HER2, chromosome 17 polysomy and DNA ploidy status in breast cancer; a translational study.

Breast cancer treatment depends on human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2) status, which is often determined using dual probe fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH). Hereby, also loss and gain of the centromere of chromosome 17 (CEP17) can be observed (HER2 is located on chromosome 17). CEP17 gain can lead to difficulty in interpretation of HER2 status, since this might represent true polysomy.

Eight-Color Multiplex Immunohistochemistry for Simultaneous Detection of Multiple Immune Checkpoint Molecules within the Tumor Microenvironment.

Therapies targeting immune checkpoint molecules CTLA-4 and PD-1/PD-L1 have advanced the field of cancer immunotherapy. New mAbs targeting different immune checkpoint molecules, such as TIM3, CD27, and OX40, are being developed and tested in clinical trials. To make educated decisions and design new combination treatment strategies, it is vital to learn more about coexpression of both inhibitory and stimulatory immune checkpoints on individual cells within the tumor microenvironment.

Direct inhibition of STAT signaling by platinum drugs contributes to their anti-cancer activity.

Platinum-based chemotherapeutics are amongst the most powerful anti-cancer drugs. Although their exact mechanism of action is not well understood, it is thought to be mediated through covalent DNA binding. We investigated the effect of platinum-based chemotherapeutics on signaling through signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) proteins, which are involved in many oncogenic signaling pathways.

Multispectral imaging for highly accurate analysis of tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes in primary melanoma.

Aims: The quality and quantity of the infiltration of immune cells into tumour tissues have substantial impacts on patients' clinical outcomes, and are associated with response to immunotherapy. Therefore, the precise analysis of tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) is becoming an important additional pathological biomarker. Analysis of TILs is usually performed semiquantitatively by pathologists on haematoxylin and eosin-stained or immunostained tissue sections.

T-cell Landscape in a Primary Melanoma Predicts the Survival of Patients with Metastatic Disease after Their Treatment with Dendritic Cell Vaccines.

Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes appear to be a predictor of survival in many cancers, including cutaneous melanoma. We applied automated multispectral imaging to determine whether density and distribution of T cells within primary cutaneous melanoma tissue correlate with survival of metastatic melanoma patients after dendritic cell (DC) vaccination. CD3(+) T cell infiltration in primary tumors from 77 metastatic melanoma patients was quantified using the ratio of intratumoral versus peritumoral T-cell densities (I/P ratio).