Applications of Data Characteristic AI-Assisted Raman Spectroscopy in Pathological Classification

Raman spectroscopy has been widely used for label-free biomolecular analysis of cells and tissues for pathological diagnosis in vitro and in vivo. AI technology facilitates disease diagnosis based on Raman spectroscopy, including machine learning (PCA and SVM), manifold learning (UMAP), and deep learning (ResNet and AlexNet). However, it is not clear how to optimize the appropriate AI classification model for different types of Raman spectral data. Here, we selected five representative Raman spectral data sets, including endometrial carcinoma, hepatoma extracellular vesicles, bacteria, melanoma cell, diabetic skin, with different characteristics regarding sample size, spectral data size, Raman shift range, tissue sites, Kullback-Leibler (KL) divergence, and significant Raman shifts (i.e., wavenumbers with significant differences between groups), to explore the performance of different AI models (e.g., PCA-SVM, SVM, UMAP-SVM, ResNet or AlexNet). For data set of large spectral data size, Resnet performed better than PCA-SVM and UMAP. By building data characteristic-assisted AI classification model, we optimized the network parameters (e.g., principal components, activation function, and loss function) of AI model based on data size and KL divergence etc. The accuracy improved from 85.1 to 94.6% for endometrial carcinoma grading, from 77.1 to 90.7% for hepatoma extracellular vesicles detection, from 89.3 to 99.7% for melanoma cell detection, from 88.1 to 97.9% for bacterial identification, from 53.7 to 85.5% for diabetic skin screening, and mean time expense of 5 s.

An Unusual Endometrial Stromal Neoplasm With JAZF1-BCORL1 Rearrangement

Endometrial stromal tumors represent the second most common category of uterine mesenchymal tumors. Several different histologic variants and underlying genetic alterations have been recognized, one such being a group associated with BCORL1 rearrangements. They are usually high-grade endometrial stromal sarcomas, often associated with prominent myxoid background and aggressive behavior. Here, we report an unusual endometrial stromal neoplasm with JAZF1-BCORL1 rearrangement and briefly review the literature. The neoplasm formed a well-circumscribed uterine mass in a 50-yr-old woman and had an unusual morphologic appearance that did not warrant a high-grade categorization. It was characterized by a predominant population of epithelioid cells with clear to focally eosinophilic cytoplasm growing in interanastomosing cords and trabeculae set in a hyalinized stroma as well as nested and fascicular growths imparting focal resemblance to a uterine tumor resembling ovarian sex-cord tumor, PEComa, and a smooth muscle neoplasm. A minor storiform growth of spindle cells reminiscent of the fibroblastic variant of low-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma was also noted but conventional areas of low-grade endometrial stromal neoplasm were not identified. This case expands the spectrum of morphologic features seen in endometrial stromal tumors, especially when associated with a BCORL1 fusion and highlights the utility of immunohistochemical and molecular techniques in the diagnosis of these tumors, not all of which are high grade.

High-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma displaying immunohistochemical expression of BCOR-A report of two cases of a novel tumor entity

Several defining molecular alterations have recently been identified underlying high-grade endometrial stromal sarcomas, such as YWHAE: NUTM2A/B fusions, ZC3H7B: BCOR fusions, and BCOR internal tandem duplication (ITD). BCOR is a useful immunohistochemical marker for identifying these tumors. A 37-year-old lady was presented with a 10-cm-sized tumor in the pouch of Douglas, involving the vaginal vault, bilateral adnexa, and peritoneum. A 53-year-old lady with a prior hysterectomy was presented with a 12-cm-sized tumor in the vault with abdominal deposits. Histopathological examination of both tumors revealed atypical cells comprising oval to spindle-shaped nuclei, a variable amount of myxoid stroma, and mitotic figures exceeding 10/10 high power fields. Immunohistochemically, the former tumor was diffusely positive for CD10, and the second tumor displayed patchy staining. Both tumors were positive for BCOR. Estrogen receptor (ER) showed variable staining in both tumors. By fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH), both tumors lacked YWHAE gene rearrangement. Both tumors had an aggressive clinical course, including extensive involvement This constitutes the first report of BCOR-positive high-grade sarcomas involving the female genital tract from our subcontinent. BCOR is a useful immunostain for identifying these relatively aggressive tumors. The differential diagnoses and the prognosis of these ultra-rare tumors are discussed herewith.

Cytoplasmic Pattern p53 Immunoexpression in Pelvic and Endometrial Carcinomas With TP53 Mutation Involving Nuclear Localization Domains: An Uncommon But Potential Diagnostic Pitfall With Clinical Implications

A cytoplasmic pattern of p53 immunohistochemical expression has recently been reported in a rare subset of pelvic and endometrial cancers with a TP53 mutation involving domains affecting nuclear localization. This study reports the clinicopathologic features of 31 cases with a TP53 mutation involving nuclear localization, the largest study to date, emphasizing practical strategies for recognizing this uncommon variant and distinguishing it from the p53 wild-type pattern. The study also evaluates the prognostic significance of TP53 mutation involving nuclear localization in the ovarian high-grade serous carcinoma (HGSC) cohort of The Cancer Genome Atlas database. Most of the 31 tumors were advanced stage pelvic or endometrial HGSC. All TP53 mutations were predicted to result in loss of function. The p53 overexpression pattern was present in 6 tumors; the p53 null pattern in 3 and the p53 cytoplasmic pattern in 22 tumors. The p53 cytoplasmic pattern predominantly consisted of weak to moderate cytoplasmic staining in >95% of tumor cells as well as variable intensity nuclear staining involving a range of just a few cells to just under 80% of tumor cells. The p53 cytoplasmic pattern was observed in 100% of tumors with TP53 mutation in the nuclear localization domain and in 33% to 44% of tumors with a mutation in the adjacent tetramerization domain or nuclear exclusion sequence (P<0.01). p16 immunoexpression was present in 74% of tumors. In The Cancer Genome Atlas ovarian HGSC cohort, 9% of 471 nonredundant TP53-mutant cases had a nuclear localization domain, tetramerization domain, or nuclear exclusion sequence mutation but there was no significant difference in survival when compared to cases with TP53 mutation outside those domains (P>0.05). p53 cytoplasmic staining merits classification as an aberrant result despite coexisting nuclear staining that in some cases may resemble the p53 wild-type pattern. While positive p16 immunostaining may be of value to confirm diagnostically challenging cases of p53 cytoplasmic staining, a negative result is noninformative and molecular testing for TP53 mutation should be considered, if available.

Clinicopathological features and prognostic significance of CTNNB1 mutation in low-grade, early-stage endometrial endometrioid carcinoma

Low-grade and early-stage endometrioid endometrial carcinomas (EECs) have an overall good prognosis but biomarkers identifying patients at risk of relapse are still lacking. Recently, CTNNB1 exon 3 mutation has been identified as a potential risk factor of recurrence in these patients. We evaluate the prognostic value of CTNNB1 mutation in a single-centre cohort of 218 low-grade, early-stage EECs, and the correlation with beta-catenin and LEF1 immunohistochemistry as candidate surrogate markers. CTNNB1 exon 3 hotspot mutations were evaluated by Sanger sequencing. Immunohistochemical staining of mismatch repair proteins (MLH1, PMS2, MSH2, and MSH6), p53, beta-catenin, and LEF1 was performed in representative tissue microarrays. Tumours were also reviewed for mucinous and squamous differentiation, and MELF pattern. Nineteen (8.7%) tumours harboured a mutation in CTNNB1 exon 3. Nuclear beta-catenin and LEF1 were significantly associated with CTNNB1 mutation, showing nuclear beta-catenin a better specificity and positive predictive value for CTNNB1 mutation. Tumours with CTNNB1 exon 3 mutation were associated with reduced disease-free survival (p = 0.010), but no impact on overall survival was found (p = 0.807). The risk of relapse in tumours with CTNNB1 exon 3 mutation was independent of FIGO stage, tumour grade, mismatch repair protein expression, or the presence of lymphovascular space invasion. CTNNB1 exon 3 mutation has a negative impact on disease-free survival in low-grade, early-stage EECs. Nuclear beta-catenin shows a higher positive predictive value than LEF1 for CTNNB1 exon 3 mutation in these tumours.

