C-C chemokine receptor 4 (CCR4)-positive regulatory T cells interact with tumor-associated macrophages to facilitate metastatic potential after radiation.

Purpose: Our previous study revealed that elevated C-C motif chemokine ligand 2 (CCL2) secretion by irradiated cancer cells recruited C-C motif chemokine receptor 2 (CCR2)-positive myeloid cells and polarized M2-type tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), promoting lung metastasis in an established mouse model. This study investigated the impact of CCL2 and TAMs on adaptive immunity.

Methods: We assessed the influence of CCL2 and TAMs on adaptive immunity through two ectopic allograft mouse models constructed with MB49 bladder cancer cells and Lewis lung carcinoma cells.

Tumor-Derived C-C Motif Ligand 2 Induces the Recruitment and Polarization of Tumor-Associated Macrophages and Increases the Metastatic Potential of Bladder Cancer Cells in the Postirradiated Microenvironment.

Purpose: Radiation therapy (RT) is mainly used for bladder preservation in patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer. The response of urothelial tumors to RT remains unsatisfactory. We investigated the interaction of RT and tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) in the context of bladder cancer radioresistance.

Acrolein contributes to urothelial carcinomas in patients with chronic kidney disease.

Background: Urothelial carcinomas (UCs) are highly prevalent in patients with end-stage renal disease. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is the predecessor of end-stage renal disease, and it is also associated with UC. However, the interplay between CKD and UC lacks solid evidence.

Nuclear Factor-κB Overexpression is Correlated with Poor Outcomes after Multimodality Bladder-Preserving Therapy in Patients with Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer.

The aim of this study was to investigate prognostic molecular targets for selecting patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer undergoing bladder-preserving therapy. Pretreatment biopsy samples from patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer receiving trimodality bladder-preserving therapy were analyzed for expression levels of p53, p16, human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (Her-2), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), nuclear factor-kappa B (NFκB; p65), E-cadherin, matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP9), meiotic recombination 11 homolog (MRE11), programmed death-1 ligand (PD-L1), and mismatch repair proteins (MLH1, PMS2, MSH2, and MSH6) by immunohistochemical (IHC) staining. The correlations between these molecular markers with local progression-free survival (LPFS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), and overall survival (OS) were explored.

Biological significance of GATA3, cytokeratin 20, cytokeratin 5/6 and p53 expression in muscle-invasive bladder cancer.

Genetic profiling studies on muscle-invasive bladder cancers (MIBCs) have discovered molecular subtypes with different biological characteristics. Immunohistochemical (IHC) markers such as GATA3, cytokeratin (CK) 20, CK5/6, and p53 are associated with these subtypes. In this study, we investigated the biological and prognostic significance of these IHC markers in MIBCs from 91 patients who underwent radical cystectomy.

TP53 Mutational Analysis Enhances the Prognostic Accuracy of IHC4 and PAM50 Assays.

IHC4 and PAM50 assays have been shown to provide additional prognostic information for patients with early breast cancer. We evaluated whether incorporating TP53 mutation analysis can further enhance their prognostic accuracy. We examined TP53 mutation and the IHC4 score in tumors of 605 patients diagnosed with stage I-III breast cancer at National Taiwan University Hospital (the NTUH cohort).

Overlap of CD44 expression between prostatic small cell carcinoma and acinar adenocarcinoma.

Small cell carcinoma (SmCC) of the prostate is a rare and aggressive histologic subtype of the prostate cancer. It can sometimes mimic acinar adenocarcinoma with a high Gleason score (GS). A previous study showed that immunohistochemical staining for CD44 could help in the differential diagnosis of these 2 entities.

Rosai-Dorfman disease of the genito-urinary tract: analysis of six cases from the testis and kidney.

Aims: Rosai-Dorfman disease (RDD) commonly occurs in lymph nodes, but it can also affect the genitourinary (GU) system. In a search of GU RDD, we identified three cases involving the testis and three the kidney.

Methods And Results: The mean age was 52.

Value of transition zone biopsy in active surveillance of prostate cancer.

Purpose: For patients on active surveillance there are limited data on transition zone sampling upon followup biopsy. We verified the value of transition zone biopsy in the active surveillance setting.

Materials And Methods: Our study included 1,059 sets of prostate biopsies from a total of 534 patients on active surveillance at the Johns Hopkins Hospital.

Differential expression of ubiquitin carboxy-terminal hydrolase L1 in breast carcinoma and its biological significance.

Ubiquitin carboxy-terminal hydrolase L1 (UCHL1) is a deubiquitinating enzyme that hydrolyzes ubiquitin. Previous reports have shown both tumorigenic and antitumorigenic roles for UCHL1. However, the expression patterns of UCHL1 protein, an area that is critical for validating its clinicopathologic roles among subtypes of breast cancer, is still lacking.

