No abstract

The yearly incidence of Barrett esophagus cancer varies between 0.4 % and 1.7 %. Despite the limitations of this retrospective and pathology-based study, the observed risk of developing cancer in Barrett esophagus without neoplasia is comparable to that found in other studies, mainly from the US and the UK, and varies between 0.7 % and 1.0 % of yearly incidence.

No abstract

Purpose To analyze the role of programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) immunohistochemisty in the context of tumor microenvironment in colon cancer (CC) with focus on the interaction between tumor budding and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and to elucidate its potential value for immunooncologic treatment decisions. Methods Three hundred forty seven patients with CC, stages I to IV, were enrolled. PD-L1 immunohistochemistry was performed using two different antibodies (clone 22C3 pharmDx, Agilent and clone QR1, Quartett). Tumor proportion score (TPS) as well as immune cell score (IC) was assessed. Budding and TILs were assessed according to the criteria of the International Tumor Budding Consensus Conference (ITBCC) and International TILs Working Group (ITWG). Correlation analyses as well as survival analyses were performed. Results PD-L1 positivity significantly correlated with TILs > 5% and MMR deficiency, and PD-L1-positive cases (overall and IC) showed significantly longer overall survival (OS) with both antibodies.The parameters “high grade,” “right-sidedness,” and “TILS > 5% regardless of MMR status” evolved as potential parameters for additional immunological treatment decisions. Additionally, TPS positivity correlated with low budding. More PD-L1-positive cases were seen in both high TIL groups. The low budding/high TIL group showed longer disease-free survival and longer OS in PD-L1-positive cases. Conclusion Overall, PD-L1 positivity correlated with markers of good prognosis. PD-L1 immunohistochemistry was able to identify parameters as additional potential candidates for immune therapy. Furthermore, it was able to stratify patients within the low budding/high TIL group with significant prognostic impact.

Purpose To analyze the influence of adjuvant chemotherapy on the combination of tumor budding and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in stage II and III colon cancer and to elucidate its potential value for adjuvant treatment decisions. Methods 306 patients with stage II and 205 patients with stage III colon cancer diagnosed between 2005 and 2016 who had undergone surgery in a curative setting were enrolled. Budding and TILs were assessed according to the criteria of the International Tumor Budding Consensus Conference (ITBCC) and the criteria of the International TILs Working Group (ITWG). Combinations of budding and TILs were analyzed, and the influence of adjuvant chemotherapy was assessed. Results In stage II colon cancer, stratification into the four budding/TILs groups showed no significant differences in overall survival (OS) between the chemotherapy and the surgery-alone group, not even in cases with high-risk features. In stage III colon cancer, patients with low budding/high TILs benefited significantly from chemotherapy (p=0.005). Patients with high budding/low TILs as well as high budding/high TILs showed a trend to benefit from adjuvant treatment. However, no chemotherapy benefit was seen for the low budding/low TIL group. Conclusions The budding/TIL combination identified subgroups in stage II and III colon cancer with and without benefit from adjuvant treatment. The results this study suggest that the combination of budding and TILs as tumor-host antagonists might be an additional helpful tool in adjuvant treatment decisions in stage II and III colon cancer.