Clinicopathologic Characteristics of Mesonephric Adenocarcinomas and Mesonephric-like Adenocarcinomas in the Gynecologic Tract: A Multi-institutional Study

Mesonephric adenocarcinoma (MA) and mesonephric-like adenocarcinoma (MLA) are uncommon neoplasms of the gynecologic tract that have until recently been poorly understood. Although their morphologic, immunohistochemical, and molecular profiles have been recently defined, little is known about their clinical behavior. Small studies have demonstrated inconsistent findings and no large studies have examined the clinical behavior of these adenocarcinomas. In this multi-institutional study, representing the largest and most stringently defined cohort of cases to date, we examined the clinicopathologic features of 99 MAs and MLAs (30 MAs of the uterine cervix, 44 MLAs of the endometrium, and 25 MLAs of the ovary). Only tumors with characteristic mesonephric morphology and either immunohistochemical or molecular support were included. Our results demonstrate that the majority of mesonephric neoplasms presented at an advanced stage (II to IV) (15/25 [60%] MA of the cervix, 25/43 [58%] MLA of the endometrium, and 7/18 [39%] MLA of the ovary). The majority (46/89 [52%] overall, 12/24 [50%] MA of the cervix, 24/41 [59%] MLA of the endometrium, and 10/24 [42%] MLA of the ovary) developed recurrences, most commonly distant (9/12 [75%] MA of the cervix, 22/24 [92%] MLA of the endometrium, and 5/9 [56%] MLA of the ovary). The 5-year disease-specific survival was 74% (n=26) for MA of cervix, 72% (n=43) for MLA of endometrium, and 71% (n=23) for MLA of ovary. Our results confirm that mesonephric neoplasms are a clinically aggressive group of gynecologic carcinomas that typically present at an advanced stage, with a predilection for pulmonary recurrence.

Variable Expression of MSH6 in Endometrial Carcinomas With Intact Mismatch Repair and With MLH1 Loss Due to MLH1 Methylation

Immunohistochemistry for mismatch repair proteins MLH1, MSH2, MSH6, and PMS2 is an effective screen to detect individuals at risk for Lynch syndrome. College of American Pathologists guidelines stipulate that protein expression should be reported as present versus absent, as most patients with germline mutations in a mismatch repair gene have complete loss of protein expression in tumor cells. A similar approach is employed to screen for cancer patients eligible for immune checkpoint blockade. This "all or none" interpretive approach ignores substantial evidence that mismatch repair may be more finely regulated by other mechanisms. We have observed clinically that MSH6 expression is variable, even in carcinomas that are overall considered positive for MSH6 expression. A proof-of-principle study was therefore designed to more rigorously quantify the protein expression of MSH6 and its binding partner, MSH2, using image analysis applied to age-matched endometrioid grade 2 subsets that were either mismatch repair intact or MLH1-deficient due to MLH1 gene methylation. In both endometrioid groups, MSH6 expression was significantly lower than MSH2 expression. MSH6 expression increased in higher grade, mismatch repair intact serous carcinomas, but it was still significantly lower than that for MSH2. MSH2 expression was consistently high across the 3 different tumor groups. These results suggest that MSH6 expression is subject to wide fluctuations in expression, even when overall its expression is considered intact. While such fluctuations are likely not relevant for Lynch syndrome screening, they may be more impactful when considering patients eligible for immune checkpoint blockade.

Serum Copper and Zinc Levels in Patients with Endometrial Cancer

The aim of the present study was to evaluate serum concentrations of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), in relation with metabolic profile and clinicopathologic features of patients with endometrial cancer. A total of 47 women with endometrial cancer and 45 controls were eligible for the study. Clinicopathologic features and metabolic profile as well as serum copper and zinc levels were evaluated in each subject. Patients with endometrial cancer (Cu mean 3.72 ± 2.15 mg/L, median 3.54 [0.41-9.16] mg/L and Zn mean 1.83 ± 0.71 mg/L, median 1.77 [0.71-4.02] mg/L) exhibited lower Cu and Zn levels than those of controls (Cu mean 6.06 ± 1.79 mg/L, median 6.32 [2.95-9.05] mg/L and Zn mean 2.48 ± 0.89 mg/L, median 2.23 [1.23-4.54] mg/L) (p < 0.001). Cu/Zn ratio was also higher (0.85 ± 1.96 vs. 2.57 ± 0.73) in controls as compared with patients with endometrial cancer. While Cu levels showed no significant correlation with age, body mass index, gravidity, and parity, a positive correlation was found between Zn levels and parity. When cancer patients were evaluated on their own, both Cu and Zn levels showed positive correlation with age. Additionally, the cancer patients with myometrial invasion > 1/2 exhibited lower Cu levels compared with the cancer patients with myometrial invasion < 1/2. The data of the present study suggested that women with endometrial cancer are characterized by altered serum Cu and Zn levels as compared with controls. Imbalance of these trace element levels might be associated with endometrial cancer among Turkish patients.

Androgen Receptor Expression In Endometrial Carcinoma And Its Correlation With Estrogen Receptor And Progesterone Receptor And Clinicopathological Findings

BACKGROUND

The objective of the study is to analyze the expression of androgen, estrogen and progesterone receptor in different types of endometrial carcinomas and to correlate the androgen receptor expression with estrogen and progesterone receptor and the clinicopathological parameters like lymphovascular invasion, grade of the tumour, size of tumour and extent of myometrial invasion..

METHODS

It is a cross-sectional analytical study design with a simple random sample of a total of 54 cases of different types of endometrial carcinomas from the year 2017. Immunohistochemical stains androgen receptor, estrogen receptor, and Progesterone receptor were applied in all the cases. The Pearson Chi-square test of independence was applied to measure association and P-value is calculated to check the significance of the results.

RESULTS

Androgen receptor expression was observed in 73% of low-grade endometrioid carcinomas, 62.5% of high-grade endometrioid carcinomas, 62% of serous, 20% of clear cell and 18% of carcinosarcomas, respectively. Androgen positive tumours were also positive for estrogen and progesterone in most of the cases, except 3 serous carcinomas and one low-grade endometrioid carcinoma. However, no significant relation was observed between androgen expression and prognostic parameters like the lymphovascular invasion, size of the tumour and myometrial invasion.

CONCLUSIONS

Maximum expression of androgen receptor was observed in endometrioid and serous carcinomas, while carcinosarcomas and clear cell carcinomas showed minimum expression with no significant correlation between androgen receptor expression and clinicopathological parameters.

Preoperative platelet morphology parameters as prognostic predictors for endometrial malignant carcinoma stage and progesterone receptor

To investigate preoperative platelet morphology parameters and other whole blood cells in patients of malignant endometrial carcinoma compared with benign disease.Retrospective analysis was performed through collecting patients' hematological parameters before performing total abdominal/vaginal hysterectomy and standard radical surgery due to benign and malignant endometrial disease between 2006 and 2017. Parameters required included white blood cell (WBC), hemoglobin, platelet count (PLT), platelet distribution width (PDW), mean platelet volume (MPV), and platelet thrombocytocrit (PCT). And neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) were calculated. For malignant carcinoma, Ki-67 percentage and progesterone receptor (PR) status were further collected.A total of 288 patients were included with 145 benign cases and 143 malignant cases. Patients of confirmed endometrial carcinoma showed a significant lower value of PDW (55.21 ± 4.72 vs 49.54 ± 5.89, P < .001), meanwhile significant higher values of MPV (7.12 ± 1.56 vs 8.89 ± 1.67, P < .001) and PCT (24.18 ± 6.89 vs 27.93 ± 8.93, P = .003). Further analysis of endometrial carcinoma patients showed that no significant difference in platelet parameters was found between patients with stage I to II and stage III to IV (P > .05), while increased value in PDW and reduced value in MPV was found in PR negative compared with positive patients.Preoperative platelet morphology parameters seemed to be used as one kind of predictive factors to discriminate malignant and benign endometrial disease. Limited by present study design, further prospective studies are required to support this finding.

Traces of intact paraben molecules in endometrial carcinoma

Endometrial carcinoma is the most commonly encountered gynecological cancer in women worldwide and is also one of the popular models of the hormone-dependent carcinomas. This study was aimed to evaluate and compare the concentrations of five paraben molecules (methylparaben, ethylparaben, N-propylparaben, benzylparaben, isobutylparaben + N-butylparaben) in the endometrial and myometrial tissue samples of patients diagnosed with endometrial carcinoma and benign gynecologic diseases. A total of 88 patients were included in the study and chemical analysis was performed on 176 tissue samples. The study group comprised of 33 patients with endometrial carcinoma and 6 patients with endometrial intraepithelial neoplasia. The control group comprised of 49 patients. One endometrial and one myometrial tissue samples were collected from each patient. The analyses were performed using ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS). At least one type of paraben molecule was detected in 23.07% (9/39) of the patients in the study group, and in 2.04% (1/49) of the patients in the control group; this difference between the groups was statistically significant (p = .002). N-Propylparaben and isobutyl + N-butylparaben were the most frequently detected (in 7/10 of the samples) paraben molecules in the study. Tumor characteristics (tumor diameter, myometrial invasion, architectural grade, nuclear grade, lymphovascular space invasion, and tumor stage) were comparable between the two groups of endometrial carcinoma (paraben-detected and paraben-undetected groups). In conclusion, paraben molecules were more frequently detected in the endometrial carcinoma tissue samples than in the normal endometrium.

