Tumour immune microenvironment in primary and metastatic papillary renal cell carcinoma.

Aims: Among renal cell carcinoma (RCC) the tumour immune microenvironment has been best characterised in clear cell RCC. In this study we investigated the expression of several immune markers, including PD-L1, FoxP3 and CD8 in primary and metastatic papillary RCC.

Methods And Results: Three tissue microarrays were constructed from 78 cases with primary papillary RCC and paired metastatic tumour (24 cases) from 78 patients treated between 1982 and 2014.

Tumor immune microenvironment in non-muscle-invasive urothelial carcinoma of the bladder.

Immunotherapy has gained significance in a variety of tumor types including advanced urothelial carcinoma. Noninvasive urothelial lesions have been treated with intravesical Bacillus-Calmette-Guerin (BCG) for decades. Given treatment failure in a subset of these tumors, ongoing clinical trials investigating the role of checkpoint inhibitors are actively pursued in this group of patients.

Targeted sequencing of plasmacytoid urothelial carcinoma reveals frequent TERT promoter mutations.

Activating mutations in the promoter of the telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) gene are the most common genetic alterations in urothelial carcinoma (UC) of the bladder and upper urinary tract. Although the cadherin 1 (CDH1) gene is commonly mutated in the clinically aggressive plasmacytoid variant of urothelial carcinoma (PUC), little is known about their TERT promoter mutation status. A retrospective search of our archives for PUC and UC with plasmacytoid and/or signet ring cell features (2007-2014) was performed.

High prevalence of TERT promoter mutations in micropapillary urothelial carcinoma.

Somatic activating mutations in the promoter of the telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) gene are the most common genetic alterations in urothelial carcinoma (UC) of the bladder and upper urinary tract. Little is known, however, about TERT-mutation status in the relatively uncommon but clinically aggressive micropapillary (MPC) variant. We evaluated the presence of TERT promoter mutations in MPC of the bladder and upper urinary tract.

The utility of STAT6 and ALDH1 expression in the differential diagnosis of solitary fibrous tumor versus prostate-specific stromal neoplasms.

Solitary fibrous tumor (SFT) diagnosis in prostate can be challenging on small biopsies. Prostatic stromal tumors of unknown malignant potential (STUMP) and SFT have overlapping features. NAB2-STAT6 gene fusions that were recently identified in various SFTs lead to nuclear translocalization of STAT6.

Detection of TERT promoter mutations in primary adenocarcinoma of the urinary bladder.

TERT promoter mutations (TERT-mut) have been detected in 60% to 80% of urothelial carcinomas. A molecular urine-based screening assay for the detection of TERT-mut is currently being pursued by our group and others. A small but significant number of bladder carcinomas are adenocarcinoma.

Significance of a minor high-grade component in a low-grade noninvasive papillary urothelial carcinoma of bladder.

To assess the clinicopathological features and prognostic significance of the presence of 5% or less high-grade component in otherwise low-grade noninvasive bladder urothelial carcinoma, referred to as mixed-grade (MG) urothelial carcinoma, we reviewed all archival cases with such diagnosis between 2005 and 2014. Clinicopathological and outcome parameters were compared to those in our previously reported low- and high-grade noninvasive bladder urothelial carcinoma cohorts (LGUC and HGUC, respectively). The study included 31 MG urothelial carcinomas.