Pulmonary adenocarcinoma mutation profile in smokers with smoking-related interstitial fibrosis.

Cigarette smoking is an established cause of lung cancer. However, pulmonary fibrosis is also an independent risk factor for the development of lung cancer. Smoking-related interstitial fibrosis (SRIF) has recently been reported. We hypothesized that adenocarcinomas in lungs with SRIF might show distinct molecular changes and examined the molecular phenotype of 168 resected lung adenocarcinomas in lungs with and without SRIF. The diagnosis of SRIF was determined by histological examination, based on the presence of alveolar septal thickening, due to pauci-inflamed, hyalinized, "ropy" collagen, in areas of lung greater than 1 cm away from the tumor. Tumors were concomitantly examined genotypically for mutations in genes frequently altered in cancer, including EGFR and KRAS, by SNaPshot and by fluorescence in situ hybridization for possible ALK rearrangements. Fluorescence in situ hybridization for ROS1 rearrangement (n=36) and/or MET amplification (n=31) were performed when no mutation was identified by either SNaPshot or ALK analysis. Sixty-five cases (38.7%) showed SRIF, which was distributed in all lobes of the lungs examined. No differences were observed in sex, average age, or smoking history in patients with and without SRIF. There was no difference in either the percent or types of adenocarcinoma genetic mutations in patients with SRIF versus those without. This data suggests that SRIF does not represent an independent risk factor for the development of the major known and targeted mutations seen in pulmonary adenocarcinoma. However, additional research is required to investigate the potential significance of SRIF in the pathogenesis of lung cancer.

Cytokeratin 17: an adjunctive marker of invasion in squamous neoplastic lesions of the anus.

Diagnosing anal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), which is often preceded by anal intraepithelial neoplasia (AIN), may be challenging in small biopsies. Cytokeratin 17 (CK17) is a basal/myoepithelial cell keratin induced in activated keratinocytes and associated with disease progression in SCC of the uterine cervix, esophagus, and oral cavity. We investigated the utility of CK17 in diagnosing invasion in anal squamous neoplastic lesions. Immunohistochemical staining for CK17 was evaluated in 11 AINs, 12 invasive SCCs, 8 invasive SCCs with basaloid features (BSCC), and 2 invasive pure basaloid carcinomas. The pattern of staining was scored as surface/central, peripheral/rim, diffuse, or absent. All cases of invasive SCC and BSCC stained positive for CK17. Eleven of 12 (92%) SCCs showed diffuse staining, and 1 of 12 (8%) showed peripheral staining. Six of 8 (75%) BSCCs showed diffuse staining, and 2 of 8 (25%) showed peripheral staining. Both pure basaloid carcinomas were negative for CK17. One of 11 (9%) AINs was diffusely positive for CK17; all other AINs had surface or absent CK17. Of the 6 patients with concurrent AIN and invasive carcinoma, superficial expression of CK17 was present in 1 AIN, whereas all invasive components showed diffuse staining. The sensitivity and specificity of CK17 for identifying invasion in SCC and BSCC was 100% and 91%, respectively. Peripheral or diffuse staining for CK17 is a useful marker of invasion in anal squamous neoplastic lesions. A potential pitfall in the utility of CK17 is that the pure basaloid variant of anal carcinoma is negative for CK17.

Intracranial hemorrhage in alloimmune thrombocytopenia: stratified management to prevent recurrence in the subsequent affected fetus.

OBJECTIVE: We sought to prevent intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) through antenatal management of alloimmune thrombocytopenia. STUDY DESIGN: A total of 33 women (37 pregnancies) with alloimmune thrombocytopenia and ICH in a previous child were stratified according to the timing of the previous child's ICH: extremely high risk (HR) (n = 8) had ICH <28 weeks, very HR (n = 17) between 28-36 weeks, and HR (n = 12) in the perinatal period. Treatment was initiated at 12 weeks with intravenous immunoglobulin 1 or 2 g/kg/wk, and if the fetal platelet count by cordocentesis was <30,000/mL despite treatment, prednisone and/or more intravenous immunoglobulin were added. RESULTS: Five of 37 fetuses suffered ICHs. Two ICHs had platelet counts >100,000/mL, and 1 was grade I. The other 2 ICHs were unequivocal treatment failures; both were grade III-IV and resulted in fetal demise. CONCLUSION: These findings demonstrate the success of stratified treatment in these HR patients, which tailored interventions according to the timing of the sibling's ICH.

Fetal and neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia: progress and ongoing debates.

Fetal and neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia (AIT) is a result of a parental incompatibility of platelet-specific antigens and the transplacental passage of maternal alloantibodies against the platelet antigen shared by the father and the fetus. It occurs in approximately 1 in 1000 live births and is the most common cause of severe thrombocytopenia in fetuses and term neonates. As screening programs are not routinely performed, most affected fetuses are identified after birth when neonatal thrombocytopenia is recognized. In severe cases, the affected fetus is identified as a result of suffering from an in utero intracranial hemorrhage. Once diagnosed, AIT must be treated antenatally as the disease can be more severe in subsequent pregnancies. While there have been many advances regarding the diagnosis and treatment of AIT, it is still difficult to predict the severity of disease and which therapy will be effective.

Antepartum treatment without early cordocentesis for standard-risk alloimmune thrombocytopenia: a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of two antenatal treatment regimens designed to optimally protect fetuses against intracranial hemorrhage resulting from alloimmune thrombocytopenia while minimizing the risks associated with fetal blood sampling. The study was limited to "standard-risk" patients, who were defined as women with documented alloimmune thrombocytopenia who had not delivered an infant with an intracranial hemorrhage in a prior pregnancy. METHODS: In this prospective multicenter study of 73 women with documented alloimmune thrombocytopenia, patients were randomized to receive either intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) 2 g/kg/wk (group A) or IVIG 1 g/kg/wk plus prednisone 0.5 mg/kg/d (group B), starting at approximately 20 weeks of gestation. Fetal blood sampling was performed at approximately 32 weeks of gestation, and those with fetal platelet counts less than 30,000/mL(3) were given salvage therapy. RESULTS: There were two intracranial hemorrhages; neither was due to treatment failure. The average platelet counts at the time of fetal blood sampling were 121,600/mL(3) and 116,100/mL(3), and the average birth platelet counts were 169,400/mL(3) and 134,000/mL(3) for groups A and B, respectively. Twenty-seven percent of patients in group A and 17% in group B received salvage therapy, and only one neonate in each of these subsets had a birth platelet count less than 30,000/mL(3). There were four complications after 79 fetal blood sampling procedures, leading to cesarean deliveries between 32 and 37 weeks. There was a higher incidence of gestational diabetes and a tendency to more fluid retention, mood swings, insomnia, and jitteriness in patients on prednisone and of moderate-to-severe fatigue in those on high-dose IVIG alone. CONCLUSION: The outcomes of both treatment groups were excellent and comparable. Early cordocentesis is not necessary when treating alloimmune thrombocytopenia in patients who have not delivered an infant with an intracranial hemorrhage in a prior pregnancy. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, www.clinicaltrials.gov, NCT00194987 LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: I.