Impact of PD-L1 Protein Expression on Renal Cell Carcinoma Histo-differentiation.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) comprises a variety of pathological entities. Many RCCs are aggressive, demanding efficient targeted and immunetherapeutic strategies. Programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1) is expressed mainly in hematopoietic cells and also in epithelial cells. The aim of this study was to correlate PD-L1 protein expression in a series of RCC tissues with their histo-pathological features. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred (n=100) archival, formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded RCC tissue specimens were analysed by immunohistochemistry. Conventional tumor proportion score (TPS) qualitative assay was applied for evaluating protein expression levels. RESULTS: Based on the TPS evaluation, 8 (8%) cases were characterized as positive, and the rest of them (n=92; 92%) as negative. A progressive increase in PD-L1 positivity was significantly associated with the differentiation grade of the examined malignancies (p=0.001). CONCLUSION: Although PD-L1 over-expression is detected in low rates in RCCs, its correlation with differentiation grade should be considered as a factor for discriminating sub-groups of patients with specific histo-pathological features eligible for targeted anti-PD-L1 immunotherapy strategies.

Site-specific use of molecular markers could be a promising prognostic tool in colorectal cancer.

Proximal and distal colorectal carcinomas (CRCs) are generally considered as genetically and clinicopathologically distinct disease entities. Tumor location has been proposed as an additional prognostic indicator and -more recently- as a factor with significant influence on the prognostic value of particular molecular markers and/or combination of markers (KRAS, MSI, APC/MSI), allowing the discrimination of specific disease subsets with considerably disparate outcome and the identification of high risk cases. This article examines the clinical importance of particular recent proposals on this specific issue. Their strengths and limitations, as well as issues requiring further elucidation and practical problems hampering their clinical implementation are briefly discussed. Moreover, some suggestions intending to improve research methodology on this specific theme and to render the clinical use of this novel approach more effective and feasible, are presented. Hopefully, the assessment of certain molecular markers in a site-specific fashion could be another step towards personalized management of CRC, improving and complementing the molecular classification of the disease.

Cytological Features of the Large Cell Variant of Small Cell Ovarian Carcinoma in Young Patients with Hypercalcemia: Histological Findings and Review of the Literature.

OBJECTIVE: To present the cytological features of a very rare and lethal ovarian neoplasm occurring in the young. STUDY DESIGN: We reviewed the cytological findings as they presented in touch imprints obtained from an ovarian mass sent to our department for frozen section investigation. RESULTS: Smears were highly cellular. The cells were of intermediate size with a moderate amount of microvacuolated, pale, or eosinophilic cytoplasm with indistinct cell borders. The nuclei were of round or oval shape with mild to moderate atypia and indistinct nucleoli. CONCLUSIONS: The diagnosis of small cell carcinoma of the ovary can be challenging even histologically. Cytology can be an invaluable adjunct to hematoxylin-eosin sections both pre- or intraoperatively. Although it is a very rare occurrence and cytological results are almost absent in the literature, our case can make cytopathologists more acquainted with the cytological features of this rare tumor entity especially in association with a characteristic clinical profile. Furthermore, the cytological features of small cell carcinoma of the ovary, large cell variant, have only rarely been described in the literature.