Purpose To investigate the clinicopathological characteristics,diagnosis,and differential diagnosis of invasive mucinous adenocarcinoma(IMA)and mixed invasive mucinous and non-mucinous adenocarcinoma(mIMA).Methods The clinical data were collected in 36 patients with primary IMA and 17 patients with mIMA,and the expression of TTF-1,CK7,CK20,SATB2,CDX2,EGFR,HNF4a,etc.was detected by immunohistochemical EnVision two-step method.The Sanger se-quencing and the FISH were used for KRAS mutation and NRG1 gene rearrangement detection.The clinicopathological character-istics were analyzed with review of relevant literature.Results There were 9 cases(25.0％)and 3(8.3％)cases of papillary and micropapillary structures in IMA,while 13 cases(76.5％)(P＜0.001)and 9 cases(52.9％)(P=0.001)were present in mIMA.There were 5 cases(13.9％)of high nuclear grade of IMA and 10 cases(58.8％)of high nuclear grade of mIMA(P=0.002).TTF-1 had a positive rate of 37.5％in IMA,but 60.0％and 80.0％in the mucinous adenocarcinoma and non-mucinous adenocarcinoma components of mIMA(P=0.021),respectively.The positive rates of CK7,CK20,and CDX2 in IMA were 90.6％,21.9％,and 9.4％,and the positive rates in mucinous adenocarcinoma and non-mucinous adenocarcinoma components of mIMA were 100％,20％,20％and 100％,6.7％,6.7％,respectively and no SATB2 expression was found in all cases.There was no significant difference in the expres-sion of total EGFR and two EGFR mutation-specific antibodies(L858R,DEL19)between IMA and mIMA.There were 3 cases of mucinous adenocarcinoma with L858R positive in mIMA,and 2 of them were negative for non-mueinous adenocarcinoma.In another case,the non-mueinous adenocarcinoma component of mIMA expressed DEL19,but the mucinous adenocarcinoma component was not expressed.The positive rate of HNF4a in IMA was 72.0％(18/25),and those of HNF4a in mucinous adenocarcinoma and non-mucinous adenocarcinoma in mIMA were 41.7％(5/12)and 33.3％(4/12),respectively(P=0.048).KRAS gene sequencing was carried out in 19 cases of IMA,among which 9 cases(47.4％)had mutations,G12D and G12V were most commonly detected,and 4 cases of mIMA were sequenced,but none of them showed KRAS mutations.FISH detection showed that 2 cases(7.1％)IMAs had NRG1 translocation rearrangement.Conclusion Pulmonary mIMA is more aggressive than IMA.For example,mIMA has significantly more papillary structure,micropapillary structure,and high nu-clear grade cases than IMA.The differences in immunohisto-chemical expression and KRAS mutation between the two are sta-tistically significant.

Background/Aims: Epstein-Barr virus-associated gastric cancers (EBVaGCs) have unique molecular and clinicopathological characteristics. The cyclic GMP-AMP synthase-stimulator of interferon genes (STING) pathway is recently recognized as the critical innate immunity against pathogens and tumors. STING is also a master regulator in the cancer-immunity cycle and targeting STING could synergize with existing immune-checkpoint therapies. However, the role of STING in GC, especially in EBVaGC, and its correlation with programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) remain largely unclear. Methods: We collected 78 cases of EBVaGCs and 210 cases of EBV-negative GC (EBVnGC) from a total of 1,443 cases of GC analyzed by EBV-encoded small RNA in situ hybridization. We investigated STING and PD-L1 expression and their concomitant prognostic value in EBVaGCs and EBVnGCs using tissue microarray and immunohistochemistry. The effects of STING and PD-L1 expression on the overall survival of patients with EBVaGC or EBVnGC were assessed by univariate and multivariate analysis. Results: We found that both STING and PD-L1 exhibited significantly higher expression in the EBVaGCs than that in the EBVnGCs. The expression of STING was positively correlated with that of PD-L1 in EBVaGCs. Simultaneous negative expression of STING and PD-L1, and positive expression of STING were independent prognostic risk factors for EBVaGC and EBVnGC, respectively. Conclusions This is the first prognostic retrospective study of STING and PD-L1 expression and the prognosis among EBVaGC and EBVnGC. The expression and prognostic value of STING and PD-L1 are different in the two types of GCs. STING and PD-L1 are promising prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets for EBVaGC and EBVnGC.

