The Premetastatic Lymph Node Niche in Gynecologic Cancer.

It has been suggested that a primary tumor can "prepare" the draining of lymph nodes to "better accommodate" future metastatic cells, thus implying the presence of a premetastatic lymph node niche. However, this phenomenon remains unclear in gynecological cancers. The aim of this study was to evaluate lymph-node draining in gynecological cancers for premetastatic niche factors, such as myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), immunosuppressive macrophages, cytotoxic T cells, immuno-modulatory molecules, and factors of the extracellular matrix.

Crystal-Storing Histiocytosis: The Iceberg of More Serious Conditions.

Crystal-storing histiocytosis is a rare condition that is histologically characterized by intracellular cytoplasmic crystalline inclusions. It usually presents monoclonal immunoglobulins that deposit within histiocytes, which accumulate and affect different organs of the human body and are commonly associated with lymphoproliferative conditions, especially those with plasmacytic differentiation. The prognosis of this condition is variable and related to the underlying clinical disease.

Technique of flat-mount immunostaining for mapping the olfactory epithelium and counting the olfactory sensory neurons.

The pathophysiology underlying olfactory dysfunction is still poorly understood, and more efficient biomolecular tools are necessary to explore this aspect. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) on cross sections is one of the major tools to study the olfactory epithelium (OE), but does not allow reliable counting of olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) or cartography of the OE. In this study, we want to present an easy immunostaining technique to compensate for these defects of IHC.

PD-L1 expression in head and neck cancer tissue specimens decreases with time.

Background: PD-L1 immunohistochemical expression is used as an important theranostic marker in various malignancies, including head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) where the combined positive score (CPS) guides treatment decisions. Despite indirect evidence that there is loss of antigenicity for archived tissues, there is no direct comparison between PD-L1 expression of the same tissue upon arrival and after its storage.

Material And Methods: We compared the immunohistochemical expression of PD-L1 (22C3) in 106 HNSCC upon their arrival and after their storage (interval ranging from 20 to 48 months, mean 30.

STAT6 and phosphorylated STAT6 are differentially expressed in lymphomas.

Background: The STAT6 pathway is implicated in the pathogenesis of various lymphomas; however, its immunohistochemical expression has not been fully investigated. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the immunohistochemical expression of the two forms of STAT6, phosphorylated or not, in a series of systemic lymphomas.

Materials And Methods: Immunohistochemical expression of two antibodies, STAT6 (clone YE361) and pSTAT6 (clone Y641), which recognise the phosphorylated form of the molecule was studied in 60 lymphomas.

Primary central nervous system lymphomas express immunohistochemical factors of autophagy.

Primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) is an aggressive and rare disease. Autophagy is a catabolic mechanism boosting various tumors, including lymphomas; its inhibition is thus a promising therapeutic target. Its presence has never been studied in PCNSLs.

Autophagy and immune microenvironment in craniopharyngioma and ameloblastoma.

Background: Craniopharyngiomas and ameloblastomas show remarkable histologic and molecular similarities. The immune microenvironment of craniopharyngiomas has been recently studied showing interesting findings, while its composition in ameloblastomas is unknown. Similarly, some evidence of autophagic activity, a process of cellular constituents' degradation has been found in ameloblastomas, but no studies exist in craniopharyngiomas.

Autophagy in cardiac myxoma: An important puzzle piece in understanding its inflammatory environment.

Background: Cardiac myxomas are rare, predominantly sporadic tumors that can cause heart failure and systematic inflammatory symptoms, and increase the risk of emboli. Their pathophysiology remains poorly understood, but intra-tumoral inflammation and senescence seem to be implicated in it. One of the principal cellular mechanisms implicated in tumor progression is autophagy, largely unknown in myxomas.

Dual laryngeal reinnervation in bilateral vocal fold paralysis: anatomical pitfalls.

Background: Bilateral laryngeal reinnervation can be a promising procedure for reanimation of laryngeal muscles, but currently not yet standardized. Besides patient conditions some intraoperative anatomical pitfalls need to be solved.

Methods: Twelve human head and neck specimens (24 sides) have been studied using microdissection and histological serial sections of the nerves.

Expression of STAT6 and Phosphorylated STAT6 in Primary Central Nervous System Lymphomas.

The signal transducer and activator of transcription 6 (STAT6) is implicated in the pathogenesis of some lymphomas including primary central nervous system lymphomas (PCNSLs). The aim of this study was to investigate STAT6 expression and clinicopathologic features in 25 PCNSLs using immunohistochemistry with 2 different anti-STAT6 antibodies. One (YE361) recognizes the C-terminus domain of the STAT6 protein and the other (Y641) recognizes the phosphorylated form of the protein.

The Immune Microenvironment of Chordomas: An Immunohistochemical Analysis.

Chordomas are rare sarcomas that are usually treated by surgery and/or radiotherapy since these are chemo-resistant tumors, but immunotherapy could be a possible option for chordoma patients. However, few reports investigating the composition of the chordoma immune microenvironment exist. We immunohistochemically studied 81 chordomas regarding their immune microenvironment factors and compared them with clinicopathological data.

