Clinical Context:
The prevalence of hyperparathyroidism, especially primary hyperparathyroidism, has increased in recent decades due to improvements in diagnostic techniques with a corresponding ...surge in parathyroid surgery, leading to the development of focused, minimally invasive surgical approaches. Focused parathyroidectomy is predicated on preoperative localization of suspected parathyroid pathology. As a result, there has been a proliferation of parathyroid imaging modalities and protocols, resulting in confusion about their indications and applications.
Evidence Acquisition:
Bibliographies from clinical trials and review articles published since 2000 were reviewed and supplemented with targeted searches using biomedical databases. We also employed our extensive clinical experience.
Evidence Synthesis:
The best-studied modalities for parathyroid localization are nuclear scintigraphy and sonography and are widely applied as initial studies. Multiple variations exist, and several additional noninvasive imaging techniques, such as computed tomography and magnetic resonance, are described. The exquisite anatomical detail of 4-dimensional computed tomography must be balanced with significant radiation exposure to the thyroid gland. Invasive venous PTH sampling and parathyroid arteriography have important roles in remedial cases. Due to considerable heterogeneity in imaging, multidisciplinary collaboration between endocrinologists, surgeons, and radiologists is beneficial.
Conclusions:
Parathyroid localization is indicated in surgical candidates. Crucial considerations when selecting an imaging study include availability, cost, radiation exposure, local expertise, and accuracy. Additional factors include the patient's anticipated pathology and whether it is de novo or refractory disease. An approach to imaging for patients with primary hyperparathyroidism is presented.
Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) is a frequently lethal malignancy that is often unresponsive to available therapeutic strategies. The tumorigenesis of ATC and its relationship to the widely ...prevalent well-differentiated thyroid carcinomas are unclear. We have analyzed 22 cases of ATC as well as 4 established ATC cell lines using whole-exome sequencing. A total of 2674 somatic mutations (121/sample) were detected. Ontology analysis revealed that the majority of variants aggregated in the MAPK, ErbB and RAS signaling pathways. Mutations in genes related to malignancy not previously associated with thyroid tumorigenesis were observed, including mTOR, NF1, NF2, MLH1, MLH3, MSH5, MSH6, ERBB2, EIF1AX and USH2A; some of which were recurrent and were investigated in 24 additional ATC cases and 8 ATC cell lines. Somatic mutations in established thyroid cancer genes were detected in 14 of 22 (64%) tumors and included recurrent mutations in BRAF, TP53 and RAS-family genes (6 cases each), as well as PIK3CA (2 cases) and single cases of CDKN1B, CDKN2C, CTNNB1 and RET mutations. BRAF V600E and RAS mutations were mutually exclusive; all ATC cell lines exhibited a combination of mutations in either BRAF and TP53 or NRAS and TP53. A hypermutator phenotype in two cases with >8 times higher mutational burden than the remaining mean was identified; both cases harbored unique somatic mutations in MLH mismatch-repair genes. This first comprehensive exome-wide analysis of the mutational landscape of ATC identifies novel genes potentially associated with ATC tumorigenesis, some of which may be targets for future therapeutic intervention.
Adrenal aldosterone-producing adenomas (APAs) constitutively produce the salt-retaining hormone aldosterone and are a common cause of severe hypertension. Recurrent mutations in the potassium channel ...gene KCNJ5 that result in cell depolarization and Ca(2+) influx cause ∼40% of these tumors. We identified 5 somatic mutations (4 altering Gly403 and 1 altering Ile770) in CACNA1D, encoding a voltage-gated calcium channel, among 43 APAs without mutated KCNJ5. The altered residues lie in the S6 segments that line the channel pore. Both alterations result in channel activation at less depolarized potentials; Gly403 alterations also impair channel inactivation. These effects are inferred to cause increased Ca(2+) influx, which is a sufficient stimulus for aldosterone production and cell proliferation in adrenal glomerulosa. We also identified de novo germline mutations at identical positions in two children with a previously undescribed syndrome featuring primary aldosteronism and neuromuscular abnormalities. These findings implicate gain-of-function Ca(2+) channel mutations in APAs and primary aldosteronism.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Context:
Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare and lethal malignancy with a poorly defined etiology, and the molecular genetics of ACC are incompletely understood.
Objective:
To utilize ...whole-exome sequencing for genetic characterization of the underlying somatic mutations and copy number alterations present in ACC.
Design:
Screening for somatic mutation events and copy number alterations (CNAs) was performed by comparative analysis of tumors and matched normal samples from 41 patients with ACC.
Results:
In total, 966 nonsynonymous somatic mutations were detected, including 40 tumors with a mean of 16 mutations per sample and one tumor with 314 mutations. Somatic mutations in ACC-associated genes included TP53 (8/41 tumors, 19.5%) and CTNNB1 (4/41, 9.8%). Genes with potential disease-causing mutations included GNAS, NF2, and RB1, and recurrently mutated genes with unknown roles in tumorigenesis comprised CDC27, SCN7A, and SDK1. Recurrent CNAs included amplification at 5p15.33 including TERT (6/41, 14.6%) and homozygous deletion at 22q12.1 including the Wnt repressors ZNRF3 and KREMEN1 (4/41 9.8% and 3/41, 7.3%, respectively). Somatic mutations in ACC-established genes and recurrent ZNRF3 and TERT loci CNAs were mutually exclusive in the majority of cases. Moreover, gene ontology identified Wnt signaling as the most frequently mutated pathway in ACCs.
