Prion-related peripheral neuropathy in sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether the involvement of the peripheral nervous system (PNS) belongs to the phenotypic spectrum of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD). METHODS: We examined medical records of 117 sCJDVV2 (ataxic type), 65 sCJDMV2K (kuru-plaque type) and 121 sCJDMM(V)1 (myoclonic type) subjects for clinical symptoms, objective signs and neurophysiological data. We reviewed two diagnostic nerve biopsies and looked for abnormal prion protein (PrP(Sc)) by western blotting and real-time quaking-induced conversion (RT-QuIC) in postmortem PNS samples from 14 subjects. RESULTS: Seventy-five (41.2%) VV2-MV2K patients, but only 11 (9.1%) MM(V)1, had symptoms or signs suggestive of PNS involvement occurring at onset in 18 cases (17 VV2-MV2K, 9.3%; and 1 MM(V)1, 0.8%) and isolated in 6. Nerve biopsy showed a mixed predominantly axonal and demyelinating neuropathy in two sCJDMV2K. Electromyography showed signs of neuropathy in half of the examined VV2-MV2K patients. Prion RT-QuIC was positive in all CJD PNS samples, whereas western blotting detected PrP(Sc) in the sciatic nerve in one VV2 and one MV2K. CONCLUSIONS: Peripheral neuropathy, likely related to PrP(Sc) deposition, belongs to the phenotypic spectrum of sCJDMV2K and VV2 and may mark the clinical onset. The significantly lower prevalence of PNS involvement in typical sCJDMM(V)1 suggests that the PNS tropism of sCJD prions is strain dependent

Role of the advanced glycation end products receptor in Crohn's disease inflammation

To investigate the level of mucosal expression and the involvement of the receptor for the advanced glycation end products (RAGE) in delayed apoptosis and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-\u3b1 production in Crohn's disease (CD)

Small Bowel Adenocarcinomas Complicating Crohn's Disease Are Associated With Dysplasia: A Pathological and Molecular Study.

Crohn's disease (CD) is associated with an increased risk of small bowel adenocarcinoma (SBA). However, there are no guidelines for the screening and early diagnosis of SBA. Colorectal cancer associated with chronic colitis arises from dysplasia. High-risk patients benefit from surveillance colonoscopies aimed to detect dysplasia. The dysplasia-carcinoma sequence remains poorly documented in CD-associated SBA. Moreover, molecular data about SBA complicating CD and associated dysplasia are very limited. We therefore assessed dysplasia and several key molecular markers of carcinogenesis in SBA and dysplasia developed in patients with CD

Separation of Low- Versus High-grade Crohn's Disease-associated Small Bowel Carcinomas is Improved by Invasive Front Prognostic Marker Analysis

Background and Aims: Crohn's disease-associated small bowel carcinoma is a rare event, usually reported to have a severe prognosis. However, in previous investigations we have found a minority of cases displaying a relatively favourable behaviour, thus outlining the need to improve the histopathological prediction of Crohn's disease-associated small bowel carcinoma prognosis.Methods: As in recent studies on colorectal cancer, a substantial improvement in prognostic evaluations has been provided by the histological analysis of the tumour invasive front; we therefore systematically analysed the tumour budding and poorly differentiated clusters in the invasive front of 47 Crohn's disease-associated small bowel carcinomas collected through the Small Bowel Cancer Italian Consortium.Results: Both tumour budding and poorly differentiated cluster analyses proved highly effective in prognostic evaluation of Crohn's disease-associated small bowel carcinomas. In addition, they retained prognostic value when combined with two other parameters, i.e. glandular histology and stage I/II, both known to predict a relatively favourable small bowel carcinoma behaviour. In particular, association of tumour budding and poorly differentiated clusters in a combined invasive front score allowed identification of a minor subset of cancers [12/47, 25%] characterised by combined invasive front low grade coupled with a glandular histology and a low stage [I or II] and showing no cancer-related death during a median follow-up of 73.5 months.Conclusions: The improved distinction of lower- from higher-grade Crohn's disease-associated small bowel carcinomas provided by invasive front analysis should be of potential help in choosing appropriate therapy for these rare and frequently ominous neoplasms