Objective:To propose a method of cervical cytology screening based on deep convolutional neural network and compare it with the diagnosis of cytologists.Method:The deep segmentation network was used to extract 618 333 regions of interest (ROI) from 5, 516 cytological pathological images. Combined with the experience of physicians, the deep classification network with the ability to analyze ROI was trained. The classification results were used to construct features, and the decision model was used to complete the classification of cytopathological images.Results:The sensitivity and specificity were 89.72%, 58.48%, 33.95% and 95.94% respectively. Among the smears derived from four different preparation methods, this algorithm had the best effect on natural fallout with a sensitivity of 91.10%, specificity of 69.32%, positive predictive rate of 41.41%, and negative predictive rate of 97.03%.Conclusion:Deep convolutional neural network image recognition technology can be applied to cervical cytology screening.

Objective:To investigate the clinicopathologic and immunophenotypic features of metastatic gastrointestinal hepatoid adenocarcinomas in the liver.Methods:Eight cases of hepatic metastatic gastrointestinal hepatoid adenocarcinoma diagnosed at the Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital, Nanjing University Medical School from January 2009 to January 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. The clinical data, histopathologic features and immunohistochemical (IHC) characteristics performed by EnVision method were analyzed.Results:There were five males and three females with a mean age of 66 years. The primary sites included one case each from the distal esophagus and the right colon, and the other six cases were from the stomach. Pre-treatment serum AFP levels were increased in four patients, normal in two, and was not known in two other patients. Liver metastases occurred in all eight patients at initial diagnosis. Microscopically, the primary tumor was composed of areas showing hepatic differentiation with or without typical adenocarcinoma component; and the areas with hepatic differentiation morphologically resembled hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). IHC staining showed variable expression of HCC markers such as Glypican 3, AFP, SALL4 and HepPar-1, and gastrointestinal adenocarcinoma markers such as CK19, CDX-2 and Villin in both the primary and metastatic foci of hepatoid adenocarcinoma.Conclusions:Hepatoid adenocarcinoma in the digestive tract gives rise to only non-specific symptoms, and shows high propensity for invasion and metastasis. When liver metastasis is the presenting symptom, it is difficult to distinguish metastatic hepatoid adenocarcinoma from the primary HCC based on histopathologic characteristics alone. The accurate diagnosis of metastatic hepatoid adenocarcinoma in the liver requires combination of clinical, radiologic, histopathologic and IHC findings.

Objective:To investigate the expression status and diagnostic value of SRY related high mobility group box 11 (SOX-11) and transcription factor E-3 (TFE3) in solid pseudopapillary tumors of pancreas (SPTPs).Methods:Thirty-eight cases of SPTPs, 36 cases of well-differentiated pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PanNETs) and six cases of pancreatic acinar cell carcinomas (PACCs) were collected at the Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School from 2012 to 2019. The expression of SOX-11, TFE3 and β-catenin was detected by immunohistochemistry, and the TFE3 gene status was detected by FISH in 18 cases of SPTPs.Results:Among the 38 SPTP patients, 29 were female and 9 were male, with a mean age of 50 years; among 36 PanNET patients, 32 were female and 4 were male, with a mean age of 39 years; for the six PACC patients, four were male and two were female, with a mean age of 60 years. β-catenin was positive in all 38 SPTPs, but was negative in all 36 PanNETs and 5/6 PACCs. SOX-11 was positive in 35/38 (92.1%) of SPTPs, but was negative in all 36 PanNETs and 6 PACCs. TFE3 was positive in 36/38 (94.7%) of SPTPs, but was negative in all 36 PanNETs and 6 PACCs. Among these three tumors, the specificity and sensitivity of β-catenin were 97.6% and 100.0%, the specificity and sensitivity of SOX-11 were 92.1% and 100.0%, the specificity and sensitivity of TFE3 were 94.7% and 100.0%, respectively. There was a significant difference of the expression status of all three markers in SPTPs compared with PanNETs and PACCs ( P<0.01). The results of SOX-11 and TFE3 immunostaining showed high consistency (Kappa>0.6). No gene rearrangement (0/18) of TFE3 was found in SPTPs. Conclusion:SOX-11 and TFE3 are highly expressed in SPTPs, and their specificity in the differential diagnosis of SPTPs is better than that of β-catenin.