Conclusions:
These findings highlight the importance of Wnt pathway dysregulation in ACC and corroborate the finding of homozygous deletion of Wnt repressors ZNRF3 and KREMEN1. Overall, mutations in either TP53 or CTNNB1 as well as focal CNAs at the ZNRF3 or TERT loci denote mutually exclusive events, suggesting separate mechanisms underlying the development of these tumors.
IMPORTANCE: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) has a higher incidence and worse outcomes among black patients than white patients, potentially owing to a combination of socioeconomic, ...biological, and treatment differences. The role that these differences play remains unknown. OBJECTIVES: To determine the level of survival disparity between black and white patients in a modern PDAC cohort and whether treatment inequity is associated with such a disparity. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This cohort study used data on 278 936 patients with PDAC with database-defined race from the National Cancer Database from January 1, 2004, to December 31, 2015. The median follow-up for censored patients was 24 months. The National Cancer Database, comprising academic and community facilities, includes about 70% of new cancer diagnoses in the United States. Race-stratified receipt of therapy was the primary variable of interest. Multivariable analyses included additional demographic and clinical parameters. Data analysis was initially completed on November 30, 2018, and revised data analysis was completed on June 27, 2019. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Overall survival was the primary outcome, analyzed with Kaplan-Meier and multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression modeling. RESULTS: The cohort included 278 936 patients (137 121 women and 141 815 men; mean SD age, 68.72 11.57 years); after excluding patients from other racial categories, 243 820 of the 278 936 patients (87.4%) were white and 35 116 of the 278 936 patients (12.6%) were black. Unadjusted median overall survival was longer for white patients than for black patients (6.6 vs 6.0 months; P < .001). Black patients presented at younger ages than white patients (15 819 of 35 116 45.0% vs 83 846 of 243 820 34.4% younger than 65 years; P < .001) and with more advanced disease (20 853 of 31 600 66.0% vs 135 317 of 220 224 61.4% with stage III or IV disease; P < .001). Black patients received fewer surgical procedures than white patients for potentially resectable stage II disease (4226 of 8097 52.2% vs 39 214 of 65 124 60.2%; P < .001) and slightly less chemotherapy for advanced disease (2756 of 4067 67.8% vs 17 296 of 25 227 68.6% for stage III disease P = .001; 8208 of 16 104 51.0% vs 58 603 of 105 616 55.5% for stage IV disease P < .001). Decreased survival for black patients persisted in multivariable modeling controlled for sociodemographic parameters (hazard ratio, 1.04 95% CI, 1.02-1.05). Conversely, modeling that controlled specifically for clinical parameters such as disease stage and treatment revealed a modest survival advantage (hazard ratio, 0.94 95% CI, 0.93-0.96) among black patients. Resection was the factor most strongly associated with overall survival (hazard ratio, 0.39 95% CI, 0.38-0.39). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Black patients with PDAC present at younger ages and with more advanced disease than white patients, suggesting that differences in tumor biology may exist. Black patients receive less treatment stage for stage and fewer surgical procedures for resectable cancers than white patients; these findings may be only partly associated with socioeconomic differences. When disease stage and treatment were controlled for, black patients had no decrease in survival.
Summary
Aldosterone‐producing adenomas (APAs) and bilateral adrenal hyperplasia are important causes of secondary hypertension. Somatic mutations in KCNJ5, CACNA1D, ATP1A1, ATP2B3 and CTNNB1 have ...been described in APAs.
Objective
To characterize clinical–pathological features in APAs and unilateral adrenal hyperplasia, and correlate them with genotypes.
Design
Retrospective study.
Subjects and Measurements
Clinical and pathological characteristics of 90 APAs and seven diffusely or focally hyperplastic adrenal glands were reviewed, and samples were examined for mutations in known disease genes by Sanger or exome sequencing.
Results
Mutation frequencies were as follows: KCNJ5, 37·1%; CACNA1D, 10·3%; ATP1A1, 8·2%; ATP2B3, 3·1%; and CTNNB1, 2·1%. Previously unidentified mutations included I157K, F154C and two insertions (I150_G151insM and I144_E145insAI) in KCNJ5, all close to the selectivity filter, V426G_V427Q_A428_L433del in ATP2B3 and A39Efs*3 in CTNNB1. Mutations in KCNJ5 were associated with female and other mutations with male gender (P = 0·007). On computed tomography, KCNJ5‐mutant tumours displayed significantly greater diameter (P = 0·023), calculated area (P = 0·002) and lower precontrast Hounsfield units (P = 0·0002) vs tumours with mutations in other genes. Accordingly, KCNJ5‐mutant tumours were predominantly comprised of lipid‐rich fasciculata‐like clear cells, whereas other tumours were heterogeneous (P = 5 × 10−6 vs non‐KCNJ5 mutant and P = 0·0003 vs wild‐type tumours, respectively). CACNA1D mutations were present in two samples with hyperplasia without adenoma.