[Clinical challenges and implications of intratumor heterogeneity]

Tumors display a high, albeit variable, grade of intratumor heterogeneity, both from a clinical and a morphological viewpoint. Furthermore, recent methods of large-scale molecular analysis demonstrate to what extent tumors can also be heterogeneous from a molecular perspective. This is of paramount importance for patients as it has a great impact on the success of so-called precision therapies and explains the reason for a significant number of therapeutic failures in modern oncology. We present an up-to-date review of the latest findings in a group of tumors with a high social impact, commonly seen in the daily routine of the pathology laboratory.

[Expression and clinical significance of MIIP and PAK1 in endometrial carcinoma]

Objective: To investigate the expressions of migration and invasion inhibitory protein (MIIP) and p21-activated kinase 1 (PAK1) in endometrial carcinoma (EC) and their correlation with clinicopathological features. Methods: The protein levels of MIIP and PAK1 in 135 paraffin-embedded EC tissues, 55 atypical hyperplasia of endometrium (AHE) and 88 normal endometrium (NE) tissues were quantified by immunohistochemistry, the clincial significance and the relationship of these two proteins were also analyzed. Results: The positive rates of MIIP expression in NE, AHE and EC tissues were 52.3%(46/88), 41.8% (23/55) and 34.8% (47/135), respectively. The expression of MIIP in EC was significantly lower than that of MIIP in NE (P<0.05). The positive rates of PAK1 expression in NE, AHE and EC tissues were 45.5% (40/88), 50.9% (28/55) and 62.2% (84/135), respectively. The expression of PAK1 in EC tissues was significantly higher than that of PAK1 in NE tissues (P<0.05). The expression of MIIP in EC tissues was significantly associated with myometrial invasion, International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage and lymph node metastasis (P<0.05). The expression of PAK1 in EC tissues was significantly related with differentiation, myometrial invasion, FIGO stage and lymph node metastasis (P<0.05). The expressions of MIIP and PAK1 in EC tissues were marginally related with the overall survival of patients (P=0.092, P=0.052). The expression of MIIP in EC was negatively correlated with PAK1 (r=-0.329, P<0.001). Conclusions: The down-regulation of MIIP and up-regualtion of PAK1 paticipate in the initiation and development of EC, which are correlated with the poor prognosis of EC. The protein expression of MIIP is inversely related with PAK1 in EC.

International Endocervical Adenocarcinoma Criteria and Classification (IECC): A New Pathogenetic Classification for Invasive Adenocarcinomas of the Endocervix

We sought to classify endocervical adenocarcinomas (ECAs) based on morphologic features linked to etiology (ie, human papillomavirus [HPV] infection), unlike the World Health Organization 2014 classification. The International Endocervical Adenocarcinoma Criteria and Classification (IECC criteria), described herein, distinguishes between human papillomavirus-associated adenocarcinoma (HPVA), recognized by the presence of luminal mitoses and apoptosis seen at scanning magnification, and no or limited HPVA features (nonhuman papillomavirus-associated adenocarcinoma [NHPVA]). HPVAs were then subcategorized based on cytoplasmic features (mostly to provide continuity with preexisting classification schemes), whereas NHPVAs were subclassified based on established criteria (ie, gastric-type, clear cell, etc.). Complete slide sets from 409 cases were collected from 7 institutions worldwide. Tissue microarrays representing 297 cases were constructed; immunohistochemistry (p16, p53, vimentin, progesterone receptor) and chromogenic in situ hybridization using an RNA-based probe set that recognizes 18 varieties of high-risk HPV were performed to validate IECC diagnoses. The 5 most common IECC diagnoses were usual-type (HPVA) (73% of cohort), gastric-type (NHPVA) (10%), mucinous adenocarcinoma of HPVA type, including intestinal, mucinous not otherwise specified, signet-ring, and invasive stratified mucin-producing carcinoma categories (9%), clear cell carcinoma (NHPVA) (3%) and adenocarcinoma, not otherwise specified (2%). Only 3 endometrioid carcinomas were recognized and all were NHPVA. When excluding cases thought to have suboptimal tissue processing, 90% and 95% of usual-type IECC cases overexpressed p16 and were HPV, whereas 37% and 3% of NHPVAs were p16 and HPV, respectively. The 1 HPV gastric-type carcinoma was found to have hybrid HPVA/NHPVA features on secondary review. NHPVA tumors were larger and occurred in significantly older patients, compared with HPVA tumors (P<0.001). The high-risk HPV chromogenic in situ hybridization probe set had superior sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values (0.955, 0.968, 0.992, 0.833, respectively) compared with p16 immunohistochemistry (0.872, 0.632, 0.907, 0.545, respectively) to identify HPV-related usual carcinoma and mucinous carcinoma. IECC reliably segregates ECAs into HPVA and NHPVA types using morphology alone. This study confirms that usual-type ECAs are the most common type worldwide and that mucinous carcinomas comprise a mixture of HPVA and NHPVA, with gastric-type carcinoma being the major NHPVA type. Endometrioid and serous carcinomas of the endocervix are extraordinarily rare. Should clinical outcomes and genomic studies continue to support these findings, we recommend replacement of the World Health Organization 2014 criteria with the IECC 2017.

BCOR is a robust diagnostic immunohistochemical marker of genetically diverse high-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma, including tumors exhibiting variant morphology

Recognition of high-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma is important because of its aggressive clinical behavior. Morphologic features of YWHAE-NUTM2 high-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma may overlap with other uterine sarcoma types. BCOR immunoexpression was studied in these tumors and their morphologic mimics to assess its diagnostic utility. BCOR immunohistochemical staining was performed on archival tissue from 28 high-grade endometrial stromal sarcomas with classic morphology (20 YWHAE-NUTM2, 5 ZC3H7B-BCOR, 3 BCOR-ZC3H7B), 3 high-grade endometrial stromal sarcomas with unusual morphology and unknown gene rearrangement status, 66 low-grade endometrial stromal sarcomas, 21 endometrial stromal nodules, 38 uterine leiomyosarcomas, and 19 uterine leiomyomas. Intensity of nuclear staining and percentage of positive tumor cells were recorded. Strong diffuse nuclear BCOR staining (defined as >95% of tumor cells) was seen in the round cell component of all 20 (100%) classic YWHAE-NUTM2 high-grade endometrial stromal sarcomas and the 3 unusual high-grade endometrial stromal sarcomas which prompted FISH studies confirming YWHAE rearrangement in 2 tumors. Genomic PCR confirmed the presence of BCOR exon 16 internal tandem duplication in the third case. Diffuse BCOR staining was strong in three and weak in one BCOR-rearranged high-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma while absent in the remaining four BCOR-rearranged tumors. BCOR staining was weakly positive in <5% of tumor cells in 4 of 66 (6%) low-grade endometrial stromal sarcomas and 1 of 18 (6%) endometrial stromal nodules and weakly to moderately positive in <5-40% of tumor cells in 6 of 31 (19%) leiomyosarcomas. No BCOR staining was seen in the remaining low-grade endometrial stromal sarcomas, endometrial stromal nodules, leiomyosarcomas, or any of the leiomyomas. BCOR immunohistochemical staining is a highly sensitive marker for YWHAE-NUTM2 high-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma with both classic and unusual morphology and identifies a subset of high-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma with BCOR alterations, including BCOR rearrangement and internal tandem duplication.

Atypical mucinous glandular proliferations in endometrial samplings: follow-up and other clinicopathological findings in 41 cases

The 2014 World Health Organization classification calls for endometrial mucinous proliferations that display "confluent or cribriform architecture with even minimal atypia" in sampling specimens to be classified as carcinoma, and others whose features are not diagnostic of carcinoma to be categorized as atypical mucinous glandular proliferations (AMGPs). Herein, we evaluate follow-up findings in 41 cases that were classified as AMGP from our files. The average patient age was 46years (range, 37-59 years). Postbiopsy follow-up duration ranged from 15 to 109weeks (mean, 40 weeks). There was no follow-up resection in 12 patients (9 with repeat biopsies, all 9 with no clinical evidence of disease, mean follow-up of 43weeks), and 29 patients underwent a hysterectomy an average of 2.4months after the index biopsy. The distribution of pathologic findings in the uteri was as follows: no residual AMGP or carcinoma (5/29; 17%), AMGP (11/29; 38%), and adenocarcinoma (13/29; 45%). All adenocarcinomas were grade I and stage I, and histotypes were endometrioid (n=8), mucinous (n=3), and endometrioid with mucinous differentiation (n=2). Only 3 (23%) carcinomas were myoinvasive, of which 1 case, a mucinous carcinoma with a 40% endometrioid component, showed greater than 50% myometrial invasion. None of a wide array of morphologic features was significantly associated with a hysterectomy diagnosis of carcinoma (versus AMGP) on univariate analyses. In conclusion, our cohort of AMGP represents a biologically variable spectrum of lesions that includes mucinous hyperplastic proliferations as well as endometrioid and mucinous adenocarcinomas that are occasionally myoinvasive. Morphologic features that optimally stratified AMGP cases into clinically relevant subgroups were not identified.

