Non-smoking and Non-drinking Oral Cancer Patients Are at Higher Risk of Second Primary Tumours.

Objectives: This study aimed to explore differences in demographics, tumour characteristics and outcomes in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) patients with a history of non-smoking, non-drinking (NSND) versus smoking and/or drinking (SD).

Materials And Methods: Newly diagnosed OSCC patients undergoing curative surgical treatment were prospectively included in OncoLifeS, a data biobank. Cox regression analysis was performed yielding hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs).

Abatacept use for 24 weeks has a limited effect on salivary gland inflammation in Sjögren's disease patients.

Objectives: This study aimed to assess (1) effects of abatacept on salivary gland histology of Sjögren's disease (SjD) patients, (2) the predictive value of salivary gland histopathological characteristics at baseline for clinical response to abatacept treatment.

Methods: Patients (n=41) who participated in the Dutch ASAP-II and ASAP-III trials and international abatacept trial (IM101603) from whom a labial (n=13) or parotid (n=28) salivary gland biopsy was obtained at baseline and after 24 weeks of treatment with abatacept were included. Biopsies were analysed for SjD related histopathological features before and after abatacept (n=25) or placebo (n=16) treatment.

Whole-Body HER2 Heterogeneity Identified on HER2 PET in HER2-Negative, -Low, and -Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer.

Understanding which patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative or -low metastatic breast cancer (MBC) benefit from HER2-targeted strategies is urgently needed. We assessed the whole-body heterogeneity of HER2 expression on Zr-trastuzumab PET (HER2 PET) and the diagnostic performance of HER2 PET in a large series of patients, including HER2-negative and -low MBC. In the IMPACT-MBC study, patients with newly diagnosed and nonrapidly progressive MBC of all subtypes were included.

More severe parotid gland histopathology in paediatric-onset than in adult-onset Sjögren's disease.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the histopathological features of the parotid glands in patients with paediatric-onset Sjögren's disease (pedSjD) in comparison to patients with adult-onset Sjögren's disease (adSjD).

Methods: This study was performed in Groningen, the Netherlands. Patients with pedSjD from a diagnostic paediatric cohort (n=19), patients with adSjD from a diagnostic adult cohort (n=32) and patients with adSjD who participated in a clinical trial (n=42) with a baseline parotid gland biopsy were included.

Advancing Ki67 hotspot detection in breast cancer: a comparative analysis of automated digital image analysis algorithms.

Aim: Manual detection and scoring of Ki67 hotspots is difficult and prone to variability, limiting its clinical utility. Automated hotspot detection and scoring by digital image analysis (DIA) could improve the assessment of the Ki67 hotspot proliferation index (PI). This study compared the clinical performance of Ki67 hotspot detection and scoring DIA algorithms based on virtual dual staining (VDS) and deep learning (DL) with manual Ki67 hotspot PI assessment.

Diagnosis of laryngopharyngeal carcinoma through office-based flexible laryngoscopy as a reliable alternative for biopsies under general anesthesia: Faster diagnostics with equal oncological outcome.

Purpose: Diagnostic endoscopy with biopsy under general anesthesia (DE-GA) is still considered as the established standard to assess laryngopharyngeal cancer patients. Office-based flexible laryngoscopic biopsy (FLB) offers an alternative, but the effect on oncological outcome remains uncertain. Therefore, the diagnostic process and survival of patients undergoing FLB, compared to those undergoing DE-GA were evaluated.

Quantitative comparison of immunohistochemical HER2-low detection in an interlaboratory study.

Aims: Recently, human epidermal growth factor 2 (HER2)-low (i.e. HER2 score 1+ or 2+ without amplification) breast cancer patients became eligible for trastuzumab-deruxtecan treatment.

Functional ex vivo DNA fibre assay to measure replication dynamics in breast cancer tissue.

Replication stress (RS) is a key trait of cancer cells, and a potential actionable target in cancer treatment. Accurate methods to measure RS in tumour samples are currently lacking. DNA fibre analysis has been used as a common technique to measure RS in cell lines.

Chronic Stress Related to Cancer Incidence, including the Role of Metabolic Syndrome Components.

Epidemiological results on the link between chronic stress and cancer initiation have been inconsistent. This study examined the relation between chronic biological stress, indicated as hair cortisol (HairF) and hair cortisone (HairE), and cancer incidence, adjusting for metabolic syndrome (MetS) components. We analyzed HairF and HairE samples from 6341 participants from the population-based cohort Lifelines in 2014.

Addition of tumor microenvironment immune cell composition to improve the performance of a predictive model for oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Background: Conventional clinicopathological characteristics insufficiently predict prognosis in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). We aimed to assess the added predictive value of tumor microenvironment immune cell composition (TMICC) in addition to conventional clinicopathological characteristics.

Methods: Primary tumor samples of 290 OSCC patients were immunohistochemically stained for CD4, CD8, CD20, CD68, CD163, CD57, FoxP3 and Programmed cell Death Ligand 1.

Potential imaging targets in primary head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and lymph node metastases.

Purpose: To investigate glycoprotein nonmetastatic melanoma protein B (GPNMB) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) as potential fluorescent imaging markers by comparing their protein expression to epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR).

Materials And Methods: Thirty-eight paired samples of untreated head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) primary tumours (PT) and corresponding synchronous lymph node metastases (LNM) were selected. After immunohistochemical staining, expression was assessed and compared by the percentage of positive tumour cells.

Considerable interlaboratory variation in PD-L1 positivity for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma in the Netherlands- A nationwide evaluation study.