Immunohistochemical analysis of L1 cell adhesion molecule and high endothelial venules in breast cancer brain metastasis.

Background: The vasculature is a crucial factor in tumor development. Vascular co-option achieved by the L1 cell adhesion molecule (L1CAM) and lymphocyte recruitment inside tumors by high endothelial venules (HEVs) are important prognostic factors in primary breast cancer. Their status in breast cancer brain metastasis is unknown.

STAT6: A review of a signaling pathway implicated in various diseases with a special emphasis in its usefulness in pathology.

Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 6 (STAT6), belonging to a family of seven similar members is primarily stimulated by interleukin(IL)-4 and IL-13, and acts as a T helper type 2 (Th2)-inducing factor. Thus, it is implicated in the pathophysiology of various allergic conditions, such as asthma, atopic dermatitis, eosinophilic esophagitis and food allergies, but also in tumor microenvironment regulation. Furthermore, certain forms of lymphomas, notably the Hodgkin lymphoma group, the primary mediastinal and primary central nervous system lymphoma, as well as some follicular and T cell lymphomas are associated with dysregulation of the STAT6 pathway.

Patterns of brachyury expression in chordomas.

Introduction: Chordomas are rare malignant midline tumors, presumed to arise from notochordal remnants. This was further suggested by the discovery of the brachyury in chordomas pathogenesis. Its immunohistochemical expression has become the principal adjunct in the diagnosis of chordomas.

Autophagic Markers in Chordomas: Immunohistochemical Analysis and Comparison with the Immune Microenvironment of Chordoma Tissues.

Chordomas are notably resistant to chemotherapy. One of the cytoprotective mechanisms implicated in chemoresistance is autophagy. There are indirect data that autophagy could be implicated in chordomas, but its presence has not been studied in chordoma tissues.

Senescence, immune microenvironment, and vascularization in cardiac myxomas.

Aims: Cardiac myxomas are rare tumors of incompletely elucidated pathogenesis. The aim of this study is to explore the possible presence of a senescence phenotype in cardiac myxomas, associated with an inflammatory and vasculogenic tumor microenvironment.

Methods And Results: This is a retrospective study of 29 cardiac myxomas with immunohistochemical detection of various inflammatory, vascular, and senescence markers.

High endothelial venules are present in pharyngeal and laryngeal carcinomas and they are associated with better prognosis.

Background: Tumors lymphocytic infiltration has prognostic and predictive value. However, the mechanisms involved in lymphocyte recruitment remain poorly characterized. High endothelial venules (HEV) are blood vessels specialized in lymphocyte recruitment, recently showing prognostic significance in some types of cancer.

INSM1 Expression in Chordomas.

Objectives: Chordomas are rare malignant tumors with a broad differential diagnosis, including chondrosarcomas and metastatic carcinomas. Recently, insulinoma-associated protein 1 (INSM1) has gained great interest regarding the diagnosis of neuroendocrine tumors but also extraskeletal myxoid chondrosarcomas. However, its expression in chordomas remains largely unknown.

The transcriptional factors CDX2 and FOXA1 in chordomas.

Chordomas are rare osseous tumors believed to originate from notochordal remnants through brachyury activation. CDX2 and FOXA1 are both induced by brachyury, but their expression has not been studied in chordomas. We retrospectively studied the immunohistochemical expression of these two factors in 57 chordomas, finding that CDX2 is not expressed in these tumors.

Maxillary Ameloblastoma: A Review With Clinical, Histological and Prognostic Data of a Rare Tumor.

Diagnosis of odontogenic tumors can be challenging due to their rarity and diverse morphology, but when arising near the tooth, the diagnosis could be suspected. When their location is not typical, like inside the paranasal sinuses, the diagnosis is less easy. Maxillary ameloblastomas are exceedingly rare with only sparse information on their epidemiological, histological and genetic characteristics.

Brain metastasis PD-L1 and CD8 expression is dependent on primary tumor type and its PD-L1 and CD8 status.

Background: Brain metastases (Bmets) are frequent; however, limited data exist on the efficacy of immunotherapy in these lesions. The aims of the study were to analyze the immunohistochemical expressions of programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) and CD8 in Bmets and to compare them with their expressions in paired primary tumors, as well as correlate the results with clinicopathological features.

Methods: This is a retrospective study of 233 patients with Bmets and 111 paired primaries.

Chordomas: A review with emphasis on their pathophysiology, pathology, molecular biology, and genetics.

Chordomas are uncommon, bone, axial, or (rarely) extra-axial tumors that are malignant and frequently recur but less commonly metastasize. They usually affect adults, with a very small proportion being pediatric tumors. For children, such tumors present a different biology, since they are more common as scull rather than sacral tumors, with aggressive histological features, including a loss of SMARCB1/INI1 and a dismal prognosis.