POU2F3-expressing intraepithelial small-cell carcinoma with mixed small-cell carcinoma and conventional-type urothelial carcinoma of the urinary bladder.

Based on lineage-specific transcription factors, small-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (SmCC) of the urinary bladder has recently been subtyped into three molecular subtypes: ASCL1, NEUROD1 and POU2F3. The latter is a master transcriptional regulator of tuft cells (TCs) which are rare solitary cells found in various mucosal epithelia such as the gastrointestinal tract, but which have not been reported in the bladder. The POU2F3 subtype shows low or absent neuroendocrine marker expression. A case of mixed SmCC and conventional-type urothelial carcinoma (CUC) of the urinary bladder with POU2F3-expressing intraepithelial small-cell carcinoma in keeping with a tuft cell phenotype, arising in association with intestinal metaplasia (IM) is described. The presence of POU2F3-expressing cells in normal urothelium, cystitis cystica glandularis and IM of the urinary bladder is demonstrated in separate cases of cystitis cystica glandularis with IM. Also, POU2F3 expression is identified in a subset of bladder SmCC.

The 1000 Mitoses Project: A Consensus-Based International Collaborative Study on Mitotic Figures Classification.

Introduction. The identification of mitotic figures is essential for the diagnosis, grading, and classification of various different tumors. Despite its importance, there is a paucity of literature reporting the consistency in interpreting mitotic figures among pathologists. This study leverages publicly accessible datasets and social media to recruit an international group of pathologists to score an image database of more than 1000 mitotic figures collectively. Materials and Methods. Pathologists were instructed to randomly select a digital slide from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) datasets and annotate 10-20 mitotic figures within a 2 mm2 area. The first 1010 submitted mitotic figures were used to create an image dataset, with each figure transformed into an individual tile at 40x magnification. The dataset was redistributed to all pathologists to review and determine whether each tile constituted a mitotic figure. Results. Overall pathologists had a median agreement rate of 80.2% (range 42.0%-95.7%). Individual mitotic figure tiles had a median agreement rate of 87.1% and a fair inter-rater agreement across all tiles (kappa = 0.284). Mitotic figures in prometaphase had lower percentage agreement rates compared to other phases of mitosis. Conclusion. This dataset stands as the largest international consensus study for mitotic figures to date and can be utilized as a training set for future studies. The agreement range reflects a spectrum of criteria that pathologists use to decide what constitutes a mitotic figure, which may have potential implications in tumor diagnostics and clinical management.

Genomic analysis of primary epithelial neoplasms of the seminal vesicle identifies a subset of mucinous cystic tumours driven by KRAS mutations.

BACKGROUND: Carcinomas of the seminal vesicle are exceedingly rare, with a limited number of cases described in the literature. Reported cases span a relatively wide morphological spectrum, and their genomic features remain unexplored. DESIGN: In this study, we interrogated five primary epithelial neoplasms of the seminal vesicle using a targeted DNA sequencing platform (OncoPanel, 447 genes). RESULTS: The tumours included one adenocarcinoma with intestinal phenotype presenting after external beam radiation (for prostatic adenocarcinoma), one carcinoma with Müllerian-type clear cell phenotype, two mucinous tumours resembling low-grade mucinous neoplasms of the appendix (LAMN) and one mucinous cystadenoma. The post-radiation mucinous adenocarcinoma had genomic findings consistent with bi-allelic inactivation of TP53, as well as multiple copy-number changes with regional and chromosomal arm-level copy-number losses. The Müllerian-type clear cell carcinoma exhibited a complex copy-number profile with numerous regional and arm-level copy-number changes, as well as focal amplification events, including copy-number gain of 8q and amplification of a region within 20q13. Both low-grade mucinous tumours resembling LAMN harboured hot-spot gain-of-function KRAS variants (p.G12V and p.G13D) as the only genomic alteration. No genomic alterations were detected inthe lesion diagnosed as mucinous cystadenoma. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that primary low-grade mucinous neoplasms of the seminal vesicle may represent a distinct entity equivalent to appendiceal counterparts, driven by gain-of-function variants of RAS GTPases. The remaining tumours showed genomic features that closely resembled those of neoplasms with comparable phenotypes and/or biological characteristics arising in other sites, suggesting that they could be managed similarly, with special considerations related to their anatomical location.

Biphasic papillary (biphasic squamoid alveolar) renal cell carcinoma: a clinicopathologic and molecular study of 17 renal cell carcinomas including 10 papillary adenomas.

