lymph node metastases, and 93 primary tumor biopsies from rectal cancer patients who participated in a Swedish clinical trial of preoperative RT. RESULTS: The pRb2/p130 protein was mainly localized in the cytoplasm of tumor cells. In nonradiated cases, the lack of pRb2/p130 was related to advanced tumor-node-metastases stage, poorer differentiation, weak fibrosis, less inflammatory infiltration, higher Ki-67, and positive Cox-2 expression (p < 0.05). In radiated cases, the lack of pRb2/p130 was related to nonstaining of Cox-2 and survivin (p < 0.05). pRb2/p130 protein in primary tumors tended to be increased after RT (27% vs 16%, p = 0.07). CONCLUSION: pRb2/p130 was mainly localized in the cytoplasm rather than in the nucleus in rectal cancer. After RT, pRb2/p130 protein seems to be increased in primary tumors, and further the relationship of the pRb2/p130 with the clinicopathological and biological variables changed compared to the nonradiated cases. However, we did not find that the pRb2/p130 was directly related to RT, tumor recurrence, and patients' survival.