Expression of human leukocyte antigens in diffuse large B cell lymphomas

Diffuse large B cell lymphoma is the most common type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma of which 40% present at extra-nodal sites including immune privileged sites such as the testis and the central nervous system (CNS). Loss of Human Leucocyte Antigen (HLA) expression has been described in many different tumour types as a mechanism to evade anti-tumour immune responsen. In testicular and CNS lymphomas HLA class I and II expression was very commonly observed in contrast to nodal, stomach and skin lymphomas that expressed HLA in most of the cases. Loss of HLA-DR and DQ expression was often due to homozygous deletions of the corresponding genes. Loss of class I expression was often caused by loss of Beta-2-microglobulin expression and hemizygous deletions. Despite their immune privileged status, the testicular and CNS lymphomas showed high numbers of activated cytotoxic T cells, suggesting that these lymphomas are highly immunogenic. DNA-typing for HLA-DR and DQ polymorphisms in testicular and nodal lymphomas revealed a positive association of testicular lymphomas with HLA-DRB1*12 and a negative association of nodal lymphomas with HLA-DRB1*07. Both testicular and nodal lymphomas showed a positive association with HLA-DRB1*15. No significant relationship was found between the different haplotypes and the occurrence of homozygous deletions in the testicular lymphomas.UBL - phd migration 201

Pattern of Ipsilateral Breast Tumor Recurrence After Breast-Conserving Therapy

The rate of ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence (IBTR) in breast cancer after breast-conserving therapy was analyzed. We demonstrate that after 12 years' follow-up, there is an especially high recurrence rate for women ≤40 years old. For women ≤40 years old, the absence of adjuvant systemic therapy and the presence of lymph vascular space invasion (LVSI) are associated with a higher rate of IBTR. For women >40 years old, the presence of LVSI and lobular carcinoma in situ are prognostic factors for IBTR

Vaginal and (uncommon) cervical cancers in the Netherlands, 1989-2003

Background: The clinical and prognostic evaluation of cervical and vaginal tumors other than squamous cell and adenocarcinomas is hampered by the low incidence, and clinical and epidemiological studies on these uncommon tumors are scarce. Having close affinity with the pathology laboratories, the Netherlands Cancer Registry offers a great opportunity to study frequency, stage, treatment, and survival of uncommon tumors in the cervix and vagina and separately, the clear cell adenocarcinoma of the vagina and cervix.\ud \ud Methods: All invasive cervical tumors (n = 10,570) and all in situ and invasive vaginal tumors (n = 778) diagnosed in the Netherlands during 1989-2003 were selected from the Netherlands Cancer Registry. Age, stage at diagnosis, and treatment were described for each histological subgroup to find differences between common and uncommon tumors, including 5-year relative survival rates.\ud \ud Results: Twenty-five patients (3%) with cervical cancer subsequently developed a vaginal tumor (during 1989-2003), and 19 of these patients underwent hysterectomy for their cervical cancer. A significantly worse prognosis was found for patients with small cell neuroendocrine cervical tumors and for patients with vaginal melanomas. Patients with clear cell adenocarcinoma of the vagina and cervix were found across all age categories.\ud \ud Conclusions: The less common histological types of cervical and vaginal cancers were clearly different from squamous cell carcinomas, especially with respect to age at diagnosis and survival rates. Spreading population-based knowledge of effects of treatment of these uncommon tumors should help clinical decision making and therefore improve prognosis

Quality assessment of estrogen receptor and progesterone receptor testing in breast cancer using a tissue microarray-based approach

Assessing hormone receptor status is an essential part of the breast cancer diagnosis, as this biomarker greatly predicts response to hormonal treatment strategies. As such, hormone receptor testing laboratories are strongly encouraged to participate in external quality control schemes to achieve optimization of their immunohistochemical assays. Nine Dutch pathology departments provided tissue blocks containing invasive breast cancers which were all previously tested for estrogen receptor and/or progesterone receptor expression during routine practice. From these tissue blocks

Breast-conserving therapy in older patients with breast cancer over three decades: progress or stagnation

Background: The aim of this study was to analyze the distant metastases-free survival (DMFS), and disease-specific survival (DSS) after breast-conserving therapy (BCT) in older patients with breast cancer in a large, population-based, single-center cohort study with long-term follow-up. Material and Methods: Analyses were based on 1,425 women aged 65 years and older with breast cancer treated with BCT. Patients were divided in three age categories: 65 – 70 years, 71 – 75 years, and >75 years. The study period extended over 30 years, divided in three decades. Multivariate survival analysis was carried out using Cox regression analysis. Results: The two youngest age categories showed significant improvements over time in 12-year DMFS and DSS. For women aged 65 – 70 years, this improvement was noted in stage I and stage II disease, while for women aged 71 – 75 years this was mainly in stage II tumors. Women >75 years of age did not show any improvement over time, regardless of stage. Conclusion: Among older Dutch women with breast cancer, outcomes with regard to DMFS and DSS after BCT differ between various age categories, showing the least gain in the very old