Conclusions
KCNJ5‐mutant tumours appear to be associated with fasciculata‐like clear cell predominant histology and tend to be larger with a characteristic imaging phenotype. Novel somatic KCNJ5 variants likely cause adenomas by loss of potassium selectivity, similar to previously described mutations.
Follicular thyroid carcinoma (FTC) is classified into minimally invasive (miFTC), encapsulated angioinvasive (eaFTC), and widely invasive (wiFTC) subtypes, according to the 2017 World Health ...Organization guidelines. The genetic signatures of these subtypes may be crucial for diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment but have not been described.
Identify and describe the genetic underpinnings of subtypes of FTC.
Thirty-nine tumors, comprising 12 miFTCs, 17 eaFTCs, and 10 wiFTCs, were whole-exome sequenced and analyzed. Somatic mutations, constitutional sequence variants, somatic copy number alterations, and mutational signatures were described. Clinicopathologic parameters and mutational profiles were assessed for associations with patient outcomes.
Total mutation burden was consistent across FTC subtypes, with a median of 10 (range 1 to 44) nonsynonymous somatic mutations per tumor. Overall, 20.5% of specimens had a mutation in the RAS subfamily (HRAS, KRAS, or NRAS), with no notable difference between subtypes. Mutations in TSHR, DICER1, EIF1AX, KDM5C, NF1, PTEN, and TP53 were also noted to be recurrent across the cohort. Clonality analysis demonstrated more subclones in wiFTC. Survival analysis demonstrated worse disease-specific survival in the eaFTC and wiFTC cohorts, with no recurrences or deaths for patients with miFTC. Mutation burden was associated with worse prognosis, independent of histopathological classification.
Though the number and variety of somatic variants are similar in the different histopathological subtypes of FTC in our study, mutational burden was an independent predictor of mortality and recurrence.
Dysregulated expression of the secretory protein renalase can promote pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) growth in animal models. We characterized renalase expression in premalignant and ...malignant PDAC tissue and investigated whether plasma renalase levels corresponded to clinical PDAC characteristics. Renalase immunohistochemistry was used to determine the presence and distribution of renalase in normal pancreas, chronic pancreatitis, PDAC precursor lesions, and PDAC tissues. Associations between pretreatment plasma renalase and PDAC clinical status were assessed in patients with varied clinical stages of PDAC and included tumor characteristics, surgical resection in locally advanced/borderline resectable PDAC, and overall survival. Data were retrospectively obtained and correlated using non-parametric analysis. Little to no renalase was detected by histochemistry in the normal pancreatic head in the absence of abdominal trauma. In chronic pancreatitis, renalase immunoreactivity localized to peri-acinar spindle-shaped cells in some samples. It was also widely present in PDAC precursor lesions and PDAC tissue. Among 240 patients with PDAC, elevated plasma renalase levels were associated with worse tumor characteristics, including greater angiolymphatic invasion (80.0% vs. 58.1%, p = 0.012) and greater node positive disease (76.5% vs. 56.5%, p = 0.024). Overall survival was worse in patients with high plasma renalase levels with median follow-up of 27.70 months vs. 65.03 months (p < 0.001). Renalase levels also predicted whether patients with locally advanced/borderline resectable PDAC underwent resection (AUC 0.674; 95%CI 0.42-0.82, p = 0.04). Overall tissue renalase was increased in both premalignant and malignant PDAC tissues compared to normal pancreas. Elevated plasma renalase levels were associated with advanced tumor characteristics, decreased overall survival, and reduced resectability in patients with locally advanced/borderline resectable PDAC. These studies show that renalase levels are increased in premalignant pancreatic tissues and that its levels in plasma correspond to the clinical behavior of PDAC.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Adrenal tumors autonomously producing cortisol cause Cushing's syndrome. We performed exome sequencing of 25 tumor-normal pairs and identified 2 subgroups. Eight tumors (including three carcinomas) ...had many somatic copy number variants (CNVs) with frequent deletion of CDC42 and CDKN2A, amplification of 5q31.2 and protein-altering mutations in TP53 and RB1. Seventeen tumors (all adenomas) had no somatic CNVs or TP53 or RB1 mutations. Six of these had known gain-of-function mutations in CTNNB1 (β-catenin) or GNAS (Gαs). Six others had somatic mutations in PRKACA (protein kinase A (PKA) catalytic subunit) resulting in a p.Leu206Arg substitution. Further sequencing identified this mutation in 13 of 63 tumors (35% of adenomas with overt Cushing's syndrome). PRKACA, GNAS and CTNNB1 mutations were mutually exclusive. Leu206 directly interacts with the regulatory subunit of PKA, PRKAR1A. Leu206Arg PRKACA loses PRKAR1A binding, increasing the phosphorylation of downstream targets. PKA activity induces cortisol production and cell proliferation, providing a mechanism for tumor development. These findings define distinct mechanisms underlying adrenal cortisol-producing tumors.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK