Pathogenic variants (mutations) and other molecular events involving subunits of the SWItch/Sucrose Non-Fermentable chromatin remodelling complex are common in a wide variety of malignancies. Many of these neoplasms are characterized by undifferentiated morphology. They arise at a variety of sites in the female genital tract but have rarely been reported in the uterine cervix.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSuperficial CD34-positive fibroblastic tumor is a mesenchymal neoplasm of "intermediate malignancy" recently included in the fifth edition of the World Health Organization classification of soft tissue and bone tumors. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge on this rare entity with a special focus on its clinicopathological features, morphologic spectrum, and differential diagnosis. We also provide data regarding recent discoveries on its molecular profile and discuss its prognosis and management.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAims: NTRK-rearranged sarcomas of the female genital tract mainly occur in the uterus (more commonly cervix than corpus) and are characterized by a "fibrosarcoma-like" morphology and NTRK gene rearrangements. These neoplasms may exhibit histological overlap with other entities and can present diagnostic difficulties without molecular confirmation. Pan-TRK immunohistochemistry was developed to identify tumours harbouring NTRK rearrangements.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRisk assessment of gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) according to the AFIP/Miettinen classification and mutational profiling are major tools for patient management. However, the AFIP/Miettinen classification depends heavily on mitotic counts, which is laborious and sometimes inconsistent between pathologists. It has also been shown to be imperfect in stratifying patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSince the publication of the 2020 World Health Organization classification of soft tissue and bone tumors, the classification of "fibroblastic" tumors has expanded to include a novel subset of tumors characterized by PRRX1::NCOA1/2 gene fusions. These tumors defy conventional classification and are morphologically distinct, characterized by a multi-nodular growth of bland spindle cells suspended in a myxo-collagenous stroma with mild cytologic atypia, "staghorn-like" vessels, and variable perivascular hyalinization. Mitotic activity is rare, and necrosis is not identified.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGiant cell tumors (GCTs) with high mobility group AT-Hook 2 ( HMGA2 )::nuclear receptor corepressor 2 ( NCOR2 ) fusion are rare mesenchymal tumors of controversial nosology, which have been anecdotally reported to respond to CSFR1 inhibitors. Here, we performed a comprehensive study of 6 GCTs with HMGA2::NCOR2 fusion and explored their relationship with other giant cell-rich neoplasms. Tumors occurred in 4 females and 2 males ranging in age from 17 to 32 years old (median 24).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAims: NTRK gene fusions have been described in a wide variety of central nervous system (CNS) and soft tissue tumours, including the provisional tumour type 'spindle cell neoplasm, NTRK-rearranged' (SCN-NTRK), added to the 2020 World Health Organisation Classification of Soft Tissue Tumours. Because of histopathological and molecular overlaps with other soft tissue entities, controversy remains concerning the lineage and terminology of SCN-NTRK.
Methods And Results: This study included 16 mesenchymal tumours displaying kinase gene fusions (NTRK fusions and one MET fusion) initially diagnosed as infantile fibrosarcomas (IFS), SCN-NTRK and adult-type fibrosarcomas from the soft tissue, viscera and CNS.
We report a unique primary cervical neoplasm in a 44-yr-old woman which we believe, based on the morphology and immunophenotype, represents an extremely unusual small cell variant of paraganglioma. This represents the first report of a primary cervical paraganglioma. Following chemoradiation treatment, the tumor underwent malignant transformation into an S100 and SOX10 positive sarcoma, morphologically and immunohistochemically resembling a malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor, which we believe represents a sarcoma derived from the sustentacular cells of the paraganglioma.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe landscape of uterine sarcomas has greatly expanded in recent years to include neoplasms with recurrent gene fusions, such as BCOR and YWHAE translocated high-grade endometrial stromal sarcomas. Sophisticated molecular techniques have also resulted in the description of "new" entities associated with recurrent kinase fusions involving NTRK and RET as well as COL1A1-PDGFB rearranged uterine sarcomas. These rare neoplasms will be discussed in this review, highlighting that some of the underlying molecular events are clinically actionable and potentially susceptible to targeted therapy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMesenchymal neoplasms of the uterus (corpus and cervix) encompass a heterogeneous group of tumors with differing morphologies, immunophenotypes and molecular alterations. With the advent of modern molecular techniques, such as next generation sequencing, newly defined genetic abnormalities are being reported in this group of neoplasms. Herein we report the clinicopathological and molecular features of a series of 13 spindle cell sarcomas of the uterus and vagina (10 cervix, 2 uterine corpus, 1 vagina) with morphology resembling fibrosarcoma.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiphenotypic sinonasal sarcoma (BSNS) is a locally aggressive tumor occurring in the sinonasal region. It harbors both myogenic and neural differentiation and is characterized by PAX3 rearrangement with MAML3 as the most frequent fusion partner, but the partner of PAX3 remains unidentified in a subset of cases. About 70 cases have been reported so far.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Next-generation sequencing of large panel of genes had been associated with clinical benefit in a significant proportion of patients with advanced cancer. However, the molecular profile of the primary tumour from the initial surgical specimen might significantly differ from the molecular profile in a tumour sample obtained from a biopsy of a metastatic site.
