The relationship between tumour budding, the tumour microenvironment and survival in patients with primary operable colorectal cancer

Background: Tumour budding has been reported to reflect invasiveness, metastasis and unfavourable prognosis in colorectal cancer. The aim of the study was to examine the relationship between tumour budding and clinicopathological characteristics, tumour microenvironment and survival in patients with primary operable colorectal cancer. Methods: A total of 303 patients from a prospective data set of patients with primary operable colorectal cancer were included in the study. The presence of budding was determined through assessment of all tumour-containing H&E slides and the number of tumour buds was counted using a 10 high-powered field method. Routine pathologic sections were used to assess: tumour necrosis, the tumour inflammatory cell infiltrate using Klintrup–Makinen (KM) grade and tumour stroma percentage (TSP) combined as the Glasgow Microenvironment Score (GMS). Results: High-grade tumour budding was present in 39% of all tumours and in 28% of node-negative tumours respectively. High-grade budding was significantly associated with T stage (P<0.001), N stage (P<0.001), TNM stage (P<0.001), serosal involvement (P<0.001), venous invasion (P<0.005), KM grade (P=0.022), high tumour stroma (P<0.001) and GMS (P<0.001). Tumour budding was associated with reduced cancer-specific survival (CSS) (HR=4.03; 95% confidence interval (CI), 2.50–6.52; P<0.001), independent of age (HR=1.47; 95% CI, 1.13–1.90; P=0.004), TNM stage (HR=1.52; 95% CI, 1.02–2.25; P=0.040), venous invasion (HR=1.73; 95% CI, 1.13–2.64; P=0.012) and GMS (HR=1.54; 95% CI, 1.15–2.07; P=0.004). Conclusions: The presence of tumour budding was associated with elements of the tumour microenvironment and was an independent adverse prognostic factor in patients with primary operable colorectal cancer. Specifically high tumour budding stratifies effectively the prognostic value of tumour stage, venous invasion and GMS. Taken together, tumour budding should be assessed routinely in patients with primary operable colorectal cancer

Prevalent low-grade dysplasia: the strongest predictor of malignant progression in Barrett's columnar-lined oesophagus

No abstract

Response to Crocetti et al.

No abstract available

The gastric acid pocket is attenuated in H. pylori infected subjects

Objective Gastric acid secretory capacity in different anatomical regions, including the postprandial acid pocket, was assessed in Helicobacter pylori positive and negative volunteers in a Western population. Design We studied 31 H. pylori positive and 28 H. pylori negative volunteers, matched for age, gender and body mass index. Jumbo biopsies were taken at 11 predetermined locations from the gastro-oesophageal junction and stomach. Combined high-resolution pH metry (12 sensors) and manometry (36 sensors) was performed for 20 min fasted and 90 min postprandially. The squamocolumnar junction was marked with radio-opaque clips and visualised radiologically. Biopsies were scored for inflammation and density of parietal, chief and G cells immunohistochemically. Results Under fasting conditions, the H. pylori positives had less intragastric acidity compared with negatives at all sensors >1.1 cm distal to the peak lower oesophageal sphincter (LES) pressure (p<0.01). Postprandially, intragastric acidity was less in H. pylori positives at sensors 2.2, 3.3 and 4.4 cm distal to the peak LES pressure (p<0.05), but there were no significant differences in more distal sensors. The postprandial acid pocket was thus attenuated in H. pylori positives. The H. pylori positives had a lower density of parietal and chief cells compared with H. pylori negatives in 10 of the 11 gastric locations (p<0.05). 17/31 of the H. pylori positives were CagA-seropositive and showed a more marked reduction in intragastric acidity and increased mucosal inflammation. Conclusions In population volunteers, H. pylori positives have reduced intragastric acidity which most markedly affects the postprandial acid pocket

Immunohistochemical detection improves the prognostic value of lymphatic and blood vessel invasion in primary ductal breast cancer

Background<p></p> Lymphovascular invasion (LBVI) including lymphatic (LVI) and blood (BVI) vessel invasion is a critical step in cancer metastasis. In breast cancer, the optimal detection method of LBVI remains unclear. This research aimed to compare the prognostic value of different assessments of the LVI and BVI in patients with early breast cancer.<p></p> Methods<p></p> The study cohort included 360 patients with a median follow-up of 168 months. LBVI on H&E sections (LBVIH&E) was reviewed centrally and blinded to the pathology report. Immunohistochemical staining for D2-40 and Factor VIII was performed to identify LVID2–40 and BVIFVIII.<p></p> Results<p></p> LBVIH&E, LVID2–40 and BVIFVIII were present in 102 (28%), 127 (35%) and 59 (16%) patients respectively. In node-negative patients (206), LBVIH&E, LVID2–40 and BVIFVIII were present in 41 (20%), 53 (26%) and 21 (10%) respectively. In triple-negative patients (120), LBVIH&E, LVID2–40 and BVIFVIII were present in 35 (29%), 46 (38%) and 16 (13%) respectively. LBVIH&E was significantly associated with tumour recurrence in the whole cohort (P < 0.001), node-negative patients (P = 0.001) and triple-negative patients (P = 0.004). LVID2–40 and BVIFVIII were significantly associated with tumour recurrence in whole cohort, node-negative (all P < 0.001) and triple-negative patients (P = 0.002). In multivariate survival analysis, only LVID2–40 and BVIFVIII were independent predictors of cancer specific survival in the whole cohort (P = 0.023 and P < 0.001 respectively), node-negative patients (P = 0.004 and P = 0.001 respectively) and triple-negative patients (P = 0.014 and P = 0.001 respectively).<p></p> Conclusion<p></p> Assessment of LVI and BVI by IHC using D2-40 and Factor VIII improves prediction of outcome in patients with node-negative and triple-negative breast cancer

