This case series suggests that the OTSC system may be a valuable tool for the resection of submucosal lesions, but further prospective and randomized studies are necessary to assess the indications and outcome.

Purpose Previous studies have shown that basal breast cancers, which may have an inherent “BRCAness” phenotype and sensitivity to inhibitors of poly (ADP-Ribose) polymerase (PARP), express elevated levels of PARP1. Our lab recently reported that HER2+ breast cancers also exhibit sensitivity to PARP inhibitors (PARPi) by attenuating the NF-kB pathway. In this study, we assessed PARP1 and phospho-p65, a marker of activated NF-kB levels in human breast cancer tissues. Methods PARP1 and PARP2 copy number, mRNA, and protein expression was assessed by interrogating the PAM-50 defined breast cancer patient set from the TCGA using the cBioPortal. PARP1 and phospho-p65 immunohistochemistry and correlation to clinical parameters was conducted using 307 primary breast cancer specimens (132 basal, 82 luminal, 93 HER2+) through univariate and multivariate analyses. Results In the PAM50 breast cancer data set, PARP1 and 2 expression was altered in 24/58 (41%) HER2+, 32/81 (40%) basal, and 75/324 (23%) luminal A/B breast cancer patients. This correlated with a statistically significant increase in PARP1 protein levels in HER2+ and basal but not luminal breast cancers (p=0.003, p=0.027, p=0.289, respectively). No change in PARP2 protein level was observed. Interestingly, using breast cancer specimens from 307 patients, HER2 positivity correlated with elevated PARP1 expression (p<0.0001) and was three times more likely than HER2 negative breast cancers to exhibit high PARP1 levels. No significant differences were noted between race, ER status, or PR status for PARP1 expression. Additionally, we found a significant correlation between HER2 status and phospho-p65 expression (p<0.0001). Lastly, a direct correlation between PARP1 and phospho-p65 (p<0.0001) was noted. Conclusions These results indicate a potential connection between HER2, PARP1, and phospho-p65. Furthermore, these data suggest that the PARPi sensitivity we previously observed in HER2+ breast cancer cells may be due to elevated PARP1 expression.

Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) has >90% mortality without therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE). Despite TPE, approximately 10% of patients still die, presumably from cardiac ischemia. We sought clinical or laboratory parameters associated with death by reviewing the records of all patients hospitalized with acquired TTP in our institution for 10 years, and collect demographics and results for hemoglobin, platelet count, creatinine, lactate dehydrogenase, transaminases, total bilirubin, creatinine kinase (CK), CK-MB, and troponin I. Sixty-eight patients were admitted 88 times, and 11 died. Survivors and non-survivors were similar in terms of sex, ethnicity, thrombocytopenia, and degree of anemia at presentation, while the latter were older, had worse renal function and higher CK, CK-MB, and troponin I (univariate analysis). However, only troponin I remained significant on multivariate analyses. We propose that patients with TTP should be monitored with troponin I to detect significant myocardial ischemia that could predict death despite TPE.

Therapy related acute lymphoblastic leukemia (t-ALL) of B cell origin is rare and constitutes approximately 2% of all ALL. Previously compiled data on the complete cytogenetic analysis of 48 t-B-ALL cases suggested that MLL rearrangement at 11q23 gene locus is the most common abnormality. Philadelphia chromosome (Ph) and a normal karyotype were reported as the second and third most common karyotypes, respectively. We investigated cytogenetic karyotypes of six t-B-ALL cases with a pre-B cell immunophenotype. Ph + t-B-ALL was noted in four of six patients previously treated with radiation and/or chemotherapy. In addition, one case demonstrated MLL rearrangement at 11q23 locus while one case demonstrated normal cytogenetic karyotype. Five of the six t-B-ALL patients had persistent leukemia following initiation of chemotherapy for secondary leukemia with survival ranging from 10 to 21 months. To our knowledge, only fourteen patients with Ph + t-B-ALL have been described in the literature. In the current study, three of four cases with Ph + t-B-ALL were associated with treated breast carcinoma while one patient was treated for Hodgkin lymphoma. All four patients had undergone radiation therapy. The results may indicate a plausible association between Ph+t-B-ALL and prior radiation exposure.

No abstract