Polymerase ε (POLE) ultra-mutation in uterine tumors correlates with T lymphocyte infiltration and increased resistance to platinum-based chemotherapy in vitro

OBJECTIVE

Up to 12% of all endometrial-carcinomas (EC) harbor DNA-polymerase-ε-(POLE) mutations. It is currently unknown whether the favorable prognosis of POLE-mutated EC is derived from their low metastatic capability, extraordinary number of somatic mutations thus imparting immunogenicity, or a high sensitivity to chemotherapy.

METHODS

Polymerase-chain-reaction-amplification and Sanger-sequencing were used to test for POLE exonuclease-domain-mutations (exons 9-14) 131 EC. Infiltration of CD4+ and CD8+ T-lymphocytes (TIL) and PD-1-expression in POLE-mutated vs POLE wild-type EC was studied by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and the correlations between survival and molecular features were investigated. Finally, primary POLE-mutated and POLE-wild-type EC cell lines were established and compared in-vitro for their sensitivity to chemotherapy.

RESULTS

Eleven POLE-mutated EC (8.5%) were identified. POLE-mutated tumors were associated with improved progression-free-survival (P<0.05) and displayed increased numbers of CD4+ (44.5 vs 21.8; P=0.001) and CD8+ (32.8 vs 13.5; P<0.001) TILs when compared to wild-type POLE EC. PD-1 receptor was overexpressed in TILs from POLE-mutated vs wild-type-tumors (81% vs 28%; P<0.001). Primary POLE tumor cell lines were significantly more resistant to platinum-chemotherapy in-vitro when compared to POLE-wild-type tumors (P<0.004).

CONCLUSIONS

POLE ultra-mutated EC are heavily infiltrated with CD4+/CD8+ TIL, overexpress PD-1 immune-check-point (i.e., features consistent with chronic antigen-exposure), and have a better prognosis when compared to other molecular subtypes of EC patients. POLE-mutated tumor-cell lines are resistant to platinum-chemotherapy in-vitro suggesting that the better prognosis of POLE-patients is not secondary to a higher sensitivity to chemotherapy but likely linked to enhanced immunogenicity.

Tissue and imaging biomarkers for hypoxia predict poor outcome in endometrial cancer

Hypoxia is frequent in solid tumors and linked to aggressive phenotypes and therapy resistance. We explored expression patterns of the proposed hypoxia marker HIF-1α in endometrial cancer (EC) and investigate whether preoperative functional imaging parameters are associated with tumor hypoxia. Expression of HIF-1α was explored both in the epithelial and the stromal tumor component. We found that low epithelial HIF-1α and high stromal HIF-1α expression were significantly associated with reduced disease specific survival in EC. Only stromal HIF-1α had independent prognostic value in Cox regression analysis. High stromal HIF-1α protein expression was rare in the premalignant lesions of complex atypical hyperplasia but increased significantly to invasive cancer. High stromal HIF-1α expression was correlated with overexpression of important genes downstream from HIF-1α, i.e. VEGFA and SLC2A1 (GLUT1). Detecting hypoxic tumors with preoperative functional imaging might have therapeutic benefits. We found that high stromal HIF-1α expression associated with high total lesion glycolysis (TLG) at PET/CT. High expression of a gene signature linked to hypoxia also correlated with low tumor blood flow at DCE-MRI and increased metabolism measured by FDG-PET. PI3K pathway inhibitors were identified as potential therapeutic compounds in patients with lesions overexpressing this gene signature. In conclusion, we show that high stromal HIF-1α expression predicts reduced survival in EC and is associated with increased tumor metabolism at FDG-PET/CT. Importantly; we demonstrate a correlation between tissue and imaging biomarkers reflecting hypoxia, and also possible treatment targets for selected patients.

[Characteristic and clinical significance of DNA methyltransferase 3B overexpression in endometrial carcinoma]

OBJECTIVE

To determine the clinicopathological significance of the DNA methyltransferase 3B (DNMT3B) overexpression in endometrial carcinomas and to evaluate its correlation with hormone receptor status.

METHODS

Immunohistochemistry was performed to assess the expression of DNMT3B and hormone receptors in 104 endometrial carcinomas.

RESULTS

DNMT3B overexpression occurred frequently in endometrioid carcinoma (EC, 54.8%) more than in nonendometrioid carcinoma (NEC, 30.0%) with statistical significance (P=0.028). Furthermore, there was a trend that EC with worse clinico-pathological variables and shorter survival had a higher DNMT3B expression, and the correlation between DNMT3B and tumor grade reached statistical significance (P=0.019).A negative correlation between DNMT3B and estrogen receptor (ER) or progesterone receptor (PR) expression was found in EC. NMT3B overexpression occurred frequently in the ER or PR negative subgroups (78.9%, 86.7%) more than in the positive subgroups (47.7%, 47.8%) with statistical significance (P=0.016, P=0.006). In addition, the DNMT3B overexpression increased in tumors with both ER and PR negative expression (92.9%, P=0.002). However, no such correlation was found in NEC (P>0.05). Sequence analyses demonstrated multiple ER and PR binding sites in the promoter regions of DNMT3B gene.

CONCLUSION

This study showed that the expression of DNMT3B in EC and NEC was different. DNMT3B overexpression in EC was associated with the worse clinicopathological variables and might have predictive value. The methylation status of EC and NEC maybe different. In addition, in EC, DNMT3B overexpression negatively correlated with ER or PR expression. In NEC, the correlation between DNMT3B and ER or PR status was not present.

Detection of high-risk human papillomavirus DNA and immunohistochemical expressions of p16, vimentin, ER, and PR in primary endocervical and endometrial adenocarcinomas

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to explore a panel of useful markers in differential diagnosis of primary endocervical adenocarcinoma (ECA) and endometrial adenocarcinoma (EMA). Materials anid Methods: Thirty-three ECAs and 31 EMAs were collected and examined for high-risk human papillomavirus (hr-HPV) (16/18) DNA using in situ hybridization, and for p16, vimentin, ER, PR expression using immunohistochemistry (IHC).

RESULTS

Detection rate of hr-HPV (16/18) DNA in ECA (72.7%, 24/33) was significantly higher than that in EMA (12.9%, 4/31) (p < 0.01). Twenty-four of 33 (72.7%) cases of ECA, but only five of 31 (16.1%) cases of EMA showed high expression of pl6. Twenty-three of 24 (95.8%) hr-HPV DNA-positive ECA and all four (100.0%) hr-HPV DNA-positive EMA showed high levels of pl6 expression. High expression rates of vimentin (90.3%, 28/31), ER (58.1%, 18/31), and PR (71.0%, 22/31) in EMA were significantly higher than those in ECA, respectively (p < 0.01).

CONCLUSION

Detection of hr-HPV DNA combined with immunohistochemical expressions of pl6, vimentin, ER, and PR have important value in differential diagnosis between ECA and EMA.

Cutaneous Melanoma Metastatic to Uterine Adenomyoma: Report of a Case

Rare cases of metastasis to uterine polyps have been reported in English literature but not, to the best of our knowledge, to uterine adenomyomas. All these cases are represented by breast cancer, most of them involving tamoxifen-associated polyps. We first report a case of cutaneous malignant melanoma metastatic to uterine adenomyoma. A computed tomography scan did not reveal any further evidence of disease, suggesting that this metastatic localization may represent something more than a fortuitous case. Based on these observations it is suggested that a subset of malignant melanoma and breast cancer cells share a sort of “homing” phenomenon to polypoid lesions of uterus, due probably to the presence of some chemokines and their specific receptors. Pathologists should be aware of this possibility in order to look carefully for metastatic implants in similar lesions. It is proposed that chemokine profile of neoplastic cells can be a useful tool in predicting metastatic targets.

Flow cytometer analysis of cell apoptosis of endometrial carcinoma with Wnt10b

The aim of this study is to analyze the cell apoptosis of endometrial carcinoma (EC) with Wnt10b by Fluorescence Activated Cell Sorting (FACS) technology. AN3CA cell lines and Ishikawa-H-12 cell lines were taken as the in-vitro cell models to observe the influence of Wnt10b on key factors of Wnt signal pathway. Methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) was applied for the detection of cell proliferation while FACS was used for the detection of cell apoptosis. Data were analyzed using statistical software SPSS14.0. After the overexpression of Wntl0b in AN3CA cells, the apoptosis rate dropped significantly compared with the two control groups (p < 0.05); while the apoptosis rate increased significantly compared with the control groups (p < 0.01) after Wntl0b knock-off in Ishikawa3-H-12 cells. In normal endometrium, Wnt10b gene expression was negative, while that in EC cells was positive. It can be concluded that Wnt10b gene can promote EC cell proliferation and inhibit its apoptosis.

