Molecular Mutations and Clinical Behavior in Bethesda III and IV Thyroid Nodules: A Comparative Study.

Thyroid cancer is the most common endocrine malignancy, and accurate diagnosis is crucial for effective management. Fine needle aspiration cytology, guided by the Bethesda System for Reporting Thyroid Cytopathology, categorizes thyroid nodules into six categories, with Bethesda III and IV representing indeterminate diagnoses that pose significant challenges for clinical decision-making. Understanding the molecular profiles of these categories may enhance diagnostic accuracy and guide treatment strategies.

Molecular Markers in Follicular and Oncocytic Thyroid Carcinomas: Clinical Application of Molecular Genetic Testing.

Background: Oncocytic thyroid carcinoma (OTC) was previously considered a variant of follicular thyroid carcinoma (FTC) but has recently been reclassified as a separate form of thyroid cancer. This study aimed to demonstrate that FTC and OTC are fundamentally distinct entities that can potentially be differentiated preoperatively through cytology and/or molecular testing.

Methods: A retrospective chart review of patients diagnosed with FTC and OTC operated upon at two university health centers from January 2016 to September 2023 (n = 3219) was conducted.

Ki-67 Labelling Index as a Predictor of Invasive Features in Thyroid Cancer: Retrospective Analysis and Implications.

Background: Ki-67 immunostaining is commonly used in neuroendocrine tumors to estimate the proliferative index and for grading. This study investigates its association with the invasiveness of follicular-derived thyroid carcinomas (TCs).

Methods: A retrospective analysis of patients with TC at three McGill University teaching hospitals between January 2018 and November 2023 was conducted.

Rethinking treatment paradigms: Neoadjuvant therapy and de-escalation strategies in HPV-positive head and neck cancer.

Head and neck cancer (HNC) is the 6th most common cancer across the world, with a particular increase in HNC associated with human papilloma virus (HPV) among younger populations. Historically, the standard treatment for this disease consisted of combined surgery and radiotherapy or curative platinum-based concurrent chemoradiotherapy, with associated long term and late toxicities. However, HPV-positive HNC is recognized as a unique cancer subtype, typically with improved clinical outcomes.

Onabotulinum Toxin A (BoNT-A) for Drooling in Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Introduction: Sialorrhea, also known as drooling, hypersalivation, or ptyalism, has a significant impact on the medical and psychosocial well-being of children. Onabotulinum toxin A (BoNT-A) is the most commonly used botulinum toxin worldwide for the treatment of sialorrhea in children.

Objectives: To conduct a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the clinical efficacy and potential adverse effects of BoNT-A as a treatment for drooling in children.

Genetic Mutations Associated with Inflammatory Response Caused by HPV Integration in Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

(1) Background: Head and neck cancer (HNC) ranks as the sixth most prevalent cancer in the world. In addition to the traditional risk factors such as alcohol and tobacco consumption, the implication of the human papillomavirus (HPV) is becoming increasingly significant, particularly in oropharyngeal cancer (OPC). (2) Methods: This study is based on a review analysis of different articles and repositories investigating the mutation profile of HPV-related OPC and its impact on patient outcomes.

The Impact of Mutation Allele Frequency on the Histopathological Characteristics of Thyroid Cancer.

Background: A mutation in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) has been shown to be associated with aggressive behavior. Nevertheless, not all PTCs behave aggressively. Allele frequency (AF) is the number of mutated molecules divided by the total number of wild-type molecules at a specific location in the genome.

The Difference in Clinical Behavior of Gene Fusions Involving Fusions and Fusions in Thyroid Nodules.

Background: Molecular testing has been used as an adjunct to morphological evaluation in the workup of thyroid nodules. This study investigated the impact of two gene fusions, and , that have been described as oncogenic events in thyroid neoplasms.

Methods: We performed a retrospective, single-centered study at a McGill University teaching hospital in Montreal, Canada, from January 2016 to August 2021.

Emerging histopathological parameters in the prognosis of oral squamous cell carcinomas.

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common oral malignancy, representing 90% of all malignant neoplasms in the head and neck region. Patients with this aggressive tumor have an overall 5-year survival rate of approximately 50%, which drops to less than 30% when tumors are diagnosed at advanced clinical stages. Over decades, several studies provided high-level evidence of the impact of histopathological features on treatment guidelines and prognosis of OSCC.

Overexpression of heat-shock protein 47 impacts survival of patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Background: The expression of heat-shock protein 47 (HSP47) has been linked to collagen synthesis control and implicated in fibrotic disorders, but more recent studies have demonstrated its role in solid tumors. In this study, we explored the prognostic impact of HSP47 in oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCC) and determined the in vitro effects of its loss-of-function on viability, proliferation, migration, invasion, and resistance to cisplatin of OSCC cells.

Methods: The HSP47 expression in tumor samples was assessed by immunohistochemistry in two independent cohorts totaling 339 patients with OSCC, and protein levels were associated with clinicopathological features and survival outcomes.

Characteristics of Mutation in Thyroid Tumours: A Retrospective Chart Review.

While some studies suggest that mutations correlate with a low-risk phenotype in pediatric thyroid nodules, the relationship between the mutation and malignancy in the adult populations is abstruse. This study investigated whether mutations result in thyroid malignancy, and whether these malignancies are aggressive. This multicenter study involved 316 patients who underwent preoperative molecular testing, and subsequent lobectomy or total thyroidectomy at two quaternary care hospitals.