Biphasic papillary renal cell carcinoma (synonymous with biphasic squamoid alveolar renal cell carcinoma) is considered within the spectrum of papillary renal cell carcinoma (PRCC). With < 70 reported cases of biphasic PRCC, there is limited data on the pathologic spectrum and clinical course. Seventeen biphasic PRCC cases and 10 papillary adenomas with similar biphasic morphology were assessed. The mean age of the biphasic PRCC patients was 62 years (male to female ratio of 1.8:1), from 10 partial nephrectomies, 6 radical nephrectomies, and 1 biopsy. The mean tumor size was 3.6 cm (range 1.6-8 cm), with 24% showing multifocality. Fifteen out of 17 cases were limited to the kidney (one of which was staged as pT2a but had lung metastases at diagnosis) and 2/17 cases were staged as T3a. All tumors showed typical biphasic morphology with an extent of squamoid foci widely variable from 10 to 95%. Emperipolesis was identified in 88% of cases. All biphasic PRCC tested exhibited positivity for PAX8 (16/16), keratin 7 (17/17), EMA (15/15), AMACR (17/17), and vimentin (12/12) in both large and small cells; cyclin D1 was only expressed in the large cells (16/16). The 10 papillary adenomas showed a similar immunoprofile to biphasic PRCC. NGS testing performed on 13 biphasic PRCC revealed 4 (31%) harboring MET SNVs. In 1/5 (20%) papillary adenomas, a pathogenic MET SNV was identified. Biphasic PRCC is rare with a generally similar immunoprofile to "type 1" PRCC but with notable strong positivity for cyclin D1 in the large cell component. Although most of the biphasic PRCC cases were of small size, low stage, and with an indolent behavior, one patient had metastatic disease and one patient died of the disease.

Metastatic solid tumours to the penis: a clinicopathologic evaluation of 109 cases from an international collaboration.

AIMS: To elucidate the spectrum of metastatic tumours to the penis and their clinicopathologic features. METHODS: The databases and files of 22 pathology departments from eight countries on three continents were queried to identify metastatic solid tumours of the penis and to characterize their clinical and pathologic features. RESULTS: We compiled a series of 109 cases of metastatic solid tumours that secondarily involved the penis. The mean patient age at diagnosis was 71 years (range, 7-94 years). Clinical presentation commonly included a penile nodule/mass (48/95; 51%) and localised pain (14/95; 15%). A prior history of malignancy was known in 92/104 (89%) patients. Diagnosis was made mainly on biopsy (82/109; 75%), or penectomy (21/109; 19%) specimens. The most common penile locations were the glans (45/98; 46%) and corpus cavernosum (39/98; 39%). The most frequent histologic type was adenocarcinoma (56%). Most primary carcinomas originated in the genitourinary (76/108; 70%) and gastrointestinal (20/108; 18%) tracts, including prostate (38/108; 35%), urinary bladder (27/108; 25%), and colon/rectum (18/108; 17%). Concurrent or prior extrapenile metastases were identified in 50/78 (64%) patients. Clinical follow-up (mean 22 months, range 0-171 months) was available for 87/109 (80%) patients, of whom 46 (53%) died of disease. CONCLUSION: This is the largest study to date of metastatic solid tumours secondarily involving the penis. The most frequent primaries originated from the genitourinary and gastrointestinal tracts. Metastatic penile tumours usually presented with penile nodules/masses and pain, and they often occurred in the setting of advanced metastatic disease, portending poor clinical outcomes.

ALK-rearranged renal cell carcinoma with TPM3::ALK gene fusion and review of the literature.

ALK-rearranged renal cell carcinoma (ALK-RCC) is a very rare novel molecularly defined entity in the recently published fifth edition of the World Health Organization classification of tumours. We describe a case of ALK-RCC in a 76-year-old female. The tumour was composed of discohesive rhabdoid cells and pleomorphic, multinucleated cells (equivalent to ISUP/WHO grade 4). The tumour showed expression with PAX8, Keratin 7 and alpha methylacyl CoA racemase. ALK (D5F3 clone) was strongly and diffusely positive. ALK-FISH showed significant split signals of ALK, confirming the diagnosis. RNA sequencing showed TPM3::ALK rearrangement. Including the current case, there are 14 reported ALK-RCC cases with the same TPM3 fusion partner gene. Review of these published cases highlights their morphological heterogeneity and stresses the importance of running ALK immunohistochemistry on difficult cases to classify renal tumours. This is important while identification of ALK-RCC has clinical significance due to the availability of targeted therapy with ALK inhibitors.

Tumor-Infiltrating Neutrophils after Neoadjuvant Therapy are Associated with Poor Prognosis in Esophageal Cancer.

BACKGROUND: In esophageal cancer (EC), there is a paucity of knowledge regarding the interplay between the tumor immune microenvironment and response to neoadjuvant treatment and, therefore, which factors may influence outcomes. Thus, our goal was to investigate the changes in the immune microenvironment with neoadjuvant treatment in EC by assessing the expression of immune related genes and their association with prognosis. METHODS: We examined the transcriptome of paired pre- and post-neoadjuvant treated EC specimens. Based on these findings, we validated the presence of tumor-infiltrating neutrophils using CD15+ immunohistochemistry in a discovery cohort of patients with residual pathologic disease. We developed a nomogram as a predictor of progression-free survival (PFS) incorporating the variables CD15+ cell count, tumor regression grade, and tumor grade. RESULTS: After neoadjuvant treatment, there was an increase in genes related to myeloid cell differentiation and a poor prognosis associated with high neutrophil (CD15+) counts. Our nomogram incorporating CD15+ cell count was predictive of PFS with a C-index of 0.80 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.68-0.9) and a concordance probability estimate (CPE) of 0.77 (95% CI 0.69-0.86), which indicates high prognostic ability. The C-index and CPE of the validation cohort were 0.81 (95% CI 0.69-0.91) and 0.78 (95% CI 0.7-0.86), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our nomogram incorporating CD15+ cell count can potentially be used to identify patients at high risk of recurrent disease and thus stratify patients who will benefit most from adjuvant treatment.

Primary Prostatic Carcinoma With De Novo Diffuse Neuroendocrine Differentiation.

The 2016 World Health Organization classification of prostate cancer with neuroendocrine (NE) differentiation includes NE cells in usual prostate cancer, adenocarcinoma with Paneth cell-like NE differentiation, well-differentiated NE tumor (carcinoid), small cell NE carcinoma, and large cell NE carcinoma. In this article, we report a rare case of primary prostatic carcinoma with de novo diffuse NE differentiation presenting with bilateral hydronephrosis in a 79-year-old man. This case did not fit into any of the existing classifications. The clinical, radiological, morphological, and immunohistochemical findings and response to androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) are presented. The proposed pathogenesis of NE differentiation via transdifferentiation from conventional prostatic adenocarcinoma whereby genomic alterations, coupled with ADT can induce lineage plasticity resulting in NE differentiation is described.

Improving interpretation of biopsies during microsurgical testicular sperm exploration in azospermic patients: use of Davidson's fluid.

Histological interpretation of testicular biopsies in the investigation of infertility in men with azoospermia requires adequate tissue fixation to preserve the nuclear and cytoplasmic detail, as well as the architectural organisation of germ cells in different phases of maturation within seminiferous tubules. The aim of the study was to assess the histomorphological quality of testicular biopsies using Davidson's fluid (DF) as fixative and compare it to standard 10% neutral buffered formalin. Concurrent testicular biopsies from the same testis from patients undergoing microsurgical testicular sperm exploration (m-TESE) were separately fixed in DF and formalin and processed for histological examination. Histological parameters including sloughing of cells, cytoplasmic shrinkage of seminiferous tubular cells, nuclear chromatin detail, cytoplasmic graininess and overall clarity of morphological detail were graded on a scale of 0-4 (0, none; 1, minimal; 2, slight; 3, moderate; 4, marked). The effect of DF on biopsy diagnoses was assessed by comparison with corresponding formalin fixed biopsy diagnoses. Eighty-seven testicular biopsies from 27 patients were examined. DF fixation resulted in significantly less luminal sloughing of cells (1.59±1.34 vs 3.44±0.83, p≤0.00001), less cytoplasmic shrinkage of seminiferous tubular cells (1.58±1.11 vs 3.11±1.07, p≤0.00001), better nuclear chromatin detail (3.06±0.91 vs 1.92±0.48, p≤0.00001), less cytoplasmic graininess (2.11±0.96 vs 2.86±0.87, p=0.0014) and better overall clarity of morphological detail than formalin fixation (3.14±0.69 vs 2.14±0.58, p≤0.00001). The diagnostic concordance between DF fixed and formalin fixed biopsies was 90.8%. This study supports the use of DF as a superior alternative fixative to formalin for histological assessment of testicular biopsies.

An intraoperative diagnosis of sclerosing encapsulating peritonitis: a case report.

