[Is uveal melanoma similar to cutaneous melanoma?] / Le mélanome uvéal est-il identique au mélanome cutané ?

Title: Le mélanome uvéal est-il identique au mélanome cutané ? Abstract: L'école d'ingénieurs de l'Université Côte d'Azur, membre du réseau Polytech, compte le Génie Biologique parmi ses spécialités. Son but est de former des ingénieurs biologistes, qui seront les futurs cadres de l'industrie pharmaceutique, cosmétique et chimique. Les élèves-ingénieurs de 5e année en Pharmacologie et Biotechnologies de Polytech Nice Sophia ont suivi, tout au long du semestre d'automne, l'actualité scientifique du mélanome uvéal, le cancer de l'œil le plus fréquent chez l'adulte. Ils ont été encadrés par une équipe composée d'un chercheur, d'un clinicien et d'un enseignant-chercheur. Corine Bertolotto est directrice de recherche à l'Inserm et co-dirige avec Robert Ballotti l'équipe Biologie et Pathologies des mélanocytes au Centre Méditerranéen de Médecine Moléculaire (Inserm/ Université Côte d'Azur) (Corine.Bertolotto@univ-cotedazur.fr). Sacha Nahon-Estève est onco-ophtalmologue au CHU de Nice (nahon-esteve.s@chu-nice.fr) et Nicole Arrighi est enseignant-chercheur à l'Université Côte d'Azur (nicole.arrighi@univ-cotedazur.fr).

tRNA-Derived Fragments (tRFs) in Bladder Cancer: Increased 5'-tRF-LysCTT Results in Disease Early Progression and Patients' Poor Treatment Outcome.

The heterogeneity of bladder cancer (BlCa) prognosis and treatment outcome requires the elucidation of tumors' molecular background towards personalized patients' management. tRNA-derived fragments (tRFs), although originally considered as degradation debris, represent a novel class of powerful regulatory non-coding RNAs. In silico analysis of the TCGA-BLCA project highlighted 5'-tRF-LysCTT to be significantly deregulated in bladder tumors, and 5'-tRF-LysCTT levels were further quantified in our screening cohort of 230 BlCa patients. Recurrence and progression for non-muscle invasive (NMIBC) patients, as well as progression and patient's death for muscle-invasive (MIBC) patients, were used as clinical endpoint events. TCGA-BLCA were used as validation cohort. Bootstrap analysis was performed for internal validation and the clinical net benefit of 5'-tRF-LysCTT on disease prognosis was assessed by decision curve analysis. Elevated 5'-tRF-LysCTT was associated with unfavorable disease features, and significant higher risk for early progression (multivariate Cox: HR = 2.368; p = 0.033) and poor survival (multivariate Cox: HR = 2.151; p = 0.032) of NMIBC and MIBC patients, respectively. Multivariate models integrating 5'-tRF-LysCTT with disease established markers resulted in superior risk-stratification specificity and positive prediction of patients' progression. In conclusion, increased 5'-tRF-LysCTT levels were strongly associated with adverse disease outcome and improved BlCa patients' prognostication.

Liquid-based cytology in breast fine needle aspiration. Comparison with the conventional smear.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the various cytologic features on AutoCyte Prep (ACP) (AutoCyte, Inc., Burlington, North Carolina, U.S.A.) and conventional preparation (CP) specimens from breast fine needle aspiration cytology material with a semi-quantitative scoring system. STUDY DESIGN: A total of 100 randomized cases were studied. In each case, 2 passes were performed. One pass was used for CPs (Giemsa and Papanicolaou stain). The other pass produced material for the ACP technique and Papanicolaou stain. Both the conventional and liquid-based preparations were studied independently by two observers and compared for cellularity, obscuring and/or informing background, representative diagnostic material, preservation of cytomorphologic features, presence of monolayer cells and architectural arrangement. RESULTS: Comparing the two preparations, the results were as follows: (1) ACP was superior to CP in 2 features, lack of obscuring background and presence of monolayer arrangement with preservation of cell architecture; (2) ACP was inferior to CP in 1 feature, lack of informing background; and (3) ACP was equal, with small deviations, to CP in the rest of the features evaluated: cellularity, representative diagnostic material, preservation of cell morphology and architectural arrangement. CONCLUSION: The new technology of liquid-based cytology in breast FNA showed a good correlation with CP plus the advantages of: (1) easier and less time consuming evaluation of cell morphology (clear background, no overlapping, smaller area to screen); (2) reproducibility, a factor of great importance to quality control; and (3) possibility of adjunctive investigations (immunocytology, flow cytometry) on the same material.