E-liquid alters oral epithelial cell function to promote epithelial to mesenchymal transition and invasiveness in preclinical oral squamous cell carcinoma.

The gaining popularity of tobacco and nicotine delivery products, such as electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) being perceived as relatively safe is of a medical concern. The long-term safety of these new products remains uncertain for oral health. In this study, in vitro effects of e-liquid were assessed in a panel of normal oral epithelium cell lines (NOE and HMK), oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) human cell lines (CAL27 and HSC3), and a mouse oral cancer cell line (AT84) using cell proliferation, survival/cell death, and cell invasion assays.

Stress induced phosphoprotein 1 overexpression controls proliferation, migration and invasion and is associated with poor survival in oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Objective: Although there have been remarkable achievements in the molecular landscape of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) in recent years, bringing advances in the understanding of its pathogenesis, development and progression, little has been applied in the prognosis and choosing the optimal treatment. In this study, we explored the influence of the stress induced phosphoprotein 1 (STIP1), which is frequently reported to be highly expressed in many cancers, in OSCCs.

Methods: STIP1 expression was assessed in the TCGA database and in two independent cohorts by immunohistochemistry.

Identification of R-Spondin Gene Signature Predictive of Metastatic Progression in BRAFV-Positive Papillary Thyroid Cancer.

Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is the most common malignancy of the thyroid gland and early stages are curable. However, a subset of PTCs shows an unusually aggressive phenotype with extensive lymph node metastasis and higher incidence of locoregional recurrence. In this study, we investigated a large cohort of PTC cases with an unusual aggressive phenotype using a high-throughput RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) to identify differentially regulated genes associated with metastatic PTC.

Prognostic Indicators of -Mutated Thyroid Tumor Malignancy and Cancer Aggressiveness.

The risk of malignancy (ROM) of -mutated thyroid nodules has been theorized to be contingent on the position of the mutation within the gene and the presence of co-existing mutations. However, due to 's low mutation frequency, sample sizes currently reported in the literature are too diminutive to appraise the clinical utility of molecular diagnostic testing. The objective of this study was to elucidate prognostic indicators of -mutated thyroid tumors and cancer aggressiveness by examining a large cohort of cytologically indeterminate thyroid nodules (CITNs) that underwent molecular testing and subsequent surgical resection.

Implications and Emerging Therapeutic Avenues of Inflammatory Response in HPV+ Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) are a heterogeneous group of malignancies which have shown exponential incidence in the last two decades especially due to human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. The HPV family comprises more than 100 types of viruses with HPV16 and HPV18 being the most prevalent strains in HNSCC. Literature data reveal that the mutation profile as well as the response to chemotherapy and radiotherapy are distinct among HPV+ versus HPV-negative tumors.

Therapeutic Vaccines for HPV-Associated Oropharyngeal and Cervical Cancer: The Next De-Intensification Strategy?

The rise in human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) has prompted a quest for further understanding of the role of high-risk HPV in tumor initiation and progression. Patients with HPV-positive OPSCC (HPV+ OPSCC) have better prognoses than their HPV-negative counterparts; however, current therapeutic strategies for HPV+ OPSCC are overly aggressive and leave patients with life-long sequalae and poor quality of life. This highlights a need for customized treatment.

NEDD9 links anaplastic thyroid cancer stemness to chromosomal instability through integrated centrosome asymmetry and DNA sensing regulation.

Stemness and chromosomal instability (CIN) are two common contributors to intratumor heterogeneity and therapy relapse in advanced cancer, but their interplays are poorly defined. Here, in anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC), we show that ALDH+ stem-like cancer cells possess increased CIN-tolerance owing to transcriptional upregulation of the scaffolding protein NEDD9. Thyroid patient tissues and transcriptomic data reveals NEDD9/ALDH1A3 to be co-expressed and co-upregulated in ATC.

Mutational status may supersede tumor size in predicting the presence of aggressive pathologic features in well differentiated thyroid cancer.

Background: In clinical practice, thyroid tumor size plays a critical role in the staging of thyroid malignancies and in the selection of nodules that should undergo ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration. Thyroid tumor size is influenced by the elapsed time since the beginning of oncogenesis and by the presence of somatic mutations driving growth, such as BRAF mutations, associated with aggressive phenotypes, and RAS-like mutations, associated with more indolent behavior. Although large nodules are often considered to be more alarming, the true impact of tumor size on prognosis remains controversial.

Molecular prognostic indicators in HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer: an updated review.

Infection with HPV virus and exposure to extrinsic carcinogens are the main causative factors for oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC). While HPV-related OPSCC typically shows a better prognosis and may be a candidate for de-intensification therapy, there is a subset of HPV-related cancers that show aggressive phenotype with frequent metastatic spread. The identification and refinement of molecular markers can better serve for prediction of prognosis and thus improve treatment decisions and outcome.

Master Regulators of Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition and WNT Signaling Pathways in Juvenile Nasopharyngeal Angiofibromas.

Juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma (JNA) is a rare fibrovascular benign tumor showing an invasive growth pattern and affecting mainly male adolescents. We investigated the role of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and WNT signaling pathways in JNA. Gene expression profiles using nine JNA paired with four inferior nasal turbinate samples were interrogated using a customized 2.