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No clinically approved tumor-specific imaging agents for head and neck cancer are currently available. The identification of biomarkers with a high and homogenous expression in tumor tissue and minimal expression in normal tissue is essential for the development of new molecular imaging targets in head and neck cancer. We investigated the expression of nine imaging targets in both primary tumor and matched metastatic tissue of 41 patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) to assess their potential as targets for molecular imaging. The intensity, proportion, and homogeneity in the tumor and the reaction in neighboring non-cancerous tissue was scored. The intensity and proportion were multiplied to obtain a total immunohistochemical (IHC) score ranging from 0-12. The mean intensity in the tumor tissue and normal epithelium were compared. The expression rate was high for the urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) (97%), integrin αvβ6 (97%), and tissue factor (86%) with a median total immunostaining score (interquartile range) for primary tumors of 6 (6-9), 12 (12-12), and 6 (2.5-7.5), respectively. For the uPAR and tissue factor, the mean staining intensity score was significantly higher in tumors compared to normal epithelium. The uPAR, integrin αvβ6, and tissue factor are promising imaging targets for OSCC primary tumors, lymph node metastases, and recurrences.

Surgical resection is the mainstay in intended curative treatment of colorectal cancer (CRC) and may be accompanied by adjuvant chemotherapy. However, 40% of the patients experience recurrence within five years of treatment, highlighting the importance of improved, personalized treatment options. Monolayer cell cultures and murine models, which are generally used to study the biology of CRC, are associated with certain drawbacks; hence, the use of organoids has been emerging. Organoids obtained from tumors display similar genotypic and phenotypic characteristics, making them ideal for investigating individualized treatment strategies and for integration as a core platform to be used in prediction models. Here, we review studies correlating the clinical response in patients with CRC with the therapeutic response in patient-derived organoids (PDO), as well as the limitations and potentials of this model. The studies outlined in this review reported strong associations between treatment responses in the PDO model and clinical treatment responses. However, as PDOs lack the tumor microenvironment, they do not genuinely account for certain crucial characteristics that influence therapeutic response. To this end, we reviewed studies investigating PDOs co-cultured with tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes. This model is a promising method allowing evaluation of patient-specific tumors and selection of personalized therapies. Standardized methodologies must be implemented to reach a "gold standard" for validating the use of this model in larger cohorts of patients. The introduction of this approach to a clinical scenario directing neoadjuvant treatment and in other curative and palliative treatment strategies holds incredible potential for improving personalized treatment and its outcomes.

Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NCRT) is indicated in locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) to downstage tumors before surgery. Watchful waiting may be a treatment option to avoid surgery in patients, obtaining a complete clinical response. However, biomarkers predictive of treatment response and long-term prognosis are lacking. Here we investigated tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in pretherapeutic biopsies as predictive and prognostic biomarkers. A systematic review and meta-analysis was performed in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines. In total, 429 articles were identified, of which 19 studies were included in the systematic review and 14 studies in the meta-analysis. Patients with high pretherapeutic CD8 + TILs density had an increased likelihood of achieving a pathological complete response (RR = 2.71; 95% CI: 1.58-4.66) or a complete or near-complete pathological treatment response (RR = 1.86; 95% CI: 1.50-2.29). Furthermore, high CD8 + TILs density was a favorable prognostic factor for disease-free survival (HR = 0.57; 95% CI: 0.38-0.86) and overall survival (HR = 0.43; 95% CI: 0.27-0.69). CD3 + , CD4 + , and FOXP3 + TILs were not identified as predictive or prognostic biomarkers. Thus, assessing pretherapeutic CD8 + TILs density may assist in identifying patients with increased sensitivity to NCRT and favorable long-term prognosis.

Introduction: Microscopic colitis is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease characterised by normal or almost normal endoscopic appearance of the colon, chronic watery, nonbloody diarrhoea and distinct histological abnormalities, which identify three histological subtypes, the collagenous colitis, the lymphocytic colitis and the incomplete microscopic colitis. With ongoing uncertainties and new developments in the clinical management of microscopic colitis, there is a need for evidence-based guidelines to improve the medical care of patients suffering from this disorder., Methods: Guidelines were developed by members from the European Microscopic Colitis Group and United European Gastroenterology in accordance with the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation II instrument. Following a systematic literature review, the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation methodology was used to assess the certainty of the evidence. Statements and recommendations were developed by working groups consisting of gastroenterologists, pathologists and basic scientists, and voted upon using the Delphi method., Results: These guidelines provide information on epidemiology and risk factors of microscopic colitis, as well as evidence-based statements and recommendations on diagnostic criteria and treatment options, including oral budesonide, bile acid binders, immunomodulators and biologics. Recommendations on the clinical management of microscopic colitis are provided based on evidence, expert opinion and best clinical practice., Conclusion: These guidelines may support clinicians worldwide to improve the clinical management of patients with microscopic colitis., (© 2020 The Authors. United European Gastroenterology Journal published by Wiley Periodicals LLC. on behalf of United European Gastroenterology.)

The diagnosis of microscopic colitis (MC) relies on specific histopathological findings in colon biopsies. The number of biopsies needed to diagnose MC remains disputed. The aim of the study was to determine the number and site of biopsies necessary for the diagnosis and the effect of perpendicular orientation when embedding the biopsies. This retrospective multicenter European study included 42 patients with a consensus diagnosis of collagenous colitis (CC), 51 patients with lymphocytic colitis (LC), and three patients with incomplete LC (LCi). The number of individual diagnostic biopsies from each patient was determined. The diagnostic rate of 744 individual biopsies from 96 patients with MC was 69.5% for the specific MC subgroup, 79.4% for MC and 93.4% for MC plus incomplete MC (MCi). The risk of missing a diagnosis of the specific subgroup of MC when analyzing four biopsies was 0.87%, decreasing to 0.18% for MC and 0.0019% for MC plus MCi. More biopsies from the right colon were diagnostic of the specific MC subgroup (76.3% vs. 64.0%, p = 0.0014). Perpendicular orientation of biopsies increased the diagnostic rate of the specific MC subgroup (73.1% vs. 65.0%, p = 0.0201). Histological changes diagnostic of MC were present in almost all biopsies from the right colon, with orientated biopsies more often being diagnostic of the specific MC subgroup. The results of this study indicate that four biopsies from the colon, rectum excluded, are sufficient to diagnose MC., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Clear cell adenocarcinoma generally develops in the kidney and the female genital organs. In 1964 the first case of primary clear cell adenocarcinoma of the colon was described. Since then less than 20 cases have been reported in the literature. We report a case of a 69-year-old man with a primary clear cell adenocarcinoma of the colon sigmoideum associated with adenoma and metastasis to two of 12 lymph nodes. Immunhistochemistry supported the diagnosis. The patient received adjuvant chemotherapy and 19 months following operation he was alive and had no signs of recurrences.