Objective To investigate the expression of programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) in lung adenocarcinoma tissues and its correlation with clinicopathological features of patients. Methods A total of 141 paraffin-embedded specimens of patients with newly diagnosed lung adenocarcinoma by pathology from January to August 2018 in the Affiliated Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School were collected. The expression of PD-L1 in the tumor cells (TC) and tumor-infiltrating immune cells (IC) were detected by immunohistochemistry EnVision staining. Based on the percentage of expression, PD-L1 in TC and IC were divided into TC3 (≥50％), TC2 (≥5％ and <50％), TC1 (≥1％ and <5％), and TC0 (<1％); IC3 (≥10％), IC2 (≥5％ and <10％), IC1 (≥1％ and <5％), and IC0 (<1％). Results PD-L1 expression was positive in 90 cases, and the positive rate was 63.8％ (90/141) at a TC1 or IC1 threshold. When a TC3 or IC3 threshold was applied, PD-L1 expression was positive in 17 cases, and the positive rate was 12.1％ (17/141). In the TC1 or IC1 threshold group, PD-L1 expressions were different in patients with different sex, nerve invasion and pleural invasion, and the differences were statistically significant (all P < 0.05). While in the TC3 or IC3 threshold group, PD-L1 expressions were different in patients with different cell differentiation, clinical stage, lymphocyte infiltration, vascular invasion and nerve invasion, and the differences were statistically significant (all P < 0.05). In both TC1 or IC1 threshold group and TC3 or IC3 threshold group, PD-L1 expression was associated with nerve invasion (both P < 0.05). Conclusions PD-L1 expression is associated with nerve invasion. PD-L1 inhibitors expect to be used as a potential treatment strategy for recurrent and progressive lung adenocarcinoma patients with high level expression of PD-L1.

Objective: To investigate the clinical, radiological and pathological features of visceral parasitic migration of the liver. Methods: Seven cases of visceral parasitic migration of liver were identified at the Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Medical School of Nanjing University from January 2008 to July 2017. Clinical data, enhanced CT image and pathological features were analyzed, combining with literature review. Results: There were 5 male and 2 female patients. Five patients presented with abdominal pain or discomfort as the first symptom. Two patients were admitted to the hospital for physical examination with liver nodule. Blood eosinophils were mildly to moderately increased in 4 cases. Enhanced CT showed the liver irregular beaded nodules that showed no significant enhancement of arterial phase. Mild enhancement of round lesions (ring lesion) was seen in a few cases before surgery. By histopathology, the lesions showed central geographic necrosis, surrounded by epithelioid granuloma and inflammatory cell bands. A large number of eosinophils and scattered multinucleated giant cells were found, especially at the peripheral of the lesion. Charcot-Leyden crystals were present in all case and parasitic migrans was found in one case. Conclusions Visceral parasitic migration of liver is a rare liver disease and is easily misdiagnosed as other benign or malignant liver tumors. Combining clinical data, enhanced CT images and pathological examination can improve the preoperative and postoperative diagnosis of the disease.

