Pathological cytomorphologic features and the percentage of ALK FISH-positive cells predict pulmonary adenocarcinoma prognosis: a prospective cohort study

We conducted a study to explore the relationship between pathological cytomorphologic features and the percentage of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive cells to better predict pulmonary adenocarcinoma prognosis with crizotinib treatment.
We investigated 60 cases of patients with ALK-positive advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Immunohistochemistry was performed to screen for ALK rearrangement. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) was used to detect the percentage of ALK-positive cells. The primary objectives of the study were the progression-free survival (PFS), the 3-year overall survival, and the 3-year overall survival (OS) rates. The secondary objectives of the study were the disease control rate (DCR) and the overall response rate (ORR).
We concluded that signet ring cell cytomorphologic characteristics of pulmonary adenocarcinoma are associated with the percentage of ALK-positive cells. Signet ring cell cytomorphologic characteristics and the percentage of ALK-positive cells might predict the prognosis of pulmonary adenocarcinoma with crizotinib treatment. READ ARTICLE

World Journal of Surgical Oncology DOI:10.1186/s12957-021-02386-0

Authors: Fenge Jiang, Congcong Wang, Ping Yang, Ping Sun, Jiannan Liu

Distribution of EML4-ALK fusion variants and clinical outcomes in patients with resected non-small cell lung cancer

Objectives: The molecular profiles and prognosis of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) fusion and resectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remain unclear. This study aimed to explore the distribution of ALK fusion variants and prognostic factors in patients with surgically resected NSCLC. Conclusions: This study illustrated the patterns of EML4-ALK fusion variants and gene profiles in patients with resected NSCLC. Advanced T stage and EML4-ALK variant 3 were associated with worse prognosis. The role of TP53 mutations in prognosis is worthy of further study. READ ARTICLE

Lung Cancer DOI:10.1016/j.lungcan.2020.09.012

Authors: Hong Tao, Liang Shi, Aoxue Zhou, Hongxia Li, Fei Gai, Zhan Huang, Nanying Che, Zhe Liu

Case StudyKirk SmithSeptember 24, 2020Coexisting mutation, EML4-ALK fusion, Prognosis, Resected NSCLC, Variant

The clinical impact of family history of cancer in female never-smoker lung adenocarcinoma

Accumulating evidence reveals the association between the risk of never-smoker lung cancer and family history of cancer. However, the clinicogenomic effect of family history of cancer in never-smoker lung cancer remains unknown.We screened 3,241 lung cancer patients who (a) underwent curative resection at National Cancer Center (Goyang, Korea) between 2001–2014, and (b) completed a pre-designed interview about family/smoking history at the time of diagnosis and identified 604 female never smoker lung adenocarcinoma. A positive family history of cancer [categorized as pulmonary cancer (FH-PC) or non-pulmonary cancer (FH-NPC)] was defined as a self-reported history of cancer in first-degree relatives. Survival data were followed up until January 2017. Multiplexed targeted next-generation sequencing was performed for genetic profiling.The study found that the type of family history of cancer was associated with distinct clinocogenomic subtypes and prognosis of never-smoker lung adenocarcinoma. READ ARTICLE

Lung Cancer DOI:10.1016/j.lungcan.2019.07.031

Authors: Youngjoo Lee, Jae Hyun Jeon, Sung-Ho Goh, Hanseong Roh, Ji-Young Yun, Nak-Jung Kwon, Jin Ho Choi, Hee Chul Yang, Moon Soo Kim, Jong Mog Lee, Geon Kook Lee, Ji-Youn Han

Case StudyKirk SmithJuly 31, 2019Never smoker, Non-small-cell lung cancer, Prognosis, Family history, EGFR, ALK

Expression of mucins (MUC1, MUC2, MUC5AC and MUC6) in ALK-positive lung cancer: Comparison with EGFR-mutated lung cancer

ALK-positive (ALK+) lung adenocarcinoma usually shows a more advanced-staged disease with frequent nodal metastasis and highly aggressive outcomes compared with EGFR-mutated lung cancers. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression profiles of several mucins in ALK + lung cancers to gain insight into the relationship between the more aggressive biological nature of ALK + lung cancers and the role of mucins. We examined the immunohistochemical profiles of mucins MUC1, MUC2, MUC5AC, and MUC6 in 19 ALK + lung cancers compared with 42 EGFR-mutated lung cancers. ALK + cancers were found to occur in younger patients and were characterized by a solid-predominant histologic subtype with frequent signet ring cells and peritumoral muciphages. By contrast, EGFR-mutated cancers lacked ALK-specific histological patterns. Although all MUC1 and MUC5AC were expressed in both subtypes, MUC1 expression in ALK + cancers was visualized exclusively through cytoplasmic staining, whereas those in..... READ ARTICLE

Pathology - Research and Practice DOI:10.1016/j.prp.2018.12.011

Authors: Hong Kyu Lee, Mi Jung Kwon, Jinwon Seo, Jeong Won Kim, Mineui Hong, Hye-Rim Park, Soo Kee Min, Ji-Young Choe, Yong Joon Ra, Seung Hun Jang, Yong Il Hwang, Ho Young Kim, Kyueng-Whan Min