Inter-Observer Variation in the Pathologic Identification of Minimal Extrathyroidal Extension in Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma

Background: Extrathyroidal extension (ETE) is a significant prognostic factor in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). Minimal extrathyroidal extension (mETE) is characterized by involvement of the sternothyroid muscle or perithyroid soft tissue, and is generally identified by light microscope examination. Patients with mETE, identified pathologically, are automatically upstaged to pT3. However, the prognostic implications of mETE have been a source of controversy in the literature. Moreover, there is also controversy surrounding the identification of mETE on pathological specimens. The objective of this study was to determine the level of agreement among expert pathologists in the identification of mETE in PTC cases. Methods: Eleven expert pathologists from the United States, Italy, and Canada were asked to perform a review of 69 scanned slides of representative permanent sections of PTC specimens. Each slide was evaluated for the presence of mETE. The pathologists were also asked to list the criteria they use to identify mETE. Results: The overall strength of agreement for identifying mETE was slight (??=?0.14). Inter-pathologist agreement was best for perithyroidal skeletal muscle involvement (??=?0.46, moderate agreement) and worst for invasion around thick-walled vascular structures (??=?0.02, slight agreement). In addition, there was disagreement over the constellation of histologic features that are diagnostic for mETE, which affected overall agreement for diagnosing mETE. Conclusions: Overall agreement for the identification of mETE is poor. Disagreement is a result of both variation in individual pathologists' interpretations of specimens and disagreement on the histologic criteria for mETE. Thus, the utility of mETE in staging and treatment of PTC is brought into question. The lack of concordance may explain the apparent lack of agreement regarding the prognostic significance of this pathologic feature.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/140271/1/thy.2015.0508.pd

Inter-Observer Variation in the Pathologic Identification of Extranodal Extension in Nodal Metastasis from Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma

Background: Extranodal extension (ENE) in lymph node metastases has been shown to worsen the prognosis of papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). Despite the clinical significance of ENE, there are no stringent criteria for its microscopic diagnosis, and its identification is subject to inter-observer variability. The objective of this study was to determine the level of agreement among expert pathologists in the identification of ENE in PTC cases. Methods: Eleven expert pathologists from the United States, Italy, and Canada were asked to review 61 scanned slides of representative permanent sections of PTC specimens from Mount Sinai Beth Israel Medical Center in New York. Each slide was evaluated for the presence of ENE. The pathologists were also asked to report the criteria they use to identify ENE. Results: The overall strength of agreement in identifying ENE was only fair (??=?0.35), and the proportion of observed agreement was 0.68. The proportions of observed agreement for the identification of perinodal structures (fat, nerve, skeletal, and thick-walled vessel involvement) ranged from 0.61 to 0.997. Conclusions: Overall agreement for the identification of ENE is poor. The lack of agreement results from both variation in pathologists' identification of features and disagreement on the histologic criteria for ENE. This lack of concordance may help explain some of the discordant information regarding prognosis in clinical studies when this feature is identified.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/140272/1/thy.2015.0551.pd

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is strongly associated with productive infection by herpesvirus saimiri

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is a fatal disease without effective therapy or diagnostic test. To investigate a potential role for c�herpesviruses in this disease, 21 paraffin-embedded lung biopsies from patients diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and 21 lung biopsies from age-matched controls with pulmonary fibrosis of known etiology were examined for a series of c�herpesviruses’ DNA/RNA and related proteins using in situ hybridization and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)-based methods. We detected four proteins known to be in the genome of several c�herpesviruses (cyclin D, thymidylate synthase, dihydrofolate reductase, and interleukin-17) that were strongly co-expressed in the regenerating epithelial cells of each of the 21 idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis cases and not in the benign epithelia of the controls. Among the c� herpesviruses, only herpesvirus saimiri expresses all four of these ‘pirated’ mammalian proteins. We found herpesvirus saimiri DNA in the regenerating epithelial cells of 21/21 idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis cases using four separate probe sets but not in the 21 controls. RT-PCR showed that the source of the cyclin D RNA in active idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis was herpesvirus saimiri and not human. We cloned and sequenced part of genome corresponding to the DNA polymerase herpesvirus saimiri gene from an idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis sample and it matched 100% with the published viral sequence. These data are consistent with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis representing herpesvirus saimiri-induced pulmonary fibrosis. Thus, treatment directed against viral proliferation and/or viral-associated proteins may halt disease progression. Further, demonstration of the viral nucleic acids or proteins may help diagnose the disease

Genetic characteristics and molecular diagnostics of bone tumors

The diagnosis of primary tumors of bone relies heavily on clinicopathological and radiological correlation and is often best performed in a multidisciplinary setting. Bone tumors comprise a heterogenous category of human lesions ranging from benign to malignant neoplasms. These tumors affect a wide age range and can become problematic for diagnosis when less common entities are encountered. Traditionally the pathological diagnosis of many bone tumors has been based primarily on the evaluation of hematoxylin and eosin-stained glass slides, sometimes combined with ancillary diagnostic techniques such as immunohistochemistry, conventional cytogenetics, fluorescence in situ hybridization, and polymerase chain reaction-based assays. More recently, the advent of massively parallel sequencing-based techniques has opened new avenues for diagnostic testing in bone tumors; however, these new testing modalities are sensitive to traditional decalcification procedures that are commonly used in the routine processing of bony specimens. Herein we provide a focused review concentrating on the molecular genetic features of bone tumors with specific, recurrent genetic alterations that make them appealing targets for directed ancillary testing by conventional or molecular techniques. In addition, specimen handling with regards to decalcification procedures are discussed and the different types of testing modalities available are reviewed

The WHO 2021 thymoma classification: a work in progress

The updated, recently published 2021 WHO classification of thymic tumors incorporates the most recent advances in the field of thymic pathology, with particular emphasis on primary thymic epithelial neoplasms. This new edition retains the basic format of previous editions for the classification of primary thymic epithelial neoplasms reaffirming the schema originally proposed in the first edition, which utilized a combination of letters and numbers for the designation of these tumors. Only minimal changes have been incorporated in the new edition compared with the previous ones. A new helpful feature is a summary in each chapter of recommendations for “essential” and “desirable” criteria to facilitate the diagnosis. A few issues in this classification, however, still require clarification. In this review, the changes and advances in the classification of thymoma presented in the latest WHO book on Thoracic Tumors will be reviewed along with some of the areas that may still benefit from the additional investigation

Biopsy interpretation of the lung Biopsy interpretation series./ David Ilan Suster, Saul Suster.

Saul Suster's name appears first in the previous edition.Includes bibliographical references and index."Biopsy Interpretation of the Lung aids pathologists in accurately evaluating disease processes. It includes detailed chapters on interstitial lung disease, lung cancer, and neuroendocrine tumors. Organized by traditional disease groups, Biopsy Interpretation of the Lung provides a solid approach to formulating surgical and medical decisions."--1 online resource