Patients And Methods: We compare the genetic profile of primary tumours and paired metastases by using a large panel of cancer genes.
Background: Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) is a rare tumor, with poorly defined oncogenic molecular mechanisms and limited therapeutic options contributing to its poor prognosis. The aims of this retrospective study were to determine the frequency of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) translocations and to identify the mutational profile of ATC including TERT promoter mutations.
Methods And Materials: One hundred and forty-four ATC cases were collected from 10 centers that are a part of the national French network for management of refractory thyroid tumors.
Previous precision medicine studies have investigated conventional molecular techniques and/or limited sets of gene alterations. The aim of this study was to describe the impact of the next-generation sequencing of the largest panel of genes used to date in tumour tissue and blood in the context of institutional molecular screening programmes. DNA analysis was performed by next-generation sequencing using a panel of 426 cancer-related genes and by comparative genomic hybridization from formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded archived tumour samples when available or from fresh tumour samples.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDesmoid type fibromatosis (DT) is a rare lesion of unclear pathogenesis that most often presents a mutation of the (β-catenin) gene. The natural history and clinical evolution are highly variable between patients and to date there is no consensus on optimal therapy. We report two cases of a patient with multiple DT lesions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUterine tumor resembling ovarian sex cord tumor (UTROSCT) is a rare neoplasm which morphologically and immunohistochemically exhibits overlap with an ovarian sex cord tumor. Although many of these neoplasms are positive with markers of ovarian sex cord-stromal tumors, staining is often limited and the pathogenesis of UTROSCT is unknown. To further explore the sex cord lineage of UTROSCT, we studied 19 of these neoplasms and examined the expression of 2 recently described markers of ovarian sex cord-stromal tumors, FOXL2, and steroidogenic factor-1.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNutlin inhibits TP53-MDM2 interaction and is under investigation in soft-tissue sarcomas (STS) and other malignancies. Molecular mechanisms of secondary resistance to nutlin in STS are unknown. We performed whole-transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq) on three pretreatment and secondary resistant STS cell lines selected based on their high primary sensitivity to nutlin.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSecretory breast carcinoma (SBC) is a rare breast carcinoma with distinctive morphologic features and a recurrent specific chromosomal translocation t(12;15)(p13;q25), usually of low histologic grade and favorable prognosis. We describe the morphologic and genetic characteristics of 11 cases of SBC from 10 patients. Histologic and immunohistochemical analyses, fluorescence in situ hybridization using break-apart probes specific to ETV6 on 12p13, reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction with in-house probes specific to the ETV6-NTRK3 gene fusion, and DNA copy number variation by array comparative genomic hybridization analyses were performed on all cases.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Mutated KIT and platelet-derived growth factor alpha gene (PDGFRA) drive GI stromal tumor (GIST) oncogenesis, but the clinical significance of their single mutations is known incompletely.
Patients And Methods: We identified 11 population-based series of patients with GIST through a literature search and pooled individual data from 3,067 patients treated with macroscopically complete tumor excision. Mutation analysis was done from 1,505 tumors.
Purpose: Although the mutational status in gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) can predict the response to treatment with tyrosine kinase inhibitors, the role of tumor genotype as a prognostic factor remains controversial. The ConticaGIST study sought to determine the pathologic and molecular factors associated with disease-free survival (DFS) in patients with operable, imatinib-naive GIST.
Experimental Design: Clinicopathologic and molecular data from 1,056 patients with localized GIST who underwent surgery with curative intention (R0/R1) and were registered in the European ConticaGIST database were prospectively obtained and reviewed.