Association of DNA damage response signals and oxidative stress status with nivolumab efficacy in patients with Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Background: Accumulating evidence suggests that deregulation of DNA damage response (DDR) network affects multiple aspects of the immune system. Herein, we tested the hypothesis that DDR-related signals, measured in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC) patients, correlate with the response to immune checkpoint inhibitors.

Methods: Oxidative stress and DDR-related signals were evaluated in PBMCs from 26 healthy controls and 50 recurrent/metastatic HNSCC patients at baseline, who participated in a phase II nivolumab trial (NCT03652142).

Integrating molecular classification in adenoid cystic carcinoma of the head and neck: The experience from four tertiary centers in Greece.

Background: Recently, a molecular characterization of adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) has been proposed, based on upregulation of c-Myc, a proto-oncogene involved in carcinogenesis, and p63, a transcription factor of the p53 gene family. The aim of this study was to evaluate c-Myc and p63 expression and classify patients with ACC into the proposed molecular groups.

Methods: We included in the analysis 50 patients with ACC of the head and neck region diagnosed treated between 2000 and 2021 in four tertiary referral centers in Greece.

Prognostic Role of Adaptive Immune Microenvironment in Patients with High-Risk Myelodysplastic Syndromes Treated with 5-Azacytidine.

Background/objectives: There are limited data regarding immunohistochemical profiling of immune cells in bone marrow trephine biopsies of patients with high-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (HR-MDS).

Methods: We sought to objectively quantify, with the use of digital pathology, the density (cells/mm2) of the prominent adaptive immunity cell populations in sixty-four (64) bone marrow trephine biopsies of HR-MDS patients receiving 5-Azacytidine. We focused on CD3(+) T cells, CD8(+) cytotoxic T cells (Tc), helper T cells (Th), Foxp3(+) regulatory T cells (Tregs), CD20(+) B-cells and CD138(+) plasma cells and evaluated the presence and the number of lymphoid aggregates.

A Novel Pathogenic Variant of DICER1 Gene in a Young Greek Patient with 2 Different Sex-Cord Ovarian Tumors and Multinodular Goiter.

DICER1 syndrome (DICERs) represents a tumor predisposition genetic syndrome, inherited in an autosomal dominant manner. Germline loss-of-function variants of the gene lead to impaired processing of microRNA, gene expression, and increased risk of tumorigenesis. Although pleuropulmonary blastoma (PPB) is the hallmark of the syndrome, multiple extrapulmonary malignant and non-malignant conditions have also been described, including multinodular goiter (MNG) and sex-cord stromal tumors.

Rare cancer with primary pleural epithelioid hemangioendothelioma diagnosed by thoracoscopic biopsy achieving disease control after 16 months: case report and literature review.

Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma (EHE) is a rare malignant vascular tumor whose pleural EHE (pEHE) type is even more uncommon, with significant heterogeneity in the clinical behavior as well as challenging diagnosis and treatment decisions. Herein, we present a 74-year-old woman admitted to the hospital with dyspnea, pleural effusion, and refractory euvolemic hyponatremia. Chest computed tomography revealed a large right-side pleural effusion with irregular thickening of the parietal pleura and localized nodularity.

Lymphoepithelial Carcinoma of the Lung: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Lymphoepithelial or lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma is a poorly differentiated carcinoma located outside the nasopharynx with similar morphologic characteristics to its nasopharyngeal counterpart. Lymphoepithelial carcinoma of the lung is a rare subtype of squamous cell lung carcinoma frequently associated with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection, accounting for approximately 1% of non-small cell lung carcinomas (NSCLC). We herewith present a case of a 78-year-old female patient who was diagnosed with lymphoepithelial carcinoma of the lung, emphasizing its distinct epidemiological features, clinical workup, and histopathological characteristics.

The "Forgotten" Subtypes of Breast Carcinoma: A Systematic Review of Selected Histological Variants Not Included or Not Recognized as Distinct Entities in the Current World Health Organization Classification of Breast Tumors.

Breast carcinoma is the most common cancer in women. Nineteen different subtypes of breast carcinomas are recognized in the current WHO classification of breast tumors. Except for these subtypes, there are a number of carcinomas with special morphologic and immunohistochemical features that are not included in the 5th WHO classification, while others are considered special morphologic patterns of invasive breast carcinoma of no special type.

Nuck Canal Endometriosis Following IVF Attempts in a Young Patient-Report of a Case.

Introduction: Endometriosis is a common benign condition affecting 10-15% of women of reproductive age. An unusual site of endometriosis is the canal of Nuck, which is a physiologically obliterated space in women spanning the area from the deep inguinal ring to the labia majora.

Case Presentation: A 37-year-old woman, with a past medical history of several in vitro fertilization attempts, presented with a right-sided painful inguinal mass.

Diagnostic Challenges during Inflammation and Cancer: Current Biomarkers and Future Perspectives in Navigating through the Minefield of Reactive versus Dysplastic and Cancerous Lesions in the Digestive System.