Quantifying tumour-infiltrating lymphocyte subsets : a practical immuno-histochemical method

Background: Efficient histological quantification of tumour-infiltrating T and B lymphocyte (TIL) subsets in archival tissues would greatly facilitate investigations of the role of TIL in human cancer biology. We sought to develop such a method. Methods: Ten ×40 digital images of 4 μ sections of 16 ductal invasive breast carcinomas immunostained for CD3, CD4, CD8, and CD20 were acquired (a total of 640 images). The number of pixels in each image matching a partition of Lab colour space corresponding to immunostained cells were counted using the ‘Color range’ and ‘Histogram’ tools in Adobe Photoshop 7. These pixel counts were converted to cell counts per mm2 using a calibration factor derived from one, two, three or all 10 images of each case/antibody combination. Results: Variations in the number of labelled pixels per immunostained cell made individual calibration for each case/antibody combination necessary. Calibration based on two fields containing the most labelled pixels gave a cell count minimally higher (+ 5.3%) than the count based on 10-field calibration, with 95% confidence limits − 14.7 to + 25.3%. As TIL density could vary up to 100-fold between cases, this accuracy and precision are acceptable. Conclusion: The methodology described offers sufficient accuracy, precision and efficiency to quantify the density of TIL sub-populations in breast cancer using commonly available software, and could be adapted to batch processing of image files

The pre treatment systemic inflammatory response is an important determinant of poor pathologic response for patients undergoing neoadjuvant therapy for rectal cancer

Background Not all patients respond equally to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT), with subsequent effects on survival. The systemic inflammatory response has been shown to predict long-term outcomes in colorectal cancer. The current study examined the association between systemic inflammation and nCRT in patients with rectal cancer. Methods Between 1999 and 2010, patients who underwent nCRT were identified. Serum measurements of hemoglobin, C-reactive protein, albumin, modified Glasgow prognostic score (mGPS), and differential white cell counts were obtained before and after nCRT. The Rödel scoring system measured pathologic tumor regression, and magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography determined radiologic staging. Results The study included 79 patients. Of these patients, 37% were radiologically downstaged, and 44% were categorized as showing a good pathologic response (Rödel scores 3 and 4). As a validated measure of the systemic inflammatory response, mGPS (P = 0.022) was associated with a poor pathologic response to nCRT. A radiologic response was associated with a good pathologic response to treatment (P = 0.003). A binary logistic regression model identified mGPS (odds ratio [OR] 0.27; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.07–0.96; P = 0.043) and radiologic response (OR 0.43; 95% CI 0.18–0.99; P = 0.048) as strong independent predictors of a pathologic response to treatment. Conclusion The current study showed that a systemic inflammatory response before nCRT is associated with a poor pathologic response. Further study in a prospective controlled trial setting is warranted. Stephan B. Dreyer and Arfon G. M. T. Powell—contributed equally. Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer and the second highest cause of cancer death in the United Kingdom.1 The 5-year survival rate for CRC still is less than 60% with surgery alone, offering the only chance of cure. Rectal cancers comprise about one third of surgical resections for colorectal cancer.2 The widely adapted surgical technique of total mesorectal excision (TME), increased centralization, specialization of rectal surgery, and earlier disease detection have led to improved survival in the last 30 years.3,4 Preoperative neoadjuvant radiotherapy with or without chemotherapy currently is accepted as a standard of care for patients with margin-threatening rectal cancer. This increases disease-free survival (DFS) and sphincter preservation rates and improves circumferential resection margins and local recurrence rates.5–8 Current management of CRC in the United Kingdom involves evaluating patients using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) before treatment to identify those with margin-threatening disease (T3 or T4).9 These patients are offered neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) before surgical resection.10 Not all patients respond to nCRT, and there is a need to identify biomarkers of response because treatment is associated with significant morbidity. Rödel et al.11 have shown that the presence of spontaneous apoptosis in the resected specimen is a good marker of tumor regression and improved prognosis. The prognostic value of the systemic inflammatory response (SIR) has been widely studied in gastrointestinal cancers, particularly in the operative setting, using measurements of circulating markers including C-reactive protein (CRP), albumin, the modified Glasgow prognostic score (mGPS), the neutrophil lympocyte ratio (NLR), the platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and more recently, the neutrophil-platelet score (NPS) and the derived neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (dNLR).12–16 This study investigated the association between markers of the systemic inflammatory response and the pathologic response to nCRT in patients with rectal cancer

Ductal-lobar organisation of human breast tissue, its relevance in disease and a research objective: vector mapping of parenchyma in complete breasts (the Astley Cooper project)

A human breast has many lobes, which are highly variable in size and shape, each with one central duct, its peripheral branches and their associated glandular tissues. Realising the potential of new endoductal approaches to breast diagnosis and improving our understanding of breast cancer precursors will require greatly improved knowledge of this ductal-lobar anatomy and the distribution of cancer precursors within it. This architecture is very challenging to study in its entirety: whole-breast lobe mapping has only been achieved for two human breasts. Clearly, much more efficient techniques are required. Streamlined data capture and visualisation of breast parenchymal anatomy from thin and thick sections in a vector format would allow integrated mapping of whole-breast structure with conventional histology and molecular data. The 'Astley Cooper digital breast mapping project' is proposed as a name for this achievable research objective. Success would offer new insights into the development of breast cancer precursor lesions, allow testing of the important 'sick lobe' hypothesis, improve correlation with imaging studies and provide 'ground truth' for mathematical modelling of breast growth