[Update on gastric cancer. New molecular classifications]. / Actualización en cáncer gástrico. Nuevas clasificaciones moleculares.

Gastric cancer (GC) is an aggressive tumor, which is usually diagnosed at an advanced stage and shows high mortality rates. Several GC classifications have been published, based on features such as tumor location, endoscopic features or microscopic architecture. However, TNM stage remains the mainstay of GC management and treatment. In the last years, technical advances have allowed us to investigate the biological heterogeneity of GC and develop new molecular classifications. This knowledge may enhance current classifications, and has the potential to refine GC management and aid in the identification of new molecular targets. In this literature review we have summarized the main findings in epidemiology, screening, classification systems and treatment of GC, focusing on the molecular alterations and new molecular classifications published in the last years.

Herbal Drugs: Friend or Foe?

We herein report a rather peculiar case of acute liver injury. A 78-year-old woman developed asthenia and weakness. Her previous medical history was irrelevant, except for having received etoricoxib 60 mg/24 h for osteoarthritis 1 month before. Liver biochemistry indicated hepatic failure; all tests for viral, bacterial, or parasitic infections were negative, as were the autoimmunity tests. As the patient's status gradually declined, a transjugular hepatic biopsy was obtained and confirmed hepatocyte necrosis with severe inflammation and presence of numerous eosinophils. Suspecting a potential toxic cause of the disorder, the patient was requestioned and admitted curcuma consumption for a long time. She was asked to discontinue it and her status gradually improved, with normalization of all the analytical parameters. On the long-term follow-up, she remains well. We consider that this case of acute liver injury can be explained with the combination of the acute toxic effect of a drug, etoricoxib, and the herbal remedy curcuma. This case is illustrative of the risk of interactions between drugs and natural remedies, and to the best of our knowledge, it is the first case of severe hepatotoxicity related to etoricoxib, probably potentiated by long-term curcumin intake. Besides, it illustrates the fact that patients do not generally consider natural remedies as potential source of toxicity, and this can lead to a delay in diagnosis.

Prognostic influence of histopathological regression patterns in rectal adenocarcinoma receiving neoadjuvant therapy.

BACKGROUND: Neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy (CRT) is an important management strategy in rectal carcinoma. Different systems grading response have shown varying prognostic influence. METHODS: To analyze the prognostic influence of pathological response in a series of 183 patients with rectal carcinoma receiving neoadjuvant therapy. To determine the prognostic significance of the histopathological patterns of response. RESULTS: A total of 183 patients from two hospitals. The concordance rate between pathologists was good. In total, 18% of the patients showed grade 0 (complete response), 31.7% grade 1, 19.2% grade 2 and 31.1% grade 3 regression. T down-staging was found in 51.9% of the cases. 46 patients recurred and 18 died of disease (median follow-up time: 39 months). We found a statistically significant association between pathological response and pT stage and down-staging. Inflammatory reaction in the tumor bed was significantly associated to regression and prognosis. Cox's multivariate analysis of survival revealed that down-staging and presence of mucin pools in the tumor bed behaved as significant predictors of recurrence and regression grade and mucin pools as significant predictors of survival. CONCLUSIONS: Pathological response is an important surrogate marker of prognosis in some large series, but results are varying. There are many systems to grade regression and this makes it difficult to compare the results by different groups. It is important to report the specific pattern of response, for some of them may have prognostic relevance. We feel there is an urgent need to develop standarized protocols and employ a universal regression scheme if we intend to use this factor to guide therapy.

Fine-needle aspiration biopsy of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors: Correlation between Ki-67 index in cytological samples and clinical behavior.

BACKGROUND: Mitotic count in hematoxylin-eosin stained slides and Ki-67 index allow stratification of patients for prognosis and therapeutic decision making in pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PNETs). However, the utility of Ki-67 determination in cytological material and its association to PNET prognosis are under discussion. METHODS: We have retrospectively reviewed all cases of EUS-FNA cytology of pancreatic lesions performed in the Hospital Clínico San Carlos (Madrid) between 2006 and 2016. We have analyzed the potential association between the Ki-67 estimation in PNET cytological material and patient outcomes. RESULTS: We identified 24 PNET cases. Mean age was 56.8 years and most patients were males (54%). PNETs were mainly located in the head and tail of the pancreas and the mean tumor size was 36 mm. Cell block from cytology was available in 12 cases (50%), and there were 19 G1, 2 G2, and 3 G3 tumors. All cases graded as G2 (2 patients) or G3 (three patients) on cytology were stage IV, and the 19 cases graded as G1 ranged from stages IA to IV. All patients with G2 tumors on cytology died due to PNET. Of the three patients with G3 lesions, two died of disease and the other died 2 months after diagnosis from causes other than PNET. 78% of the patients with G1 tumors are stable and currently being followed-up. CONCLUSION: Higher Ki-67 index in cytology specimens portends a worse outcome, although some G1 tumors may progress or cause death. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2017;45:29-35. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Immunohistochemical profile of urothelial and small cell carcinomas of the bladder.

Small cell carcinoma of the bladder is an uncommon and rather aggressive bladder tumor, representing less than 1% of all vesical tumors. Small cell carcinoma of different organs has been shown to express markers of neuroendocrine differentiation, and also thyroid transcription factor 1 (TTF-1). TTF-1 is a transcription factor and its expression has been shown mainly in pulmonary small cell carcinomas and adenocarcinomas and in thyroid tumors. Although it was initially proposed as a useful marker to delineate the origin of metastatic adenocarcinomas from the lung, its expression is being increasingly reported in tumors from different origins. The goal of this review is to analyse the immunohistochemical profile of small cell carcinoma of the bladder and to compare it to classical urothelial cell carcinomas. With this aim we have reviewed the small cell bladder carcinomas diagnosed in a single tertiary hospital in Madrid (Fundación Jiménez Díaz) in the last 12 years. We have found 6 pure small cell carcinomas and performed a wide panel of immunohistochemistry, including cytokeratins 7 and 20, enolase, chromogranin, synaptophysin, CD56 and TTF-1 to these tumors and also to 30 high grade urothelial cell carcinomas of usual type. Only one of our small cell carcinoma cases showed positivity for TTF-1, while five expressed CD56 and four neuron-specific enolase. None of our cases expressed cytokeratin 20 or 7. To our surprise we found a case of conventional urothelial cell carcinoma expressing focally TTF-1. These results are in accordance with the current literature, although our rate of TTF-1 expression (16.6%) is on the low end of the spectrum.

Bilateral metastasis to the femoral head as the only manifestation of recurrence of gastric adenocarcinoma: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Metastases to the bone as the sole manifestation of recurrence of a gastric carcinoma are extremely rare. CASE REPORT: We herein report the case of a 63-year-old man operated a year and a half before for a poorly differentiated gastric carcinoma affecting the fundus, who developed bilateral metastasis to the femoral head as the sole manifestation of recurrence. He was treated with radiotherapy to control pain with a poor response and both femoral heads had to be eventually resected. CONCLUSIONS: We review the literature on the rare occurrence of osseous metastasis from gastric carcinoma and comment briefly on the therapeutic options for these cases.