Small bowel carcinomas in coeliac or Crohn's disease. Clinico-pathological, molecular andprognostic features. A study from the small bowel cancer italian Consortium

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: An increased risk of small bowel carcinoma [SBC] has been reported in coeliac disease [CD] and Crohn's disease [CrD]. We explored clinico-pathological, molecular, and prognostic features of CD-associated SBC [CD-SBC] and CrD-associated SBC [CrD-SBC] in comparison with sporadic SBC [spo-SBC]. METHODS: A total of 76 patients undergoing surgical resection for non-familial SBC [26 CD-SBC, 25 CrD-SBC, 25 spo-SBC] were retrospectively enrolled to investigate patients' survival and histological and molecular features including microsatellite instability [MSI] and KRAS/NRAS, BRAF, PIK3CA, TP53, HER2 gene alterations. RESULTS: CD-SBC showed a significantly better sex-, age-, and stage-adjusted overall and cancer-specific survival than CrD-SBC, whereas no significant difference was found between spo-SBC and either CD-SBC or CrD-SBC. CD-SBC exhibited a significantly higher rate of MSI and median tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes [TIL] than CrD-SBC and spo-SBC. Among the whole SBC series, both MSI─which was the result of MLH1 promoter methylation in all but one cases─and high TIL density were associated with improved survival at univariable and stage-inclusive multivariable analysis. However, only TILs retained prognostic power when clinical subgroups were added to the multivariable model. KRAS mutation and HER2 amplification were detected in 30% and 7% of cases, respectively, without prognostic implications. CONCLUSIONS: In comparison with CrD-SBC, CD-SBC patients harbour MSI and high TILs more frequently and show better outcome. This seems mainly due to their higher TIL density, which at multivariable analysis showed an independent prognostic value. MSI/TIL status, KRAS mutations and HER2 amplification might help in stratifying patients for targeted anti-cancer therapy.Background and Aims: An increased risk of small bowel carcinoma [SBC] has been reported in coeliac disease [CD] and Crohn’s disease [CrD]. We explored clinico-pathological, molecular, and prognostic features of CD-associated SBC [CD-SBC] and CrD-associated SBC [CrD-SBC] in comparison with sporadic SBC [spo-SBC]. Methods: A total of 76 patients undergoing surgical resection for non-familial SBC [26 CD-SBC, 25 CrD-SBC, 25 spo-SBC] were retrospectively enrolled to investigate patients’ survival and histological and molecular features including microsatellite instability [MSI] and KRAS/NRAS, BRAF, PIK3CA, TP53, HER2 gene alterations. Results: CD-SBC showed a significantly better sex-, age-, and stage-adjusted overall and cancerspecific survival than CrD-SBC, whereas no significant difference was found between spo-SBC and either CD-SBC or CrD-SBC. CD-SBC exhibited a significantly higher rate of MSI and median tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes [TIL] than CrD-SBC and spo-SBC. Among the whole SBC series, both MSI─which was the result of MLH1 promoter methylation in all but one cases─and high TIL density were associated with improved survival at univariable and stage-inclusive multivariable analysis. However, only TILs retained prognostic power when clinical subgroups were added to the multivariable model. KRAS mutation and HER2 amplification were detected in 30% and 7% of cases, respectively, without prognostic implications. Conclusions: In comparison with CrD-SBC, CD-SBC patients harbour MSI and high TILs more frequently and show better outcome. This seems mainly due to their higher TIL density, which at multivariable analysis showed an independent prognostic value. MSI/TIL status, KRAS mutations and HER2 amplification might help in stratifying patients for targeted anti-cancer therapy

Small Bowel Carcinomas in Coeliac or Crohn's Disease: Clinico-pathological, Molecular and Prognostic Features. A Study from the Small Bowel Cancer Italian Consortium

An increased risk of small bowel carcinoma (SBC) has been reported in coeliac disease (CD) and Crohn's disease (CrD). We explored clinico-pathologic, molecular and prognostic features of CD-associated SBC (CD-SBC) and CrD-associated SBC (CrD-SBC) in comparison with sporadic SBC (spo-SBC)