Objective: To investigation HER2 status in gastric adenocarcinoma of Chinese and contributing factors to the HER2 expression. Methods: HER2 status of 40 842 gastric adenocarcinomas and clinical data were retrospectively collected from 23 hospitals dated from 2013 to 2016. The association between HER2 positivity and clinicopathologic features was analyzed. Results: Of the 40 842 patients the median age was 62 years, the male female ratio was 2.6∶1.0. The rate of HER2 positivity was 8.8% (3 577/40 842). HER2 expression was related to the tissue type, tumor location, Lauren classification and tumor differentiation (P values: 0.009, 0.001, <0.01 and <0.01, respectively). Different HER2 expression status was observed between primary and recurrent tumors in 7.6% (48/635) cases. The rates of HER2 positivity ranged from 2% to 10% among different institutions. The rates of HER2 FISH amplification were dramatically different among the 23 hospitals (0-100%) with an average rate of 10% (810/8 156) in patients with HER2 IHC 2+ . Conclusions HER2 expression is associated with clinicopathologic characteristics. HER2 re-assessment of tumor tissue and use of in situ hybridization techniques increase HER2 positivity. The current retrospective study should reflect the HER2 status in gastric adenocarcinoma of Chinese patients.

Objective To study the clinical, endoscopic and pathological features of gastrointestinal and mesenteric reactive nodular fibrous pseudotumor (RNFPT). Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on data of 24 RNFPT patients in Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital admitted from October 2008 to June 2016. The clinical, endoscopic, pathological and immunohistochemical characteristics were analyzed. Results Among the 24 patients, 16 complained about discomfort in the upper abdomen and 10 had a history of surgery or trauma. Twenty-one had isolated masses and 3 had multiple masses, with diameter of 0. 5-4. 0 cm. Endoscopically, the tumors were mainly hard submucosal masses with broad base, and smooth surface with no mucosal bridge. Seventeen patients underwent endoscopic ultrasonography, which showed low echoes in lesions and nonuniform echoes partly. Among them, 13 lesions derived from muscularis, 4 others from submucosa. Microscopically, the tumors had clear boundary with no envelope, and most areas showed disorderly arranged spindle cells and extensively collagenous degenerated mesenchyma. The spindle cells had shuttle fibroblast-like morphology and elongated nucleus with no visible necrosis or mitosis. Inflammatory cells scattered between the tumor cells, and lymphoid follicles and calcium deposition could be seen in local areas. Immunohistochemically, SMA was focally positive in 7 cases and only 4 cases expressed CD117 scattered. Desmin, Dog-1, CD34, ALK-1 and S-100 were all negative, and Ki-67 proliferation index was lower than 1％. Conclusion RNFPT has diverse clinical manifestations, with a good prognosis and unlikely recurrences, and should be distinguished from spindle cell tumors.

Objective: To investigate clinicopathological features of carcinoma showing thymus-like elements (CASTLE) in the head and neck regions. Methods: Clinicopathological data of 7 patients with CASTLE in the head and neck regions were retrospectively reviewed.Immunohistochemical staining and in situ hybridization for EBER were performed. BRAF^V600E mutation was examined by ARMS method in 6 cases. Results: There were 5 females and 2 males with age between 49 and 78 years (average of 65.6 years). All tumors were solitary nodular lesions with an infiltrative border, including 6 intrathyroid tumors and 1 extrathyroid tumor in the laryngeal pharynx.The tumors were 1.7-4.1 cm in diameter (average of 3.0 cm). Four cases demonstrated lymph node metastasis.All patients were alive without metastasis during follow-up, except one consultation case (with FNA sample) developed recurrence at the primary site. The cases showed different immunoreaction to CD5, diffuse immunoreaction with p63, CK5/6 and CD117, but negative staining for TTF1, TG and calcitonin. One case showed positive immunoreaction with Synin less than 30% tumor cells. The Ki-67 labeling index was between 3% and 90%. No BRAF^V600E mutation and EB virus infection were detected. Conclusions Extrathyroid CASTLE involving laryngeal pharynx shows the similar morphological and immunohistochemical features with intrathyroid CASTLE.Immunohistochemical markers of CD5 and CD117 are helpful in the diagnosis. Ki-67 labeling index can be high in CASTLE, especially in lymphoepithelioma type. CD5-negative CASTLE may have neuroendocrine differentiation. BRAF^V600E mutation and EB virus may not be involved in the carcinogenesis of CASTLE.