Inverse Relationship between Progesterone Receptor and Myc in Endometrial Cancer

Endometrial cancer, the most common gynecologic malignancy, is a hormonally-regulated disease. Response to progestin therapy positively correlates with hormone receptor expression, in particular progesterone receptor (PR). However, many advanced tumors lose PR expression. We recently reported that the efficacy of progestin therapy can be significantly enhanced by combining progestin with epigenetic modulators, which we term “molecularly enhanced progestin therapy.” What remained unclear was the mechanism of action and if estrogen receptor α (ERα), the principle inducer of PR, is necessary to restore functional expression of PR via molecularly enhanced progestin therapy. Therefore, we modeled advanced endometrial tumors that have lost both ERα and PR expression by generating ERα-null endometrial cancer cell lines. CRISPR-Cas9 technology was used to delete ERα at the genomic level. Our data demonstrate that treatment with a histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDACi) was sufficient to restore functional PR expression, even in cells devoid of ERα. Our studies also revealed that HDACi treatment results in marked downregulation of the oncogene Myc. We established that PR is a negative transcriptional regulator of Myc in endometrial cancer in the presence or absence of ERα, which is in contrast to studies in breast cancer cells. First, estrogen stimulation augmented PR expression and decreased Myc in endometrial cancer cell lines. Second, progesterone increased PR activity yet blunted Myc mRNA and protein expression. Finally, overexpression of PR by adenoviral transduction in ERα-null endometrial cancer cells significantly decreased expression of Myc and Myc-regulated genes. Analysis of the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database of endometrial tumors identified an inverse correlation between PR and Myc mRNA levels, with a corresponding inverse correlation between PR and Myc downstream transcriptional targets SRD5A1, CDK2 and CCNB1. Together, these data reveal a previously unanticipated inverse relationship between the tumor suppressor PR and the oncogene Myc in endometrial cancer.

Differential Diagnosis between Primary Endocervical and Endometrial Adenocarcinoma using Immunohistochemical Staining of Estrogen Receptor, Vimentin, Carcinoembryonic Antigen and p16

BACKGROUND

When clinical and histopathological evaluation is not effective in discriminating primary endocervical adenocarcinoma (ECAs) and endometrial adenocarcinoma (EMAs), an immunohistochemistry (IHC) method is regularly used in practice, which involves staining of estrogen receptor (ER), vimentin (Vim), monoclonal carcinoembryonic antigen (mCEA) and p16.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the performance of IHC markers, ER, Vim, mCEA and p16, in differentiating between primary ECAs and EMAs and to compare the performances of two-, three- and four-marker panels.

MATERIAL AND METHOD

Women with cervical or uterine cancers who were diagnosed with mucinous or endometrioid adenocarcinoma or adenocarcinoma of non-otherwise specified, after cervical biopsy, endometrial biopsy or curettage, and who underwent elective surgery at Rajavithi Hospital between January 1, 2011 and June 30, 2012 were retrospectively reviewed. Paraffin-embedded tissue sections from pre-operative specimens were reviewed and stained with ER, Vim, mCEA and p16. Postoperative pathologic slides was reviewed and installed as the reference standard.

RESULTS

Of 110 cases, 44 were primary ECAs and 66 were primary EMAs. ER and Vim were significantly expressed in EMAs (p < 0.001), while mCEA and p16 were significantly expressed in ECAs (p < 0.001). From multivariable analysis, Vim and p16 were the significant markers for differentiating ECAs and EMAs. A comparison of different combinations showed that panels of Vim/p16, ER/Vim/p16, Vim/mCEA/p16 and ER/Vim/mCEA/p16 achieved the highest overall accuracy of97.9%.

CONCLUSION

Vim and p16 are the significant IHC markers and a two-marker panel of Vim/p16 is recommended for using in differentiating primary ECAs and EMAs; which a pattern of negative Vim and positive p16 expression favors diagnosis of ECAs while the converse pattern of positive Vim and negative p16 staining points to diagnosis of EMAs.

Synchronous double primary gastric and endometrial cancer: a case report and literature review

Multiple primary malignant neoplasms (MPMN) are two or more malignancies in an individual without any relationship between the tumors. In recent years, increasing number of cases were reported. However, Synchronous double primary gastric and endometrial cancer are relatively rare to be reported. Here we present a rare case of synchronous double cancer involving the stomach and endometrium, which is resected simultaneously and received six times chemo. After reviewing lots of literatures at home and abroad, we discuss the risk factors, the diagnostic criteria, the treatment modalities and the prognosis of these rare MPMN. Although a number of risk factors have been proposed in a mass of literatures, but the mechanism of MPMN is still unclear. We didn't discover a detailed explanation for the mechanism of MPMN from our patient. Therefore, further research should focus on the etiology and mechanism of MPMN.

SOX-2, but not Oct4, is highly expressed in early-stage endometrial adenocarcinoma and is related to tumour grading

BACKGROUND

Expression of SOX-2 and Oct4 as markers for the identification of cancer stem cells (CSCs) has been revealed in several malignancies. In this study, the co-expression of SOX-2 and Oct4 and their correlation with clinicopathological features of endometrial adenocarcinomas (EACs) was investigated.

METHODS

SOX-2 and Oct4 expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry in 27 (39.13%) stage IA and in 42 (60.87%) stage IB International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) EACs and related to the clinicopathological features of patients.

RESULTS

The expression of SOX-2 was confirmed in 62/69 tumour specimens compared to Oct4 expression in 46/69 specimens (P = 0.015) and no difference in median staining intensity between SOX-2 and Oct-4 was observed. The highest median SOX-2 expression was found in high-grade (G3) EAC samples compared to moderate-grade (G2) EAC specimens (P = 0.020) and low-grade (G1) specimens (P = 0.008), while no differences in median Oct4 expression in EAC samples according to grading were present. In G3 specimens, significantly higher median SOX-2 expression was noted compared to Oct4 (P = 0.002). SOX-2 and Oct4 co-expression was observed only in G1 EAC (R: 0.51; P = 0.031). Age of EAC diagnosis was positively correlated with SOX-2 expression (b = 0.193; R(2) = 10.83%; P = 0.003) but not to age of menarche, menopause, parity or body mass index.

CONCLUSIONS

There is no need to use SOX-2 expression as a poor outcome predictor in stage I EAC, and SOX-2 expression should be analysed in more advanced stages.

[Study on effect of total matrines and extracts from Periplaneta americana on negative endometrial cancer cell JEC of progesterone receptors]

To study the effect of total matrines and extracts from Periplaneta americana on negative endometrial cancer cell JEC of progesterone receptors. After detecting the effect of total matrine, extracts from P. americana and their combination on JEC cells' growth inhibition, cell cycle, P53 and c-erbB-2 gene protein expressions through MTT, flow cytometry instrument and Western blot method, the author found that, (1) MTT: total matrines and extracts from P. americana could inhibit the growth of JEC cell, with significant increase in the inhibitory effect in the combination group. (2) Flow cytometry instrument: the cell cycle at G0/G1 increased after the treatment with total matrines, the cell cycle at G2/M increased after the treatment with extracts from periplaneta americana, and the ratio of G0/G1 cell cycle in the combination group was significantly higher than the other groups, with inhibition in cell growth and statistical difference in inter-group comparison (P < 0.05). (3) Western blot: the expression level of P53 increased and c-erbB-2 decreased after the treatment with total matrines, extracts from P. americana and their combination on JEC cell, with statistical difference in inter-group comparison (P < 0.05). The above results suggested that total matrines, extracts from P. americana and their combination could induce cell cycle arrest and inhibit the growth of JEC cell by up-regulating P53 and down-regulating the c-erbB-2 level.

Prognostic value of Musashi-1 in endometrioid adenocarcinoma

AIMS

Musashi-1, a RNA-binding protein, is suggested to be a cancer stem cell-related marker; its high level of protein expression is reported to be associated with high histological grade in some tumors. The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic value of Musashi-1 in patients with endometrioid adenocarcinoma (EAC).

METHODS

We examined the Musashi-1 mRNA expression level in 35 fresh EAC tissue samples and 15 normal endometrium samples by real-time RT-PCR, and its protein expression level in 148 paraffin EAC tissue samples and 20 paraffin normal endometrium samples by immunohistochemistry. The correlation between Musashi-1 and overall survival (OS) used Cox proportional hazards regression. The prognostic accuracy of Musashi-1 compared with other clinicopathological risk factors by logistic regression. Furthermore, we examined whether Musashi-1 expression is correlated with another cancer stem cell marker CD133 by real-time RT-PCR.