Aims: Patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) are eligible for first-line immune checkpoint inhibition if their tumour is positive for programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) determined by the combined positive score (CPS). This nationwide study, using real-world data, investigated the developing PD-L1 testing landscape in the first 3 years after introduction of the test in HNSCC and examined interlaboratory variation in PD-L1 positivity rates.

Methods: Pathology reports of HNSCC patients mentioning PD-L1 were extracted from the Dutch Pathology Registry (Palga).

Increased Interferon Signaling in Vaginal Tissue of Patients With Primary Sjögren Syndrome.

Objective: Vaginal dryness is an important factor influencing sexual function in women with primary Sjögren syndrome (pSS). Previous studies showed a higher degree of inflammation in vaginal biopsies from patients with pSS compared to non-pSS controls. However, the molecular pathways that drive this inflammation remain unclear.

Histopathological comparison of Sjögren-related features between paired labial and parotid salivary gland biopsies of sicca patients.

Objectives: To compare focus score and other histopathological features between paired labial and parotid salivary gland biopsies in a diagnostic cohort of suspected Sjögren's disease (SjD) patients.

Methods: Labial and parotid salivary gland biopsies were simultaneously obtained from patients with sicca complaints, suspected of having SjD. Biopsies were formalin fixed and paraffin embedded.

Identification of new head and neck squamous cell carcinoma molecular imaging targets.

Objectives: Intraoperative fluorescence imaging (FI) of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is performed to identify tumour-positive surgical margins, currently using epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) as imaging target. EGFR, not exclusively present in HNSCC, may result in non-specific tracer accumulation in normal tissues. We aimed to identify new potential HNSCC FI targets.

Narrow band imaging reveals field cancerisation undetected by conventional white light: Optical diagnosis versus histopathology.

Objective: To assess whether narrow band imaging (NBI) detects fields of cancerisation around suspicious lesions in the upper aerodigestive tract, which were undetected by white light imaging (WLI).

Methods: In 96 patients with laryngeal and pharyngeal lesions suspicious for malignancy, 206 biopsies were taken during laryngoscopy: 96 biopsies of suspicious lesions detected by both WLI and NBI (WLI+/NBI+), 60 biopsies adjacent mucosa only suspicious with NBI (WLI-/NBI+), and 46 biopsies of NBI and WLI unsuspicious mucosa (WLI-/NBI-) as negative controls. Optical diagnosis according to the Ni-classification was compared with histopathology.

Correlation between Histopathological Prognostic Tumor Characteristics and [F]FDG Uptake in Corresponding Metastases in Newly Diagnosed Metastatic Breast Cancer.

Background: In metastatic breast cancer (MBC), [F]fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography ([F]FDG-PET/CT) can be used for staging. We evaluated the correlation between BC histopathological characteristics and [F]FDG uptake in corresponding metastases.

Patients And Methods: Patients with non-rapidly progressive MBC of all subtypes prospectively underwent a baseline histological metastasis biopsy and [F]FDG-PET.

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma: nationwide trends in subtype-specific incidence and survival over 3 decades in a non-endemic area.

Purpose: To identify trends in incidence and survival of NPC, subdivided by EBV status and histopathological subtype, over a 30-year period in the Netherlands.

Methods: Anonymized data from the Netherlands Cancer Registry and the Dutch Nationwide Pathology Databank (PALGA) for the period 1989-2018 were linked to identify and classify NPC cases.

Results: Incidence of NPC remained stable, with an annual percentage change (APC) of - 0.

Oncological and functional outcomes in T3 and T4 laryngeal cancer patients: choice for larynx preservation or total laryngectomy based on expected laryngeal function.

Objective: To determine oncological and functional outcomes in patients with T3 and T4 laryngeal carcinoma, in which choice of treatment was based on expected laryngeal function and not T classification.

Methods: Oncological outcomes (disease-specific survival and overall survival) as well as functional outcomes (larynx preservation and functional larynx preservation) were analysed.

Results: In 130 T3 and 59 T4 patients, there was no difference in disease-specific survival or overall survival rates after radiotherapy (RT) (107 patients), chemoradiotherapy (36 patients) and total laryngectomy (46 patients).

cGAS-STING pathway expression correlates with genomic instability and immune cell infiltration in breast cancer.

Genomic instability, as caused by oncogene-induced replication stress, can lead to the activation of inflammatory signaling, involving the cGAS-STING and JAK-STAT pathways. Inflammatory signaling has been associated with pro-tumorigenic features, but also with favorable response to treatment, including to immune checkpoint inhibition. In this study, we aim to explore relations between inflammatory signaling, markers of replication stress, and immune cell infiltration in breast cancer.

Presence of crown-like structures in breast adipose tissue; differences between healthy controls, BRCA1/2 gene mutation carriers and breast cancer patients.

Purpose: Crown-like structures (CLS) in breast adipose tissue are associated with inflammation and a potential factor in breast cancer behaviour. Whether this effect varies between breast cancer subtypes and is influenced by BMI and BRCA mutation status is presently unknown. Therefore, we compared CLS presence between adipose tissue of healthy controls, BRCA1/2 gene mutation carriers and breast cancer patients, and assessed the relation of CLS with clinical outcome in breast cancer patients.

Impact of health-related behavioral factors on participation in a cervical cancer screening program: the lifelines population-based cohort.

Background: Regular participation in cervical cancer screening is critical to reducing mortality. Although certain sociodemographic factors are known to be associated with one-time participation in screening, little is known about other factors that could be related to regular participation. Therefore, this study evaluated the association between health-related behavioral factors and regular participation in cervical cancer screening.