Ki-67 proliferative index (PI) scoring is measured by estimating the proportion of the number of active cell nuclei in hotspot regions within immunohistochemical (IHC) stained slides. It provides valuable information about the rate of proliferation in a tumour. Manual scoring of Ki-67 PI is laborious, time-consuming and often the victim of interobserver variability between pathologists.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: To compare the performance of droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR) and plasma next-generation sequencing (NGS) in detecting clearance of plasma EGFR (pEGFR) mutations.
Methods: Patients with treatment-naive advanced EGFR-mutated lung cancer treated with first-line tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) were included. pEGFR were measured at baseline and first response assessment using ddPCR and NGS.
Curr Opin Pulm Med
January 2024
Purpose Of Review: Lung cancer is one of the most common malignancies in the whole world, and the pulmonologist is generally the first medical professional to meet the patient and decide what method of tumour sampling is preferable in each specific case. It is imperative for pulmonary physicians to be aware of the intricacies of the diagnostic process, and understand the multiple challenges that are encountered, from the moment the tissue specimen leaves their offices and is sent to the pathology laboratory, until the diagnosis reaches the patient and treating physician.
Recent Findings: The new 2021 WHO classification of thoracic tumours recommended a minimum immunohistochemical (IHC) diagnostic panel for nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and following publications of different institutional and country-based guidelines, advocated basic molecular testing for epithelial growth factor receptor (EGFR), anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) and programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) to be initiated by the diagnosing pathologist in all cases of biopsy or resection specimens.
Introduction: Although immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have dramatically improved outcomes for nononcogene-addicted NSCLC, monotherapy with programmed cell death protein-1 (PD1) inhibition has been associated with low efficacy in the EGFR-mutant setting. Given the potential for synergism with combination checkpoint blockade, we designed a trial to test the activity of combination nivolumab (N)-ipilimumab (NI) in EGFR-mutant NSCLC.
Methods: This is a randomized phase 2 study (NCT03091491) of N versus NI combination in EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI)-resistant NSCLC, with crossover permitted on disease progression.
Purpose: -altered non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) represents a diverse subgroup, including mutations, amplifications, and overexpression. However, exon 20 insertion mutations are emerging as a distinct molecular subtype with expanding therapeutic options. We describe the molecular epidemiology and genomic features of -altered NSCLC in an Asian tertiary cancer center.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNat Genet
July 2022
Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is characterized by hepatic steatosis, lobular inflammation, and fibrosis. Thyroid hormone (TH) reduces steatosis; however, the therapeutic effect of TH on NASH-associated inflammation and fibrosis is not known. This study examined the therapeutic effect of TH on hepatic inflammation and fibrosis during NASH and investigated THs molecular actions on autophagy and mitochondrial biogenesis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Gene fusions involving R-spondin (RSPOfp) and RNF43 mutations have been shown to drive Wnt-dependent tumor initiation in colorectal cancer. Herein, we aimed to characterize the molecular features of RSPOfp/RNF43 mutated (mut) compared with wild-type (WT) colorectal cancers to gain insights into potential rationales for therapeutic strategies.
Experimental Design: A discovery cohort was classified for RSPOfp/RNF43 status using DNA/RNA sequencing and IHC.
Colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancers worldwide, accounting for an annual estimated 1.8 million incident cases. With the increasing number of colonoscopies being performed, colorectal biopsies make up a large proportion of any histopathology laboratory workload.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFImportance: The recently published ADAURA study has posed a significant dilemma for clinicians in selecting patients for adjuvant osimertinib. Risk factors for recurrence in early-stage epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) also remain undefined.
Objective: To determine clinicopathologic characteristics and recurrence patterns of resected early-stage EGFR-positive NSCLC, using wildtype EGFR as a comparator cohort, and identify features associated with recurrence.
Purpose: Despite the established role of EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in -mutated NSCLC, drug resistance inevitably ensues, with a paucity of treatment options especially in -negative resistance.
Experimental Design: We performed whole-exome and transcriptome analysis of 59 patients with first- and second-generation EGFR TKI-resistant metastatic -mutated NSCLC to characterize and compare molecular alterations mediating resistance in T790M-positive (T790M) and -negative (T790M) disease.
Results: Transcriptomic analysis revealed ubiquitous loss of adenocarcinoma lineage gene expression in T790M tumors, orthogonally validated using multiplex IHC.
Liver Cancer
June 2021
Introduction: Real-world management of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is crucially challenging in the current rapidly evolving clinical environment which includes the need for respecting patient preferences and autonomy. In this context, regional/national treatment guidelines nuanced to local demographics have increasing importance in guiding disease management. We report here real-world data on clinical outcomes in HCC from a validation of the Consensus Guidelines for HCC at the National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMET exon 14 (METex14) alterations are now an established therapeutically tractable target in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Recently reported trials of several MET tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) in this patient population have demonstrated promising efficacy data in both the treatment naïve and pre-treated settings and have led to regulatory approvals. This review will focus on practical diagnostic considerations for METex14 alterations, the trial evidence for capmatinib in this molecular subset including dosing and toxicity management, and the future therapeutic landscape of METex14 altered NSCLC.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Many clinical trials with potential drug treatment options for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are focused on patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) stages 2 and 3 fibrosis. As the histological features differentiating stage 1 (F1) from stage 2 (F2) NASH fibrosis are subtle, some patients may be wrongly staged by the in-house pathologist and miss the opportunity for enrollment into clinical trials. We hypothesized that our refined artificial intelligence (AI)-based algorithm (qFibrosis) can identify these subtle differences and serve as an assistive tool for in-house pathologists.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAn amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) remains a disease with poor prognosis and limited therapeutic options. Identification of driver genetic alterations may lead to the discovery of more effective targeted therapies. CCAs harboring fusions have recently demonstrated promising responses to FGFR inhibitors, highlighting their potential relevance as predictive biomarkers.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground And Aims: Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a common cause of chronic liver disease. Clinical trials use the NASH Clinical Research Network (CRN) system for semiquantitative histological assessment of disease severity. Interobserver variability may hamper histological assessment, and diagnostic consensus is not always achieved.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Growing evidence suggests a role for cancer susceptibility genes such as and in young-onset colorectal cancers Using a cohort of young colorectal cancer patients, we sought to identify and provide functional evidence for germline pathogenic variants of DNA repair genes not typically associated with colorectal cancer.
Methods: We recruited 88 patients with young-onset colorectal cancers seen at a general oncology center. Whole-exome sequencing was performed to identify variants in DNA repair and colorectal cancer predisposition genes.
In the version of the article published, the author list is not accurate. Igor Cima and Min-Han Tan should have been authors, appearing after Mark Wong in the author list, while Paul Jongjoon Choi should not have been listed as an author. Igor Cima and Min-Han Tan both have the affiliation Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, Singapore, Singapore, and their contributions should have been noted in the Author Contributions section as "I.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Epidemiological evidence suggests there are differences in gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasm (GEPNEN) among population groups. We aimed to contribute to the current evidence by evaluating the clinicopathological characteristics of GEPNEN in a multi-ethnic Asian group.
Materials And Methods: This was a retrospective chart review of patients diagnosed with GEPNEN at a tertiary medical institution at Singhealth Outram Campus, Singapore, between 1995 and 2015.
Background: Assessment of severity of liver fibrosis is essential in the management of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Second Harmonic Generation (SHG) microscopy is a novel optical tissue imaging system that provides automated quantification of fibrosis based on unique architectural features of collagen. This study aims to develop and validate a SHG-based index for automated staging of liver fibrosis in patients with NAFLD.
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