RESULTS

Musashi-1 mRNA expression of EAC is 2.8-fold higher than that of normal endometrium (P=0.0009). Musashi-1 protein expression level is correlated with tumor stage, grade and vascular invasion. Patients with higher protein expression level of Musashi-1 are associated with poor survival rate than those with negative or low level of expression (HR=2.073, P=0.001). The area under the curve (AUC) for Musashi-1 is 0.8, which is higher than other clinicopathological factors (P=0.000). In addition, Musashi-1 mRNA expression seems to be closely correlated with CD133 expression (r=0.7167, P<0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest high level of Musashi-1 protein expression is associated with poor survival in EAC patients, which may be an independent prognostic factor for EAC.

Folate receptor α expression and significance in endometrioid endometrium carcinoma and endometrial hyperplasia

Endometrioid-type endometrial carcinoma (EEC) developing on the ground of endometrial hyperplasia (EH) is amongst the most commonly observed type of cancer in the world. Folate receptor α (FRα) is a vitamin molecule that has a role in cell proliferation. The fact that FRα, which is known to be needed extremely by the cells of malignancies that proliferate rapidly, is present in limited amounts in normal tissues while it is overexpressed in malignant cells of the same tissues makes folate a candidate for target molecular therapy. In our study, FRα expression in 214 cases, with 95 diagnosed within EEC and 119 with EH, was studied immunohistochemically. FRα expression in EEC was found significantly high compared to EH and normal endometrium (P<0.01). Similarly, FRα expression in EH cases with complex atypia were significantly high compared to other hyperplasia subgroups (P<0.01). The findings of our results make us think that FRα overexpression may play a role in the EEC carcinogenesis and carcinoma progression from EH. Furthermore, we suggest that it can be helpful in the treatment of EEC and/or transition from hyperplasia stage to EEC as a molecular therapy targeting receptors labeled with antibody-based props containing FRα. Finally, we suggest that FRα may be used, based on the expression intensity, as a supplemental option to determine the patients that shall be directed to radical therapy amongst patients with complex atypical EH.

Endometrial stromal sarcoma with endometrioid adenocarcinoma of the uterus: a case report

Endometrial stromal sarcoma (ESS) is a rare malignant neoplasm of the uterus. We report the first case of undifferentiated ESS (UES) coexistent with grade 1 endometrioid adenocarcinoma in a 73-year-old female who presented with irregular vaginal bleeding for 4 days after menopause 20 years. Imaging examination including Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) demonstrated multi-node reflection in uterine cavity without metastatic lesions, and the endometrium essentially normal. Grossly, a grey-red breakable polypoid tumor of 4.5×3.0×2.0 cm was recognized in the posterior uterine wall with surrounding slight rough endometrium. Microscopically, the tumor was composed of a larger component of undifferentiated stromal sarcoma that was distinct from a smaller endometrioid adenocarcinoma. The separate components of the tumor could be supported in immunohistochemical studies. There was no sign of recurrence for postoperative 6 months.

Clinical experience of uterine tumors resembling ovarian sex cord tumors: a clinicopathological analysis of 6 cases

OBJECTIVE

To compare the clinicopathological features, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of two types of uterine sex cord-like tumors.

METHODS

The clinicopathological features of four uterine tumors resembling ovarian sex cord tumors (UTROSCTs) and two endometrial stromal tumors with sex cord-like elements (ESTSCLEs) were analyzed retrospectively.

RESULTS

All patients were premenopausal women. The most common clinical presentation was vaginal bleeding (four cases). Total hysterectomy with or without bilateral adnexectomy was the most common treatment pattern (five cases). A patient with UTROSCTs, presenting with recurrence 10 months after transvaginal submucous myomectomy, underwent a total hysterectomy (case 2). All tumors were polypoid or intramural masses, usually located in the uterine fundus or submucosa. The majority of UTROSCTs were positive for cytokeratin (4/4 cases), one was positive for Wilms tumor protein, and of two cases with smooth muscle actin immunoreactivity, two were positive for desmin. UTROSCTs were positive for two or more sex cord markers, whereas sex cord markers were less frequently detected in ESTSCLEs. CD10 was variably positive in two UTROSCT patients and strongly positive in all ESTSCLE patients. Three UTROSCTs and one ESTSCLE were positive for both estrogen and progesterone receptors. All patients with UTROSCTs were alive without evidence of recurrence. One patient with ESTSCLEs underwent postoperative chemotherapy after total vaginal hysterectomy but developed recurrence at the vaginal stump (case 5). The other patient with ESTSCLEs was lost to follow-up.

CONCLUSION

These UTROSCTs are polymorphic neoplasms with true sex cord differentiation and uncertain malignant potential, which possess a distinct biology from ESTSCLEs.

Fibromyxoid variant of endometrial stromal sarcoma with atypical bizarre nuclei

Endometrial stromal sarcoma (ESS) is the second most common malignant uterine mesenchymal tumor. It affects women primarily in the perimenopausal age group. ESSs are morphologically heterogeneous. The distinction between uterine smooth muscle tumors such as cellular leiomyoma and myxoid leiomyosarcoma and low-grade ESS can be problematic when stromal sarcomas show prominent smooth muscle differentiation and abundant myxoid stroma, respectively. We herein present a rare case of fibromyxoid variant of ESS, which was misdiagnosed as hydropic leiomyoma on intraoperative frozen section examination. Grossly, the uterine mass consisted of intracavitary and intramural portions. The intracavitary portion with extensive hydropic degeneration mimicked a hydropic leiomyoma. In contrast, the intramural portion displayed an obvious tongue-like myometrial invasion. Histologically, the tumor consisted of both cellular (20%) and myxoid (80%) areas. In the cellular areas, oval to spindle-shaped tumor cells with bland nuclear features were found to surround concentrically a rich vascular network of arterioles, a characteristic of ESS. In addition, two relatively well-circumscribed nodular lesions showing atypical bizarre nuclei were identified in the myxoid area. Immunohistochemically, the tumor cells were diffusely and strongly positive for CD10. The present case indicates a wide morphological spectrum of ESS. Fibromyxoid variant of ESS should be considered in the differential diagnosis of intracavitary and/or intramural uterine mesenchymal tumors with myxoid differentiation. It is important to avoid confusion between fibromyxoid ESS and myxoid leiomyosarcoma because of the differences in their clinical course, treatment, and prognosis.

[Serum adipokines and their receptors in endometrial and colon cancer patients: relationship with tumor invasion and metastasis]

The aim of the study was to investigate the serum adipokine levels and expression of adipokine receptors (AdipoR1, AdipoR2) in patients with endometrial and colon cancer in relation with the main clinical morphological parameters (tumor invasion, lymph node involvement). The study included 60 endometrial cancer patients with I-II Stage and 31 patients with colon cancer (T2-4N0-2M0). Serum adipokine levels, the level of soluble form of the leptin receptor (sOb-R) and AdipoR1 and AdipoR2 expression were evaluated with ELISA. In endometrial cancer serum leptin and adiponectin levels were associated not only with metabolic disorders but also with cervical invasion. In colon cancer serum leptin level was associated with lymph node involvement. The data obtained showed the potential implication of serum adipokines into tumor invasion and metastasis. In both sites intratumoral levels of AdipoR1 H AdipoR2 were not associated with the presence of metabolic syndrome. The AdipoR1 level was related with myometrial invasion. In colon cancer patients, AdipoR1 and AdipoR2 expressions were associated with lymph node involvement, and AdipoR1 expression was correlated with tumor size. The obtained results demonstrated involvement of adipose tissue hormones (leptin and adiponectin) and adiponectin receptors (AdipoR1 and AdipoR2) in tumor growth, invasion and lymphogenic metastasis.

Primary yolk sac tumor of endometrium: report of two cases and review of literature

Primary YST of the endometrium is very rare, therefore there is no guideline for treatment. We report two cases of endometrial YSTs presenting different symptoms and showing different prognoses and discuss the clinical management of these tumors. The present report shows first time that bone and lung metastasis in primary YSTs of endometrium. As the number of reported cases with endometrial YSTs, more information about the prognosis of the disease may be obtained.

Cyclin E is overexpressed by clear cell carcinomas of the endometrium and is a prognostic indicator of survival

OBJECTIVE

Upregulation of cyclin E and cyclin D1-6 accelerates the transition from G1 to S phase. The objective of this study was to determine if cyclin D1 and E are prognostic indicators in endometrial cancer.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Surgically-treated patients with endometrial carcinoma had their tumors stained for nuclear expression of cyclin D1 and E. Quantification of staining and measurement of growth phase fraction were performed using image analysis. FIGO stage, grade, and histology were also analyzed.