Ubiquitin carboxy-terminal hydrolase L1 may be involved in the development of mammary phyllodes tumors.

Phyllodes tumors (PTs) are characterized by co-proliferation of the stroma and epithelium, with the stroma being the neoplastic element. Ubiquitin carboxy-terminal hydrolase L1 (UCHL1) is a deubiquitinating enzyme that was originally considered to be a neuronal-specific marker, but later reports have shown both tumorigenic and antitumorigenic roles for UCHL1. Although a role for UCHL1 has been explored in many cancers, a study on PTs has never been reported.

Clinical significance of ESR1 gene copy number changes in breast cancer as measured by fluorescence in situ hybridisation.

Aims: The ESR1 gene encodes for oestrogen receptor (ER) α, which plays a crucial role in mammary carcinogenesis and clinical outcome in patients with breast cancer. However, the clinical significance of the ESR1 gene copy number change for breast cancer has not been clarified.

Methods: ESR1 gene copy number was determined by fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) on tissue sections.

Underexpression of hepatocyte nuclear factor-1β in chromophobe renal cell carcinoma.

Aims: Chromophobe renal cell carcinoma (ChRCC) is an uncommon malignant renal neoplasm with a generally indolent clinical behaviour. Previous studies revealed biallelic inactivation of the hepatocyte nuclear factor-1β (HNF1β) gene in several patients with ChRCC. The aims of this study were to determine HNF1β expression in renal neoplasms and the potential of HNF1β as a diagnostic marker for ChRCC.

Primary gastric synovial sarcoma.

Synovial sarcoma is a malignant soft tissue neoplasm that may arise from a variety of sites in the human body. It is typically characterized by its biphasic histological pattern, but a monophasic type composed entirely of spindle cells also exists. The diagnosis of monophasic synovial sarcoma can be very challenging and often requires molecular diagnostic techniques, especially for tumors arising in rare locations such as the gastrointestinal tract.

Aqueous Extract of Paeonia suffruticosa Inhibits Migration and Metastasis of Renal Cell Carcinoma Cells via Suppressing VEGFR-3 Pathway.

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) cells are characterized by strong drug resistance and high metastatic incidence. In this study, the effects of ten kinds of Chinese herbs on RCC cell migration and proliferation were examined. Aqueous extract of Paeonia suffruticosa (PS-A) exerted strong inhibitory effects on cancer cell migration, mobility, and invasion.

Differential expression of moesin in breast cancers and its implication in epithelial-mesenchymal transition.

Aims: Moesin belongs to the ERM (ezrin, radixin and moesin) family. Recent in-vitro studies have shown the possible involvement of moesin in epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), but correlating in-vivo evidence is lacking.

Methods And Results: To study the biological significance of moesin, we used immunohistochemistry to investigate the in-situ expression profiles of moesin in 322 breast carcinomas of different subtypes, including 23 cases of metaplastic carcinoma (MCB) which is pathogenetically considered to involve EMT.

Sporadic hemangioblastoma of the kidney in a 29-year-old man.

Hemangioblastoma of the kidney is a rare, newly recognized tumor with morphological features similar to its cerebellar counterpart. There have been only 4 cases reported in the literature in English, all of them occurring in middle-aged to elderly patients. Here, we report a case of renal hemangioblastoma in a young adult without clinical evidence of von Hippel-Lindau disease.

Prognostic molecular markers in women aged 35 years or younger with breast cancer: is there a difference from the older patients?

Background: Women aged ≤ 35 years with breast cancer have a poor prognosis, but their prognostic factors have not been clearly defined.

Aims: To evaluate whether the molecular markers used in age-unspecified breast cancer could also be applied to women ≤ 35 years.

Methods: Archival tumours from patients aged ≤ 35 years with stage I-III breast cancer were collected.

Nicotinamide N-methyltransferase induces cellular invasion through activating matrix metalloproteinase-2 expression in clear cell renal cell carcinoma cells.

Nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT) was recently identified as one clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC)-associated gene by analyzing full-length complementary DNA-enriched libraries of ccRCC tissues. The aim of this study is to investigate the potential role of NNMT in cellular invasion. A strong NNMT expression is accompanied with a high invasive activity in ccRCC cell lines, and small interfering RNA-mediated NNMT knockdown effectively suppressed the invasive capacity of ccRCC cells, whereas NNMT overexpression markedly enhanced that of human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK293) cells.

Huge adrenal ganglioneuroma.

We describe a 53-year-old man who presented with epigastralgia for 1 month. He had 3-year history of increased stool frequency and hypertension. An incidental adrenal mass 19 cm in largest diameter was discovered by computed tomography.