bims-netuvo Biomed News
on Nerves in tumours of visceral organs
Issue of 2022–02–20
five papers selected by
Maksym V. Kopanitsa, The Francis Crick Institute



  1. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol. 2021 Oct 30. pii: S2212-4403(21)00714-8. [Epub ahead of print]
       OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate CELSR3 expression and explore its potential mechanism in oral squamous cell carcinoma.
    STUDY DESIGN: CELSR3 mRNA expression was analyzed using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. CELSR3 protein expression in 135 surgical oral squamous cell carcinoma specimens was observed by immunohistochemical staining. Staining results were used to investigate the association between CELSR3 expression and clinicopathologic characteristics and prognosis. Bioinformatics analyses were used to explore the potential mechanism of CELSR3 in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.
    RESULTS: CELSR3 mRNA expression was upregulated in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma in the TCGA head and neck squamous cell carcinoma data set. Increased CELSR3 protein expression was associated with perineural invasion and poor clinical outcomes in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma. Bioinformatics analyses revealed that CELSR3 is involvement in axonogenesis, neuron migration, and cell-cell adhesion, all of which are involved in the process of perineural invasion.
    CONCLUSION: CELSR3 may play a pro-oncogenic role in oral squamous cell carcinoma and can predict perineural invasion and poor survival. CELSR3 may be involved in oral squamous cell carcinoma progression by modulating perineural invasion.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oooo.2021.10.016
  2. Cancer Control. 2022 Jan-Dec;29:29 10732748211051533
       BACKGROUND: Both tumor deposits (TD) and perineural invasion (PNI) have been identified as risk factors for poor survival in patients with non-metastatic colorectal adenocarcinoma (CRC). However, the adverse impacts of TD and PNI on the survival of patients with non-metastatic CRC have not been compared.
    METHOD: Patients with non-metastatic CRC with known TD and PNI status were selected from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. First, bivariate logistic regression analysis was utilized to identify the factors associated with TD and PNI status. Then, patients were divided into four groups, according to TD and PNI status. Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed to balance the baseline covariates. The impact of TD and PNI on survival was assessed by analyzing overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific mortality (CSM) rates. OS was calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method with log-rank analysis. CSM was estimated by competing risk analysis using the Fine and Gray model.
    RESULTS: A total of 70 689 patients with CRC met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The positive rates of TD and PNI were 9.37% and 9.91%, respectively. For TD, the most important risk factor was N stage. With respect to PNI, the most significant factor was T stage. Tumor location, tumor size, differentiation grade, and serum CEA level were also correlated with TD and PNI status. After PSM, 1849 pairs were selected. Patients with TD+PNI+ status had the worst 5 year CSM and 5 year OS. In addition, the long-term survival outcomes of patients with TD+PNI- and TD-PNI+ status were comparable.
    CONCLUSION: The adverse impacts of TD and PNI on the survival of patients with non-metastatic CRC were comparable. CRC patients with both TD and PNI positive had the worst survival outcome.
    Keywords:  colorectal adenocarcinoma; competing risk analysis; perineural invasion; propensity score matching; surveillance epidemiology and end results database; tumor deposits
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1177/10732748211051533
  3. Asian J Androl. 2022 Feb 15.
      We performed this study to investigate pathological upgrading from biopsy to prostatectomy and clinicopathological factors associated with grade group (GG) upgrading in patients with International Society of Urological Pathology (ISUP) GG 1 and 2 prostate cancer (PCa) in a Chinese cohort. We included patients diagnosed with PCa with ISUP GG 1 and 2 at biopsy, who underwent RP at our institution. Pre- and postoperative clinical variables were examined. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify independent factors associated with GG upgrading. Patients in GG upgraded group had higher total prostate-specific antigen (tPSA; median: 14.43 ng ml-1 vs 10.52 ng ml-1, P = 0.001) and PSA density (PSAD; median: 0.45 ng ml-2 vs 0.27 ng ml-2, P < 0.001) than those in GG nonupgraded group. Patients in upgraded group had a higher ratio for Prostate Imaging-Reporting and Data System (PI-RADS) score >3 (86.4% vs 67.9%, P < 0.001). Those with GG 1 in biopsy were more likely to experience GG upgrading after RP than those with GG 2 (71 vs 54, P = 0.016). Independent preoperative factors predicting GG upgrading were PI-RADS score >3 (odds ratio [OR]: 2.471, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.132-5.393; P = 0.023), higher PSAD (P = 0.001), and GG in biopsy (OR: 0.241, 95% CI: 0.123-0.471; P < 0.001). The histopathological analyses of RP specimens revealed that perineural invasion (PNI; OR: 1.839, 95% CI: 1.027-3.490; P = 0.041) was identified as an independent factor associated with GG upgrading. Our results revealed that GG in the biopsy, PSAD, PI-RADS score >3, and PNI were independent factors of GG upgrading. These factors should be considered for patients with ISUP grade ≤2 PCa.