RESULTS

Cyclin D1 and E expression was unrelated to DNA index (p = 0.93). While cyclin D1 expression did not correlate with S+G2M phase fraction (p = 0.69), increased cyclin E expression was directly correlated with increased S+G2M phase fraction (p = 0.002). Cyclin E expression was highest in clear cell carcinomas (p = 0.042) while cyclin D1 expression was highest in adenosquamous carcinomas (p = 0.028). Patients dying from cancer had significantly higher expression of cyclin D1 (p = 0.042) and E (p = 0.02) as compared to patients surviving their disease. Multivariate logistic regression revealed FIGO stage, grade, and lack of cyclin E overexpression to be independent prognostic indicators of survival.

CONCLUSION

Cyclin E expression is related to increased growth fraction, clear cell histology, and decreased survival in patients with endometrial cancer.

[Obesity and characteristics of endometrial cancer: are there any changes over several decades?]

It is shown that endometrial cancer features (including expression of the PTEN and HER-2/neu proteins) are connected dissimilarly with body mass index and with the belonging of the patients to the groups with standard, SO and metabolically healthy obesity, MHO. In the course of the last half-century an increases are discovered in the height and weight of the females with endometrial cancer that moves in the opposite direction with a reduction of the share of MHO cases among obese patients. This conclusion should be taken into account when one considers the means for contemporary prevention of both obesity and cancer of uterine body.

Proteomics pattern of peritoneal sApo-2L but not CD200 (OX-2) as a possible screening biomarker for metastatic ovarian, endometrial and breast carcinoma

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the soluble Apo-2L (sApo-2L) levels in the ascitic fluid and to study its potential in detecting malignant ascites and soluble CD200 (sCD200,sOX-2) levels so as to predict its clinical usage for detecting stage 4 metastatic endometrial, ovarian and breast cancer in serum samples.

METHODS

Ascitic fluid from 53 and blood from 25 subjects without known malignancy on admission were collected. There were 14 breast cancer (BC), 17 ovarian cancer (OC) and 19 endometrial cancer (EC) patients diagnosed later on. Blood samples for sApo-2L, sCD200, liver function tests and CEA, CA-19.9 and CA-125 were always taken and assayed in the morning.

RESULTS

Significantly low levels of sApo-2L were observed in peritoneal fluid from OC and EC patients compared to benign peritoneal fluid from control individuals. Positive correlation was observed between sApo-2L and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) in benign peritoneal fluid and sCD200, and creatinine and sCD200 and platelets in OC patients; also, sCD200 and CEA in EC patients and sCD200 and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) in healthy subjects.

CONCLUSIONS

Our data indicate that low proteomics pattern of sApo-2L but not sCD200 is a good biochemical marker. Further decline in the level of sApo-2L was seen in EC compared to OC. Since higher levels of sApo-2L were seen with higher levels of AST, the liver might be involved in its metabolism. The positive correlation detected between sCD200 and creatinine, platelets, CEA and BUN needs to be elucidated.

The role of relaxin in endometrial cancer

Relaxin (RLN) is a naturally occurring hormone that is known to modulate connective tissue remodeling in the uterus and cervix. Our goal was to investigate the role of RLN in endometrial cancer. RLN expression was evaluated using immunohistochemistry in 57 samples of invasive endometrial carcinoma (EC) and ten benign endometrial tissues. 67% of high-stage (III/IV) tumors demonstrated strong RLN expression compared to 37% of low-stage (I/II) cases. Strong RLN expression associated significantly with high-grade and depth of myometrial invasion. Notably, strong RLN expression was associated with a significantly shorter overall survival (p < 0.005) compared to weak or moderate expression. Using RT-PCR, the expression of RLN and its receptor (LGR7) was detected in EC cell lines (HEC-1B and KLE); in addition, LGR7 was expressed in 86% of 15 primary EC tissue samples. Exogenous RLN stimulation caused a significant increase in migration and invasion in both cell lines, but did not stimulate proliferation in vitro. Addition of the MMP inhibitor, FN439 abolished the stimulatory effect of RLN on invasion in both HEC-1B and KLE cells. RLN stimulation caused a significant increase in levels of activated MMP-2 in KLE cells and activated MMP-9 in HEC-1B cells compared to unstimulated cells. Inhibition of endogenous RLN signaling via siRNA targeted to LGR7 caused a significant reduction of EC cell invasiveness. Our results indicate that RLN overexpression is significantly asso- ciated with aggressive features such as high-grade and deep myometrial invasion. We provide the first evidence that overexpression of RLN is associated with poor clinical outcome in women with EC. RLN stimulation enhances the invasive potential of endometrial cancer cells by upregulating MMPs. In turn, downregulation of endogenous RLN signaling decreases invasiveness of endometrial cancer cells. These novel findings may have therapeutic implications in the management of patients with endometrial carcinoma.

Role of endometrial cancer abnormal MMR protein in screening Lynch-syndrome families

OBJECTIVE

To identify patients with endometrial cancer with potential Lynch-related DNA mismatch repair (MMR) protein expression defects and to explore the role of these defects in screening for LS.

METHODS

Endometrial cancers from 173 patients recruited to the Nanchong Central Hospital were tested for MMR (MLH1, MSH2, PMS2, and MSH6) protein expression using immunohistochemistry (IHC).

RESULTS

In the 173 tumor tissue samples, the expression loss rates of MSH6, MSH2, PMS2 and MLH1 protein were 16.18% (28/173), 12.14% (21/173), 7.51% (13/173) and 5.78% (10/173), respectively. The total loss rate of MMR protein was 29.89% (27/87). There were 19 patients with a family history of cancer, of which 18 patients demonstrated loss of expression of MMR protein. In the 22 abnormal MMR patients without family history, five families were found to have Lynch-associated cancer (colorectal cancer, endometrial cancer, ovarian cancer, stomach cancer) after follow-up for two years.

CONCLUSION

MMR proteins play an important role in the progress of endometrial cancer. The routine testing of MMR proteins in endometrial cancer can contribute to the screening of LS families, especially small families.

Coexistence of homologous-type cervical carcinosarcoma with endometrioid-type G1 endometrial cancer: a case report with an immunohistochemical study

Coexistence of two or even more independent primary tumors derived from the female genital tract organs is a unique event. The most common combination is the coexistence of synchronous tumors in the ovary and endometrium. In the present case study, we described a coincidence of homologous-type cervical carcinosarcoma (CS) with endometrioid-type G1 uterine adenocarcinoma (EC) arising on the basis of hyperplastic endometrium. A panel of immunohistochemical markers was applied, either in both CS components or in endometrioid-type EC, to assess possible differences between both uterine malignancies. We also presented a short overview of the coexistence of cervical carcinosarcomas with other female genital tract malignancies.

Uterine tumour resembling ovarian sex cord tumours presenting as multiple endometrial and cervical uterine polyps: a case report

BACKGROUND

Uterine tumours resembling ovarian sex-cord tumours (UTROSCT) are very rare, benign uterine tumours, composed solely of sex cord elements. These tumours have a polyphenotypic immunophentype that favours a derivation from uterine mesenchymal stem cells.

CASE REPORT

A 43-year-old female presented with recurrent vaginal bleeding. On hysteroscopy, she had multiple endometrial and cervical polyps that were removed endoscopically. Histologically, the specimen contained epithelioid cells arranged in tubules, trabeculae and anastomosing cords, without significant cellular atypia or mitotic activity. Immunohistochemical studies were performed. The tumour was found to be diffusely positive for vimentin, calretinin and desmin, focally positive for cytokeratin, CD99 and inhibin and negative for chromogranin and CD10. A subsequent total hysterectomy was performed and revealed neoplastic infiltration of the myometrium.

CONCLUSION

A polyphenotypic immunophenotype is a characteristic feature of UTROSCT, and may be helpful in diagnosis and in exclusion of other lesions. Familiarity with this tumour by gynaecologists and pathologists is essential to avoid misdiagnosis:correct diagnosis of this neoplasm is important in patient management.

Estimated intermediate risk endometrial cancer: debate and new perspectives on therapy individualization and prognosis establishment starting from a peculiar case

The adequate treatment for stage IB endometrial cancer (EC) with G1-G2 grading (intermediate risk patients) is still debated. FIGO guidelines recommend adjuvant radio-therapy in order to avoid recurrences, despite it has been demonstrated that this does not improve the overall survival. Recently, other than the conventional risk-factor (histology, stage and grading), lymph-vascular involvement, tumor size and neoplasia molecular patterns has been proposed with intent to establish the most appropriated EC oncologic treatment and prognosis. We report an interesting case of a patient affected by an early stage EC (estimated intermediate low risk), treated by the adequate surgical staging and subsequent adjuvant radio-therapy that showed, in a follow up period, a very poor prognosis, similarly to patients affected by high risk cancer. Even if the classical validated risk factors remain the "cornerstone" in risk assessment, adjuvant treatments and follow up planning after surgery, the molecular investigation of estimated intermediate risk EC could represent a "keystone" to solve and avoid the "oncologic dilemma" of cases in which the observed prognosis results very different from the expected one. Only a detailed molecular evaluation of these cases could allow a more specific treatment targeting, leading to an individualized therapy and low recurrence-risk. The importance of recurrence-risk reduction is linked to difficulties in both their early detection and appropriate management. The delay in diagnosis as well as the performance of not adequate treatment can potentially make the prognosis of these cases worst that the one detected in case of uterine sarcoma or mixed müllerian tumors.

