Introduction: Castleman disease (CD) represents a spectrum of heterogeneous lymphoproliferative disorders sharing peculiar histopathological features, clinically subdivided into unicentric CD (UCD) and multicentric CD (MCD) and presenting with variable inflammatory symptoms. Interleukin (IL)-6 and other cytokines play a major role in mediating CD inflammatory manifestations. Although the local microenvironment seems to be among the major sources of hypercytokinemia, the precise cellular origin of IL-6 production in CD is still debated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTopical chlormethine (CL) gel formulation was approved by the EMA in 2017 for the treatment of adult patients with mycosis fungoides (MF). To expand the knowledge on the management of MF, this paper provides an overview of clinical practice evidence about the MF diagnostic phase and a collection of clinical experiences to better characterize the use of CL gel in daily practice. Collected cases underline the importance of the concomitant biopsy and clinical evaluation in the diagnostic phase, with the contribution of a multidisciplinary team, and support the use of CL gel as a first-line or adjuvant treatment in selected patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Digital pathology is an opportunity to revise the routine and old artisanal workflow, moving to standard operating procedures, quality control and reproducibility. Here the results of a survey promoted by the Coordinamento della Medicina di Laboratorio (CRC Med Lab) of the Lombardy region in Italy are reported to shed light on the current situation of digital adoption in the country.
Methods: The survey composed of 58 questions was sent to 60 pathology laboratories.
Aim: Gastrointestinal medullary carcinoma is a rare histologic subtype of adenocarcinoma. As nonampullary small bowel medullary carcinomas (SB-MCs) are poorly characterized, we aimed to analyse their clinicopathologic and immunohistochemical features and to compare them with nonmedullary small bowel adenocarcinomas (NM-SBAs).
Methods And Results: Surgically resected SBAs collected through the Small Bowel Cancer Italian Consortium were classified as SB-MCs (carcinomas with ≥50% of tumour fulfilling the typical histologic criteria of MC) or NM-SBAs.
Primary myelofibrosis (PMF) is a myeloproliferative neoplasm characterized by a chronic inflammatory state that plays a relevant role in the disease pathogenesis (as proven by high levels of inflammatory cytokines with prognostic significance and by a persistent oxidative stress) and by extensive neoangiogenesis in bone marrow (BM) and spleen. Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are immature cells that expand in patients with cancer, sepsis or chronic inflammation, favoring tumor onset and progression mainly through the decrease in immune surveillance and the promotion of neoangiogenesis. In this paper, we evaluated the presence of circulating MDSCs in PMF patients, the plasmatic factors involved in their mobilization/expansion and the correlations with laboratory, genetic and clinical parameters.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHepatocellular carcinoma typically metastasizes within the liver and may involve extrahepatic sites such as the lungs, adrenal glands, and bones at advanced stages. However, hepatocellular carcinoma metastasis to the thyroid is very uncommon and tumor-to-tumor metastasis from a hepatocellular cancer to a thyroid neoplasm is extremely rare. In this report, we present a case of a 70-year-old man with a hepatocellular carcinoma metastasizing to oncocytic thyroid carcinoma, emphasizing the importance of clinical history and of a multidisciplinary approach, as well as the usefulness of site-specific immunohistochemical markers, in diagnosing and managing cases of Rosai's metastasis, especially when donor and recipient neoplasms share similar histologic features.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBreast cancer is the most common malignancy in the female sex; although recent therapies have significantly changed the natural history of this cancer, it remains a significant challenge. In the past decade, evidence has been put forward that some oncogenic viruses may play a role in the development of sporadic breast cancer; however, data are scattered and mostly reported as sparse case series or small case-control studies. In this review, we organize and report current evidence regarding the role of high-risk human papillomavirus, mouse mammary tumor virus, Epstein-Barr virus, cytomegalovirus, bovine leukemia virus, human polyomavirus 2, and Merkel cell polyomavirus in the pathogenesis of breast cancer.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHepatitis C virus (HCV)-associated diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) displays peculiar clinicopathological characteristics, but its molecular landscape is not fully elucidated. In this study, we investigated the clinicopathological and molecular features of 54 patients with HCV-associated DLBCL. The median age was 71 years.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Human papillomavirus (HPV) persistence is considered the main risk factor for neoplastic progression, and evidence suggests that regulatory T cells play an important role in the failure of viral elimination. Regulatory T cells may be involved in maintaining a microenvironment favourable for viral persistence and neoplasticity, through a deregulation of the local immune response. The association between altered immune function and the development of chronic infections, cancer (solid and haematological), and autoimmune diseases is documented in the literature.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: The natural history of autoimmune gastritis (AIG) has been poorly described. In this study, we report the long-term natural history and clinical clustering of the full spectrum of AIG, from the potential to the complicated stage.