    Keywords:  biopsy; grade group; prostate cancer; radical prostatectomy; upgrading
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.4103/aja2021108
  4. J Plast Reconstr Aesthet Surg. 2022 Jan 16. pii: S1748-6815(22)00015-8. [Epub ahead of print]
       BACKGROUND: Despite seasonal variation in malignant melanoma diagnosis being well described, data on the annual variation in high-risk melanomas are scarce.
    OBJECTIVES: We set out to investigate the relationship between seasonality, the incidence of melanoma, and the distribution of melanoma characteristics, including Breslow thickness, ulceration, mitotic rate, lymphovascular and perineural invasion, and the presence of microsatellites.
    METHODS: Primary cutaneous malignant melanomas diagnosed between 2011 and 2019 in Eastern England were identified from our prospectively maintained melanoma database (n = 2199). These were analysed by year and season of diagnosis, patient demographics, and melanoma characteristics.
    RESULTS: There was a variation in rates of melanoma diagnosis across the year, with Summer having the highest incidence (p < 0.0001). There was a significant trend towards more male than female diagnosis in Winter (p = 0.0354). There were no significant seasonal trends in Breslow thickness, ulceration, tumour infiltrating lymphocytes, or mitotic rate. Multivariate analysis showed that microsatellites were more likely to be diagnosed in the Winter (OR=2.00 (1.19-3.43), p = 0.010), lymphovascular invasion significantly more likely to be diagnosed in Autumn (OR=1.78 (1.16-2.76), p = 0.009), and perineural invasion was more likely to be diagnosed in the Summer (OR=0.44 (0.23-0.79), p = 0.007).
    CONCLUSIONS: These data confirm that high-risk phenotypes are associated with increasing Breslow thickness and mitotic rate. However, season variability as an independent risk factor for the phenotypes is a novel finding.
    Keywords:  Climate; Cutaneous melanoma; Humans; Incidence; Seasons; Skin neoplasms
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bjps.2022.01.002
  5. Ann Hepatobiliary Pancreat Surg. 2022 Feb 15.
       Backgrounds/Aims: The goal of the present study was to evaluate the prognostic value of lymph node ratio (LNR) in distal cholangiocarcinoma (DCC) after curative intended surgery.
    Methods: Clinicopathological data of 162 DCC patients who underwent radical intended surgery between 2012 and 2020 were analyzed retrospectively. Prognostic factors related to overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were evaluated.
    Results: Median OS time and DFS time were 41 and 29 months, and 5-year OS rate and DFS rate were 44.7% and 38.1%, respectively. In the univariate analysis, significant prognostic factors for OS were histologic differentiation, American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stage, positive lymph node count, LNR, R1 resection, and perineural invasion. Preoperative carcinoembryonic antigen, carbohydrate antigen 19-9, infiltrative type, histologic differentiation, AJCC stage, positive lymph node count, LNR, R1 resection, perineural invasion, and lymph-vascular invasion were significant prognostic factors for DFS in the univariate analysis. In the multivariate analysis, histologic differentiation, R1 resection, and LNR were the independent prognostic factors for both OS and DFS. The LNR ≥ 0.2 group had a significantly poor prognosis in terms of OS (hazard ratio, 3.915; p = 0.002) and DFS (hazard ratio, 5.840; p < 0.001).
    Conclusions: LNR has significant value as a prognostic factor of DCC related to OS and DFS. LNR has the potential to be used as a modified staging system with furthermore studies.
    Keywords:  Cholangiocarcinoma; Lymph node ratio; Pancreaticoduodenectomy; Survival
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.14701/ahbps.21-126