Rictor is an independent prognostic factor for endometrial carcinoma

Early-stage endometrial carcinoma (EC) patients have a high cure rate; however, those with high-risk factors may have poor prognosis. Thus, there is an urgent need for searching for new prognostic molecules to more accurately predict survival of patients. We detected the Rictor mRNA expression level in 30 fresh EC tissue and 17 normal endometrial tissue samples with real-time quantitative RT-PCR and Rictor protein expression level in 134 (test cohort) and 115 (validation cohort) paraffin tissue samples by immunohistochemistry, analyzed the correlation between variables and overall survival (OS) using Cox proportional hazards regression, compared the prognostic accuracy of Rictor with other clinicopathological risk factors by logistic regression. The results showed that Rictor mRNA expression of EC is higher than that of normal endometrium; Rictor protein expression level was closely correlated with FIGO stage, grade and vascular invasion in both cohorts; a univariate analysis showed that the pathological type, stage, grade, vascular invasion, lymphatic metastasis and Rictor were predictors of OS in both cohorts; furthermore, multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis indicated that vascular invasion and Rictor were independent prognostic factors for EC in both cohorts; an ROX curve comparison showed that the area under the curve (AUC) for Rictor combined with other clinicopathological prognostic factors was higher than any individual factor or other clinicopathological prognostic factors' combination. Based on the above data, we concluded that Rictor is an independent prognostic factor for EC. It combined with other clinicopathological risk factors was a stronger prognostic model than individual risk factor or their combination.

A clinical and pathologic comparison between stage-matched endometrial intraepithelial carcinoma and uterine serous carcinoma: is there a difference?

Endometrial intraepithelial carcinoma (EIC) is a rare pathologic variant of uterine serous carcinoma (USC). Our aim is to distinguish patterns of clinic-pathologic outcomes in patients with EIC and USC for disease limited to the endometrium (stage 1A) as well as with distant metastasis (stage 4B). Surgically staged patients were retrospectively identified and relevant variables were extracted and compared. Kaplan-Meier was used to generate the survival data. More USC (n = 29) exhibited lymphovascular invasion (stage 4, P = .01) and expressed higher levels of estrogen receptor-α than EIC (P = .0009 and .063 for stages 1 and 4, respectively). The survival is comparable, with 1 recurrence in each group for stage 1A disease. For stage 4 EIC and USC, the progression-free survival (14 vs10 months) and overall survival (19 vs 20 months) are similar to what is previously published. In conclusion, EIC, whether limited to the endometrium, or widely metastatic, imparts similar outcomes and should be treated comparably with stage-matched USC.

Expression of budding uninhibited by benzimidazoles-1 and mitotic arrest deficient-2 in endometrial carcinoma and its significance

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to explore the expression of budding uninhibited by benzimidazoles-1 (Bub1) and mitotic arrest deficient-2 (Mad2) in endometrial carcinoma and its significance.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The expression of Bub 1 and Mad2 in 30 human normal endometrial tissues (group A), 30 complexly-hyperplastic endometrial tissues (group B), and 63 endometrial carcinoma tissues (group C) was observed using immunohistochemistry (the streptavidin-peroxidase method).

RESULTS

The positive expression rates of Bub1 in groups A, B, and C were 86.67%, 56.67%, and 28.57%, respectively. The positive rate of Bub1 protein was correlated with the differentiation degree and clinical stage of endometrial carcinoma (p < 0.05) other than lymph node metastasis (p > 0.05): A higher differentiation degree and a more advanced stage of endometrial carcinoma indicated a higher positive rate of Bub1 protein. The positive rates of Mad2 protein in groups A, B, and C were 23.33%, 56.67%, and 85.71%, respectively. The positive rate of Mad2 protein was correlated with the differentiation degree of endometrial carcinoma (p < 0.05) other than its clinical stage and lymph node metastasis (p > 0.05): A lower differentiation degree indicated a higher positive rate of Mad2 protein. Bub1 and Mad2 proteins were negatively correlated in the endometrial carcinoma tissues (r = - 0.719, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Bub1 and Mad2 proteins interact with each other. They may play an important role in the initiation and development of endometrial carcinoma.

Serum and tissue level of YKL-40 in endometrial cancer

OBJECTIVE

Serum YKL-40 level is elevated in patients with several malignancies. This study was designed to assess the correlation between serum YKL-40 and the corresponding tissue expression in endometrial cancer (EC).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Preoperative serum levels of YKL-40 were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) from 41 patients with EC, 27 patients with uterine myoma, and 30 healthy women. YKL-40 protein expression in tissue was determined by immunohistochemistry for patients with EC and patients with uterine myoma.

RESULTS

Median preoperative serum YKL-40 level was 157.2 microg/l (range 76.0 - 301.2) in EC compared with 86.6 microg/l (range 69.3 - 191.1) in uterine myoma, and 86.2 microg/l (range 52.1 - 201.1) in healthy women (p < 0.05). Of 41 patients with EC, 26 patients with elevated serum YKL-40 level statistically differed from the remaining 15 patients with normal serum YKL-40 level with respect to FIGO Stage, tumor grade, washing cytology, and serum CA125 (p < 0.05). In multivariate analysis, elevated serum YKL-40 significantly correlated with FIGO stage (p < 0.05) and tumor grade (p < 0.01). The percentage of positive YKL-40 tissue staining was higher in EC patients (34.1%, 14/41) than in uterine myoma patients (11.1%, 3/27) (p < 0.05) and was lower than that of elevated serum levels in EC (26/41, 63.4%) (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The elevated preoperative serum YKL-40 is related to stage and histologic grade of EC. The discordance between serum and tissue level of YKL-40 in EC indicates intrauterine tumor may not be the only source of serum YKL-40.

EUS-guided fine needle tissue acquisition for the diagnosis of pleural metastases from endometrial cancer

Transesophageal EUS-FNA have become a useful tool in the evaluation of the mediastinum, especially during the staging work-up examination of patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) or other malignancies. We report a challenging case of a 53 years-old woman with an endometrial adenocarcinoma who subsequently presented with right pleural effusion, diffuse pleural thickening with few pleural lesions. The patient referred a long history of exposure to amiantum, this posing a differential diagnosis between primary pleural tumour (mesothelioma) and neoplastic pleural localization of the endometrial cancer. The cytological examination of the pleural effusion (sampled via thoracenthesis) was not adequate to reach a diagnosis. Although a right-video-assisted thoracoscopy was considered the gold standard in this clinical setting to achieve a tissue acquisition of the pleura, an EUS (as the least invasive procedure) was attempted to reach a definitive diagnosis. EUS-FNTA of the pleura was done using a 19-Gauge needle and the pathological and immunophenotypic features were diagnostic for a pleural metastasis of high-grade endometrial serous carcinoma. The patient received adjuvant chemotherapy with a complete regression of the pleural lesions. We take the opportunity of this challenging case to discuss the efficacy and safety of EUS-FNAT to sample the pleural lesions with the use of a large calibre needle if the lesion lies just under the EUS cursor. We may assume that, in selected patients, this technique could be presented as a viable option to the more invasive surgical procedure, which has been previously the gold standard for the pleural tissue acquisition.

Endometrial stromal sarcoma arising in vagina

Endometrial stromal sarcoma (ESS) arising in the vagina is an extremely rare extrauterine endometrial stroma sarcoma, with only 4 cases reported in the literature up to date. Here we report a case of neoplasm originating from vagina. A 32-year-old woman complained of intermittent vaginal bleeding especially after intercourse. A mass with a diameter of 1.0 cm was found in the middle and upper segments of the right posterior vaginal wall. Biopsy showed ESS. Total abdominal hysterectomy, unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (right) and partial vaginectomy were performed. No ESS lesion was found in endometrium. The patient received six courses of platinum-containing combination chemotherapy after surgery and was free of tumor 18 months after the diagnosis of ESS. The diagnosis of ESS relies on pathologic examination. CD10 is the most useful immunohistochemical marker for the diagnosis of this tumor. The mainstay treatment of ESS is surgery. Local excision and ovarian retaining may be considered in premenopausal women.