Primary sclerosing encapsulating peritonitis (SEP) is an idiopathic and rare condition characterized by chronic peritoneal inflammation. We describe the case of an intraoperative diagnosis of SEP, presenting as a mimicker of small bowel obstruction. The patient was a 59-year-old male with suspected small bowel obstruction. On exploratory laparotomy, it was noted that there was thick fibrous tissue involving the visceral and parietal peritoneum enveloping grossly dilated loops of small bowel. This case reports on the histopathological features of peritoneal biopsies as well as radiological findings. There is no consensus regarding the standard management for idiopathic SEP. The present case demonstrates a significant improvement in the patient's condition with conservative management alone. A critical teaching point is that in the absence of an obvious cause, SEP is a rare but important differential diagnosis for surgeons to consider in the context of recurrent bowel obstruction.

Protective effect of zinc preconditioning against renal ischemia reperfusion injury is dose dependent.

OBJECTIVES: Ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) is a major cause of acute kidney injury and chronic kidney disease. Two promising preconditioning methods for the kidney, intermittent arterial clamping (IC) and treatment with the hypoxia mimetic cobalt chloride, have never been directly compared. Furthermore, the protective efficacy of the chemically related transition metal Zn2+ against renal IRI is unclear. Although Co2+ ions have been shown to protect the kidney via hypoxia inducible factor (HIF), the effect of Zn2+ ions on the induction of HIF1α, HIF2α and HIF3α has not been investigated previously. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The efficacy of different preconditioning techniques was assessed using a Sprague-Dawley rat model of renal IRI. Induction of HIF proteins following Zn2+ treatment of the human kidney cell lines HK-2 (immortalized normal tubular cells) and ACHN (renal cancer) was measured using Western Blot. RESULTS: Following 40 minutes of renal ischemia in rats, cobalt preconditioning offered greater protection against renal IRI than IC as evidenced by lower peak serum creatinine and urea concentrations. ZnCl2 (10 mg/kg) significantly lowered the creatinine and urea concentrations compared to saline-treated control rats following a clinically relevant 60 minutes of ischemia. Zn2+ induced expression of HIF1α and HIF2α but not HIF3α in HK-2 and ACHN cells. CONCLUSION: ZnCl2 preconditioning protects against renal IRI in a dose-dependent manner. Further studies are warranted to determine the possible mechanisms involved, and to assess the benefit of ZnCl2 preconditioning for clinical applications.

Development of a silver in situ hybridisation based assay for the determination of ploidy status in molar pregnancy diagnosis.

The aim of this study was to establish a scoring method for ploidy analysis using silver in situ hybridisation (SISH) with a chromosome 17 centromere probe. SISH was performed using the Ventana chromosome 17 centromere probe on sections from formalin fixed, paraffin embedded archival cases of complete hydatidiform moles, partial hydatidiform moles and hydropic products of conception with previously established ploidy status (determined by flow cytometry or karyotyping). In order to determine ploidy status, a scoring method was developed based on both the average number of signals per nucleus (ASN) and the percentage of nuclei with three signals (N3S), enumerated in 50 villous cytotrophoblastic and/or stromal cells. The results of four independent observers were compared individually and collectively with previously established ploidy status. There was a highly statistically significant difference between diploid and triploid gestations for ASN (1.86 ±â€Š0.13 and 2.70 ±â€Š0.16 respectively, Student t-test, p < 0.0001) and for N3S (1.14 ±â€Š1.65 and 71.59 ±â€Š14.25 respectively, Student t-test, p < 0.0001). The sensitivity and specificity of the SISH-based assay was 99.1% and 100% respectively for ASN, and 100% and 100% respectively for N3S. A chromosome 17 centromere probe SISH-based assay can reliably distinguish between diploid and triploid gestations. This test has diagnostic utility in distinguishing partial hydatidiform moles from histological mimics.

Macrophages play a key role in angiogenesis and adipogenesis in a mouse tissue engineering model.

We have previously described a mouse adipose tissue engineering model using a silicon chamber enclosing the superficial epigastric pedicle in a Matrigel based environment. We have shown that when Zymosan, a sterile inflammatory agent, is added to the chamber, angiogenesis and adipogenesis are significantly improved. As Zymosan interacts with toll-like receptors on macrophages, the role of macrophages in new tissue development in the tissue engineering chamber was assessed. Morphological and histological results showed that macrophages were presenting in high numbers at 2 weeks but had decreased significantly by 4 and 6 weeks in the chamber. Numerous immature new blood vessels had formed by 2 weeks, becoming more mature at 4 and 6 weeks. Immature adipocytes were visualized at 4 weeks and mature cells, at 6 weeks. To investigate the functional role of macrophages in the tissue engineering process, we knocked out the local macrophage population by inserting Clodronate liposomes in this chamber. This study shows for the first time that when macrophages are depleted, there is minimal new vascular and adipose tissue development. We propose a new theory for tissue engineering in which macrophages play a central role in both neovascularisation and adipogenesis.