Methods: Prospective single-center study conducted in a tertiary referral center.
Among primary cutaneous T-cell lymphomas (CTCL), mycosis fungoides (MF) is the most frequent and, along with Sézary syndrome (SS), the best-studied subtype. Most available studies on epidemiology of MF and SS are based on small cohorts or different inclusion criteria. Moreover, although this has become a hot topic, most studies show limitations, such as selection bias and lack of clinical information or follow-up data.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPrimary cutaneous B-cell lymphomas (PCBCLs) are lymphoproliferative disorders that appear on the skin without evidence of extracutaneous manifestations at the time of diagnosis. There is a lack of evidence-based guidelines for their clinical management due to the availability of very few large scale studies and controlled clinical trials. Here we present and discuss a series of major unmet clinical needs (UCNs) in the management of PCBCLs by a panel of 16 experts involved in research and clinical practice of PCBCL.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Small bowel adenocarcinoma (SBA) is a rare cancer with an aggressive behavior. No study has specifically addressed the putative prognostic role of mismatch repair status in stage III SBAs.
Aims: We aimed to investigate whether mismatch repair deficiency is associated with cancer-specific survival in a Western cohort of patients with stage III SBAs.
Castleman disease describes a group of heterogeneous clinicopathological disorders now included in the tumor-like lesions with B-cell predominance of the World Health Organization classification. Managing idiopathic multicentric Castleman disease (iMCD) is challenging, because few systematic studies or comparative randomized clinical trials have been conducted. International, consensus evidence-based guidelines for iMCD were published in 2018, but gaps in the therapeutic options for difficult-to-treat patients, who do not respond to siltuximab and other conventional therapies, still exist.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCastleman disease (CD) is a rare lymphoproliferative disorder that includes various clinico-pathological subtypes. According to clinical course, CD is divided into unicentric CD (UCD) and multicentric CD (MCD). MCD is further distinguished based on the etiological driver in herpes virus-8-related MCD (that can occur in the setting of HIV); in MCD associated with POEMS syndrome (polyneuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, monoclonal protein, and skin changes); and idiopathic MCD (iMCD).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: Poorly cohesive carcinomas (PCCs) are neoplasms defined by a predominantly dyshesive growth pattern with single cell or cord-like stromal infiltration. The -distinctive clinicopathologic and prognostic features of small bowel PCCs (SB-PCCs) in comparison with conventional-type small intestinal adenocarcinomas have only recently been characterized. However, as SB-PCCs' genetic profile is still unknown, we aimed to analyze the molecular landscape of SB-PCCs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Accurate evaluation of breast cancer on bioptic samples is of fundamental importance to guide therapeutic decisions, especially in the neoadjuvant or metastatic setting. We aimed to assess concordance for oestrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), c-erbB2/HER2 and Ki-67. We also reviewed the current literature to evaluate our results in the context of the data available at present.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRisk-reducing surgery (RRS) is recommended in BRCA-mutated carriers because of their increased risk of developing ovarian cancer, while its role is still discussed for women harboring mutations in non- homologous repair genes. The aim of this study was to retrospectively evaluate the occurrence of pathological findings in a high-risk population undergoing RRS in San Matteo Hospital, Pavia between 2012 and 2022, and correlate their genetic and clinical outcomes, comparing them with a control group. The final cohort of 190 patients included 85 , 63 , 11 , 7 , 4 , 1 , 1 , 1 , 1 gene mutation carriers and 15 patients with no known mutation but with strong familial risk.
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