Publications by authors named "Andrew Bellizzi"

We describe the novel occurrence of a adenocarcinoma involving the trachea, with distinct solid and glandular components, in a 34-year-old patient. We illustrate its morphological and immunophenotypic features and describe the molecular finding of an EWSR1::BEND2 gene fusion detected by next-generation sequencing (NGS). We discuss the findings in comparison to BEND2-fusion associated neoplasms reported in the head and neck region in the literature to date.

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Background: Peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) is an effective treatment for advanced gastroenteropancreatic (GEP) neuroendocrine tumors (NETs). We investigated a 2-decade experience with PRRT to determine whether PRRT confers a survival advantage to patients who progress after surgery versus other therapies.

Methods: We identified patients from our clinic who had resection/cytoreduction of GEP-NETs, then disease progression by Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) 1.

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Article Synopsis
  • Evidence-based treatment for advanced gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms (GEP-NENs) requires personalized decisions that take into account individual patient and cancer characteristics. !* -
  • A multidisciplinary panel reviewed 131 publications to develop a guidance document with 24 recommendations and 5 good clinical practice statements focusing on diagnostic features and biomarkers for managing unresectable or metastatic GEP-NENs. !* -
  • The document emphasizes treatment strategies based on tumor characteristics and specific biomarkers, and it received endorsements from major neuroendocrine tumor organizations. !*
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The Iowa Neuroendocrine Tumor (NET) Clinic was founded and developed by two remarkable physicians, Thomas and Sue O'Dorisio. Tom was an Endocrinologist and close friend and colleague of Aaron Vinik. Both men were pioneers in studies of gastrointestinal hormones and the management of patients with NETs.

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Inactivating alterations in the SWItch/Sucrose NonFermentable (SWI/SNF) Chromatin Remodeling Complex subunits have been described in multiple tumor types. Recent studies focused on SMARC subunits of this complex to understand their relationship with tumor characteristics and therapeutic opportunities. To date, pancreatic cancer with these alterations has not been well studied, although isolated cases of undifferentiated carcinomas have been reported.

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Functional copy-number alterations (fCNAs) are DNA copy-number changes with concordant differential gene expression. These are less likely to be bystander genetic lesions and could serve as robust and reproducible tumor biomarkers. To identify candidate fCNAs in neuroendocrine tumors (NETs), we integrated chromosomal microarray (CMA) and RNA-seq differential gene-expression data from 31 pancreatic (pNETs) and 33 small-bowel neuroendocrine tumors (sbNETs).

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This report describes a rare case of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) concurrent with chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL) without traditional risk factors, such as hepatic fibrosis or chronic hepatitis. Initially presenting with hematuria, incidental imaging revealed a liver lesion, later diagnosed as moderately differentiated HCC. Notably, the patient had no history of well-established risk factors of HCC including viral hepatitis or liver cirrhosis.

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The American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) staging system for all cancer sites, including gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs), is meant to be dynamic, requiring periodic updates to optimize AJCC staging definitions. This entails the collaboration of experts charged with evaluating new evidence that supports changes to each staging system. GEP-NETs are the second most prevalent neoplasm of gastrointestinal origin after colorectal cancer.

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Context.—: In 2014, the College of American Pathologists developed an evidence-based guideline to address analytic validation of immunohistochemical assays. Fourteen recommendations were offered.

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Determining neuroendocrine tumor (NET) primary sites is pivotal for patient care as pancreatic NETs (pNETs) and small bowel NETs (sbNETs) have distinct treatment approaches. The diagnostic power and prioritization of fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) assay biomarkers for establishing primary sites has not been thoroughly investigated using machine learning (ML) techniques. We trained ML models on FISH assay metrics from 85 sbNET and 59 pNET samples for primary site prediction.

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Intermediate to high-grade lung neuroendocrine tumors (NETs; i.e., atypical carcinoid tumors) and neuroendocrine carcinomas (NECs) are currently difficult to cure.

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Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a rare disease with high mortality. Liver involvement is common (based on elevated liver function tests) with most patients demonstrating acute hepatitis. Liver biopsies are frequently obtained in the setting of suspected HLH for the purpose of identification of erythrophagocytosis, and if present, this finding is thought to suggest or support the diagnosis of HLH.

