Increased epithelial cell proliferation in the ileal pouch mucosa of patients with familial adenomatous polyposis

To eliminate the risk of colorectal cancer in patients with familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP), reconstructive proctocolectomy is performed. Although most colonic mucosa is resected during the ileal pouch anal anastomosis, adenomas and carcinomas may develop in the pouch. This may be caused by altered cell kinetics due to intraluminal changes in the pouch. In 32 patients with FAP, biopsy specimens from the mucosa of the pouch and also of the afferent ileal loop were taken. Tissue sections were immunohistochemically processed with the monoclonal antibodies M30 and MIB-1 to assess apoptotic and proliferative indices, respectively. Cell proliferation was also assessed by a modified sign test. There were no significant differences in apoptotic rates between the mucosa of the pouch and the mucosa of the afferent ileal loop. However, cell proliferation was significantly higher in the mucosa of the pouch vs afferent ileal loop, both by using the quantitative (68.3% vs 61.6%, p = 0.001) and semiquantitative methods (p < 0.05). Our newly developed semiquantitative approach outperformed previously described methods. The higher cell proliferation in the pouch as compared to the afferent ileal loop may contribute to the increased risk for adenomas and carcinomas in the pouch of patients with FAP and emphasizes the need for regular endoscopic surveillance

Cancer risk in patients with Noonan syndrome carrying a PTPN11 mutation

Noonan syndrome (NS) is characterized by short stature, facial dysmorphisms and congenital heart defects. PTPN11 mutations are the most common cause of NS. Patients with NS have a predisposition for leukemia and certain solid tumors. Data on the incidence of malignancies in NS are lacking. Our objective was to estimate the cancer risk and spectrum in patients with NS carrying a PTPN11 mutation. In addition, we have investigated whether specific PTPN11 mutations result in an increased malignancy risk. We have performed a cohort study among 297 Dutch NS patients with a PTPN11 mutation (mean age 18 years). The cancer histories were collected from the referral forms for DNA diagnostics, and by consulting the Dutch national registry of pathology and the Netherlands Cancer Registry. The reported frequencies of cancer among NS patients were compared with the expected frequencies using population-based incidence rates. In total, 12 patients with NS developed a malignancy, providing a cumulative risk for developing cancer of 23% (95% confidence interval (CI), 8–38%) up to age 55 years, which represents a 3.5-fold (95% CI, 2.0–5.9) increased risk compared with that in the general population. Hematological malignancies occurred most frequently. Two malignancies, not previously observed in NS, were found: a malignant mastocytosis and malignant epithelioid angiosarcoma. No correlation was found between specific PTPN11 mutations and cancer occurrence. In conclusion, this study provides first evidence of an increased risk of cancer in patients with NS and a PTPN11 mutation, compared with that in the general population. Our data do not warrant specific cancer surveillance

Application of Microfluidic Technology to the BIOMED-2 Protocol for Detection of B-Cell Clonality

The BIOMED-2 protocol is widely used for detecting clonality in lymphoproliferative disorders. The protocol requires multiple PCR reactions, which are analyzed by either capillary electrophoresis (GeneScan) or heteroduplex PAGE analysis. We tested a microfluidic chip-based electrophoresis device (Agilent 2100 Bioanalyzer) for the analysis of B-cell clonality using PCR for the three framework subregions (FR) of the Ig heavy chain gene (IGH) and PCR for two rearrangements occurring in the Ig \u3ba chain gene (IGK-VJ and IGK-DE). We analyzed 62 B-cell lymphomas (33 follicular and 29 nonfollicular) and 16 reactive lymph nodes. Chip-based electrophoresis was conclusive for monoclonality in 59/62 samples; for 20 samples, it was compared with GeneScan analysis. Concordant results were obtained in 45/55 IGH (FR1, FR2, and FR3) gene rearrangements, and in 34/37 IGK gene rearrangements. However, when the chip device was used to analyze selected IGK gene rearrangements (biallelic IGK rearrangements or IGK rearrangements in a polyclonal background), its performance was not completely accurate. We conclude, therefore, that this microfluidic chip-based electrophoresis device is reliable for testing cases with dominant PCR products but is less sensitive than GeneScan in detecting clonal peaks in a polyclonal background for IGH PCR, or with complex IGK rearrangement patterns

A practical approach to diagnostic Ig/TCR clonality evaluation in clinical pathology

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