Interobserver Variation in the Assessment of Immunohistochemistry Expression Levels in HER2-Negative Breast Cancer: Can We Improve the Identification of Low Levels of HER2 Expression by Adjusting the Criteria? An International Interobserver Study.

The classification of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) expression is optimized to detect HER2-amplified breast cancer (BC). However, novel HER2-targeting agents are also effective for BCs with low levels of HER2. This raises the question whether the current guidelines for HER2 testing are sufficiently reproducible to identify HER2-low BC.

The Impact of Tumor Regression on Prognosis After Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy in Surgically Treated Esophageal Adenocarcinoma.

Background: The 5-year survival for patients with esophageal carcinoma remains poor despite neoadjuvant therapy and surgery. The eighth American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) staging, based on the neoadjuvant treated TNM (ypTNM) stage of the resection specimen, is used for prognosis. Tumor characteristics such as tumor grade, subtype of adenocarcinoma, and tumor regression scores are not included in this classification.

Modifying Graft-versus-Host Disease in a Humanized Mouse Model by Targeting Macrophages or B-Cells.

Humanized mouse models can well be modified to study specific aspects of Graft-versus-Host Disease (GvHD). This paper shows the results of both macrophage depletion and (early) B-cell depletion in a humanized mouse model using RAG2 c mice injected with HuPBMCs. Macrophage depletion showed a significant decrease in survival and also lead to a change in the histomorphology of the xenogeneic reaction.

Clinical versus histological grading in the assessment of cutaneous graft versus host disease.

Background: Skin biopsies are often used in daily practice for the diagnosis of acute (aGvHD) or chronic graft versus host disease (cGvHD). With the latest understanding in pathogenesis and new National Institute of Health (NIH) classifications for aGvHD and cGvHD, there is a need to evaluate the current prognostic value of histological grading cutaneous GvHD and its correlation to the clinical grade.

Methods: In a retrospective study with 120 skin biopsies (all taken for suspected GvHD) from 110 patients (all classified according to the NIH), biopsies were revised and graded, blinded for clinical information, for either acute of chronic features.

Progression of a solitary plasmacytoma to multiple myeloma. A population-based registry of the northern Netherlands.

Plasmacytoma is characterized by a local accumulation of monoclonal plasma cells without criteria for multiple myeloma (MM). The current treatment regimen is local radiotherapy. However, more than 50% of patients develop MM within 2 years after treatment.

Humanized mouse models in transplantation research.

The interest in the use of humanized mouse models for research topics like Graft versus Host Disease (GvHD), allograft studies and other studies to the human immune system is growing. The design of these models is still improving and enables even more complicated studies to these topics. For researchers it can be difficult to choose the best option from the current pool of available models.

Immunophenotyping of male breast cancer.

Aims: Male breast cancer is a rare disease, and knowledge of carcinogenesis is limited. Conflicting results, based on small series, have been reported for clinically relevant biomarkers.

Methods And Results: One hundred and thirty-four cases of male breast cancer were immunohistochemically stained on tissue microarrays for oestrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), androgen receptor, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), BRST2, cyclin D1, bcl-2, p53, p16, p21, Ki67, cytokeratin (CK) 5/6, CK14, and epidermal growth factor receptor.

Promoter hypermethylation in male breast cancer: analysis by multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification.

Introduction: Epigenetic events are, along with genetic alteration, important in the development and progression of cancer. Promoter hypermethylation causes gene silencing and is thought to be an early event in carcinogenesis. The role of promoter hypermethylation in male breast cancer has not yet been studied.

Fibrotic focus and hypoxia in male breast cancer.

Fibrotic focus is a scar-like lesion near the center of a carcinoma and has been associated with high-grade, lymph node metastases and poor survival in female breast cancers. Hypoxia is suggested to be the crucial link between fibrotic focus and aggressive tumor phenotype and is also itself a poor prognostic marker. We here set out to study fibrotic focus and hypoxia in male breast cancer for the first time.

The influence of genetic factors on the osteoinductive potential of calcium phosphate ceramics in mice.

The efficacy of calcium phosphate (CaP) ceramics in healing large bone defects is, in general, not as high as that of autologous bone grafting. Recently, we reported that CaP ceramics with osteoinductive properties were as efficient in healing an ilium defect of a sheep as autologous bone graft was, which makes this subclass of CaP ceramics a powerful alternative for bone regeneration. Although osteoinduction by CaP ceramics has been shown in several large animal models it is sporadically reported in mice.

Oncogene amplification in male breast cancer: analysis by multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification.

Gene amplification is an important mechanism for oncogene activation, a crucial step in carcinogenesis. Compared to female breast cancer, little is known on the genetic makeup of male breast cancer, because large series are lacking. Copy number changes of 21 breast cancer related genes were studied in 110 male breast cancers using multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification.

Molecular subtyping of male breast cancer by immunohistochemistry.

Molecular subtyping of breast cancer by gene expression has proven its significance in females. Immunohistochemical surrogates have been used for this classification, because gene expression profiling is not yet routinely feasible. Male breast cancer is rare and large series are lacking.

Actual use of a front-of-pack nutrition logo in the supermarket: consumers' motives in food choice.

Objective: A front-of-pack nutrition logo on products with relatively favourable product compositions might help consumers to make more healthful choices. Studies investigating actual nutrition label use in point-of-purchase settings are scarce. The present study investigates the use of the 'Choices' nutrition logo in Dutch supermarkets.

A new xenograft model for graft-versus-host disease by intravenous transfer of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells in RAG2-/- gammac-/- double-mutant mice.

The safe application of new strategies for the treatment of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is hampered by the lack of a clinically relevant model for preclinical testing. Current models are based on intraperitoneal transfer of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (huPBMCs) into NOD-SCID (nonobese diabetic-severe combined immunodeficient)/SCID mice. Intravenous transfer would be preferred but this has always been ineffective.