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Article Synopsis
  • IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is a recently identified condition affecting multiple systems, and IgG4-related skin disease (IgG4-RSD) can present with various skin symptoms that resemble other conditions.
  • This study evaluated the specificity of diagnostic criteria for IgG4-RSD by examining 69 cases of conditions that can mimic IgG4-RSD, looking specifically at histopathologic and immunohistochemical features.
  • Results showed that while there were many cases with lymphoplasmacytic infiltrates, few met the specific thresholds for IgG4-RSD, suggesting that the criteria may not be very specific when distinguishing between IgG4-RSD
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Purpose: To develop recommendations for systemic therapy for well-differentiated grade 1 (G1) to grade 3 (G3) metastatic gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs).

Methods: ASCO convened an Expert Panel to conduct a systematic review of relevant studies and develop recommendations for clinical practice.

Results: Eight randomized controlled trials met the inclusion criteria for the systematic review.

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This review is based on a webinar I presented for the International Society for Immunohistochemistry and Molecular Morphology (ISIMM) in February 2022. It is intended that all ISIMM webinars will ultimately be published in AIMM as review articles. This work is also dedicated to Clive Taylor, who has deeply impacted my career.

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High-grade neuroendocrine neoplasms are a rare disease entity and account for approximately 10% of all neuroendocrine neoplasms. Because of their rarity, there is an overall lack of prospectively collected data available to advise practitioners as to how best to manage these patients. As a result, best practices are largely based on expert opinion.

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Small bowel neuroendocrine tumors (SBNETs) originate from enterochromaffin cells in the intestine which synthesize and secrete serotonin. SBNETs express high levels of tryptophan hydroxylase 1 (Tph1), a key enzyme in serotonin biosynthesis. Patients with high serotonin level may develop carcinoid syndrome, which can be treated with somatostatin analogues and the Tph1 inhibitor telotristat ethyl in severe cases.

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The assessment of the expression of programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1) using immunohistochemistry (IHC) has been controversial since its introduction. The methods of assessment and the range of assays and platforms contribute to confusion. Perhaps the most challenging aspect of PD-L1 IHC is the combined positive score (CPS) method of interpretation of IHC results.

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Background: Mesencephalic astrocyte-derived neurotrophic factor (MANF) is an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress response protein that plays an important role in pancreatic functions. As both alcohol and ER stress response proteins are involved in the pathogenesis of pancreatitis, we sought to investigate the expression of MANF in chronic alcoholic pancreatitis (CAP) and chronic non-alcoholic pancreatitis (CNP).

Methods: A cohort of chronic pancreatitis tissues was gathered from routine surgical pathology ( = 77) and autopsy ( = 10) cases and tissue microarrays were created.

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Primary tumor site determination for gastrointestinal (GI) tract and pancreaticobiliary (PB) tree carcinomas that present as metastasis of unknown primary can be problematic. Annexin A10 (ANXA10), claudin 18 (CLDN18), and trefoil factor 1 (TFF1) have been identified through expression profiling as markers of gastric lineage commitment; sex-determining region Y (SRY)-box transcription factor 2 (SOX2) expression has been reported in several tumor types, including gastric adenocarcinomas. We evaluated the diagnostic utility of immunohistochemistry for ANXA10, CLDN18, SOX2, and TFF1 for determining the site of origin for GI/PB adenocarcinomas.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study examines current practices for assessing HER2 levels in endometrial serous carcinoma (ESC) and colorectal carcinoma (CRC), highlighting that HER2-targeted therapies are increasingly being adopted beyond breast cancer.
  • A survey conducted among laboratories showed that a significant portion of them perform in-house HER2 testing, but often rely on guidelines formulated for other types of cancer rather than ESC or CRC-specific standards.
  • This inconsistency in HER2 testing practices across laboratories raises concerns about the reliability and applicability of test results, which could impede effective treatment decisions for patients.
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Aims: Criteria for the interpretation of digestive system neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) continue to evolve. Although there are some literature recommendations regarding workup and diagnosis of these lesions, different practice patterns exist among pathologists when signing out these specimens. The aim of this study was to assess practice trends among pathologists worldwide when reporting these neoplasms.

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Purpose: Immune checkpoint inhibition (ICI) therapy represents one of the great advances in the field of oncology, highlighted by the Nobel Prize in 2018. Multiple predictive biomarkers for ICI benefit have been proposed. These include assessment of programmed death ligand-1 expression by immunohistochemistry, and determination of mutational genotype (microsatellite instability or mismatch repair deficiency or tumor mutational burden) as a reflection of neoantigen expression.

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