In the setting of pronounced inflammation, changes in the epithelium may overlap with neoplasia, often rendering it impossible to establish a diagnosis with certainty in daily clinical practice. Here, we discuss the underlying molecular mechanisms driving tissue response during persistent inflammatory signaling along with the potential association with cancer in the gastrointestinal tract, pancreas, extrahepatic bile ducts, and liver. We highlight the histopathological challenges encountered in the diagnosis of chronic inflammation in routine practice and pinpoint tissue-based biomarkers that could complement morphology to differentiate reactive from dysplastic or cancerous lesions.

Seasonal Variation in Sudden Cardiac Death: Insights from a Large United Kingdom Registry.

Background: Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is relatively common and may occur in apparently healthy individuals. The role of seasonal variation as a risk factor for SCD is poorly understood. The aim of this study was to investigate whether SCD exhibits a predilection for specific seasons.

Evidence That Cigarette Smoking Alters Alveolar Type I Cell Nuclear Fractal Dimension.

A large number of alveolar type I and II cells from the lungs of both smokers and non-smokers was collected using 40x magnification histological images from our digital archive. These images underwent a transformation into binary images of nuclear contours, followed by the application of the box-counting method. Statistical analysis revealed a significant difference in the mean box-counting dimension values between type I cells of smokers and non-smokers.

Cervical HPV Infections, Sexually Transmitted Bacterial Pathogens and Cytology Findings-A Molecular Epidemiology Study.

Prevalent cervical HPV infection and high-risk HPV persistence consequences have been extensively investigated in the literature; nevertheless, any causative interrelations of other sexually transmitted bacterial infections (STIs) with cervical HPV infection have not yet been fully elucidated. This study aimed to investigate the possible association of STIs with cervical cytology aberrations and HPV genotyping results in a representative sample of predominantly young Greek women. Liquid-based cytology and molecular detection for bacterial STIs and HPV as well as extended HPV genotyping were simultaneously assessed in cervical samples from 2256 individuals visiting several urban outpatient Gynecology Departments for well-woman visits or cervical screening throughout a 20-month period.

Uterine collision tumor (PEComa and endometrioid carcinoma) in a tuberous sclerosis patient: a case report.

Perivascular epithelioid cell tumors are very rare mesenchymal neoplasms arising in various locations, such as the female genital tract, kidney, lung, prostate, bladder, pancreas, soft tissues, and bone. They possess a unique immunophenotype, co-expressing myogenic and melanocytic markers; molecular findings include mutations of tuberous sclerosis complex and translocations of transcription factor E3, a member of the microphthalmia transcription factor gene family. We herewith report a uterine collision tumor consisting of a perivascular epithelioid cell tumor and a moderately differentiated endometrial endometrioid carcinoma in a patient with genetically proven tuberous sclerosis; two leiomyomas were also found in contact with the tumor.

Phase II Window Study of Olaparib Alone or with Cisplatin or Durvalumab in Operable Head and Neck Cancer.

Purpose: We conducted a phase II randomized noncomparative window of opportunity (WOO) trial to evaluate the inhibition of cellular proliferation and the modulation of immune microenvironment after treatment with olaparib alone or in combination with cisplatin or durvalumab in patients with operable head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).

Experimental Design: Forty-one patients with HNSCC were randomized to cisplatin plus olaparib (arm A), olaparib alone (arm B), no treatment (arm C) or durvalumab plus olaparib (arm D). The primary endpoint was to evaluate the percentage of patients in each arm that achieved a reduction of at least 25% in Ki67.

Primary Adrenal Lymphomas with Cushing's Syndrome: Two Cases with Evidence of Endogeneous Cortisol Production by the Neoplastic Lymphoid Cells.

Primary adrenal lymphoma (PAL) is a rare entity that presents as unilateral or bilateral rapidly growing adrenal masses, with signs and symptoms most commonly related to adrenal insufficiency due to the mass effect on the surrounding tissues. Although steroeidogenesis has not been previously described in PAL, we herein report two cases of PAL presenting as adrenal incidentalomas (AIs) that demonstrated autonomous cortisol production. A 52-year-old woman presented with lumbar pain; a computed tomography (CT) scan demonstrated a left AI measuring 8.

Multiple cerebral microinfarcts: an uncommon presentation of Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy-related inflammation.

Background: Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy-related inflammation (CAA-ri) is a distinct but rare subset of CAA. The greater availability of high resolution Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) has currently allowed the increasing recognition and diagnosis of this entity, without the risk of a brain biopsy. However, in rare cases with typical clinical characteristics but uncommon neuroimaging findings at presentation, the brain-biopsy is required for an early and reliable diagnosis.

Significance of and Expression in Head and Neck Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma.

Background/aim: Adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) is an aggressive neoplasm even though it has low-grade histological appearance and slow growth. The aim of this study was to identify the immunohistochemical and molecular characteristics of ACC, as well as their correlation with the clinical course of patients.

Patients And Methods: This is a retrospective multicenter analysis.

Diffuse panniculitis in a teenage male with ZZ α-antitrypsin deficiency.

https://bit.ly/3EDmCzT.