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Angerilli V, Parente P, Campora M, Ugolini C, Battista S, Cassoni P, Gambella A, Cavallin F, De Lisi G, Vanoli A, Grillo F, Mastracci L, Fassan M. HER2-low in gastro-oesophageal adenocarcinoma: a real-world pathological perspective. J Clin Pathol 2023; 76:815-821. [PMID: 37055161 DOI: 10.1136/jcp-2023-208767] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2023] [Accepted: 04/03/2023] [Indexed: 04/15/2023]
Abstract
AIMS In the DESTINY-Gastric01 trial, a novel HER2-targeted antibody-drug conjugate trastuzumab deruxtecan proved to be effective in HER2-low gastro-oesophageal adenocarcinomas. The aim of our study is to investigate the clinicopathological and molecular features of HER2-low gastric/gastro-oesophageal junction cancers in the real-world setting of a large multi-Institutional series. METHODS We retrospectively evaluated 1210 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples of gastro-oesophageal adenocarcinomas which were analysed by immunohistochemistry for HER2 protein expression in 8 Italian surgical pathology units from January 2018 to June 2022. We assessed the prevalence of HER2-low (ie, HER2 1+ and HER2 2+ without amplification) and its correlation with clinical and histopathological features, other biomarkers' status, including mismatch repair/microsatellite instability status, Epstein-Barr encoding region (EBER) and PD-L1 Combined Positive Score. RESULTS HER2 status could be assessed in 1189/1210 cases, including 710 HER2 0 cases, 217 HER2 1+, 120 not amplified HER2 2+, 41 amplified HER2 2+ and 101 HER2 3+. The estimated prevalence of HER2-low was 28.3% (95% CI 25.8% to 31.0%) overall, and was higher in biopsy specimens (34.9%, 95% CI 31.2% to 38.8%) compared with surgical resection specimens (21.0%, 95% CI 17.7% to 24.6%) (p<0.0001). Moreover, HER2-low prevalence ranged from 19.1% to 40.6% among centres (p=0.0005). CONCLUSIONS This work shows how the expansion of the HER2 spectrum might raise problems in reproducibility, especially in biopsy specimens, decreasing interlaboratory and interobserver concordance. If controlled trials confirm the promising activity of novel anti-HER2 agents in HER2-low gastro-oesophageal cancers, a shift in the interpretation of HER2 status may need to be pursued.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Angerilli
- Department of Medicine (DIMED), Surgical Pathology Unit, University of Padua, Padova, Italy
| | - Paola Parente
- Unit of Pathology, Fondazione IRCCS Ospedale Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy
| | - Michela Campora
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Pathology Unit, Public Healthcare Trust of the Autonomous Province of Trento, Santa Chiara Hospital, Trento, Italy
| | - Clara Ugolini
- Department of Surgical, Medical, Molecular Pathology and Critical Area, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Serena Battista
- Department of Pathology, Santa Maria della Misericordia Hospital, Udine, Italy
| | - Paola Cassoni
- Department of Medical Sciences, Pathology Unit, University of Turin, Torino, Italy
| | - Alessandro Gambella
- Department of Medical Sciences, Pathology Unit, University of Turin, Torino, Italy
| | | | - Giuseppe De Lisi
- IRCCS San Matteo Hospital, Pavia, Italy
- Anatomic Pathology Unit, Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Alessandro Vanoli
- IRCCS San Matteo Hospital, Pavia, Italy
- Anatomic Pathology Unit, Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Federica Grillo
- IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genova, Italy
- Anatomic Pathology, Department of Surgical Sciences and Integrated Diagnostics (DISC), Univeristy of Genova, Genova, Italy
| | - Luca Mastracci
- IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genova, Italy
- Anatomic Pathology, Department of Surgical Sciences and Integrated Diagnostics (DISC), Univeristy of Genova, Genova, Italy
| | - Matteo Fassan
- Department of Medicine (DIMED), Surgical Pathology Unit, University of Padua, Padova, Italy
- Veneto Institute of Oncology IOV - IRCCS, Padua, Italy
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Angerilli V, Fassan M, Parente P, Gullo I, Campora M, Rossi C, Sacramento ML, Pennelli G, Vanoli A, Grillo F, Mastracci L. A practical approach for PD-L1 evaluation in gastroesophageal cancer. Pathologica 2023; 115:57-70. [PMID: 36537078 PMCID: PMC10462995 DOI: 10.32074/1591-951x-836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2022] [Accepted: 12/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
PD-L1 is an established predictive immunohistochemical biomarker of response to immune checkpoint inhibitors. At present, PD-L1 is routinely assessed on biopsy samples of advanced gastroesophageal cancer patients before initiating first-line treatment. However, PD-L1 is still a suboptimal biomarker, due to changing cut-off values and scoring systems, interobserver and interlaboratory variability. This practical illustrated review discusses the range of staining patterns of PD-L1 and the potential pitfalls and challenges that can be encountered when evaluating PD-L1, focusing on gastric and gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma (G/GEA) and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Angerilli
- Department of Medicine (DIMED), Surgical Pathology Unit, University Hospital of Padua, Padua (PD), Italy
| | - Matteo Fassan
- Department of Medicine (DIMED), Surgical Pathology Unit, University Hospital of Padua, Padua (PD), Italy
- Veneto Institute of Oncology IOV - IRCCS, Padua (PD), Italy
| | - Paola Parente
- Unit of Pathology, Fondazione IRCCS Ospedale Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, San Giovanni Rotondo, FG, Italy
| | - Irene Gullo
- Department of Pathology, Centro Hospitalar Universitário de São João (CHUSJ), Porto, Portugal
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto (FMUP), Portugal
- i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde da Universidade do Porto, Portugal
| | - Michela Campora
- Public Healthcare Trust of the Autonomous Province of Trento, Santa Chiara Hospital, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Pathology Unit, Trento, Italy
| | - Chiara Rossi
- Anatomic Pathology Unit, Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Pavia, and IRCCS San Matteo Hospital, Pavia, Italy
| | - Maria Luisa Sacramento
- Department of Pathology, Centro Hospitalar Universitário de São João (CHUSJ), Porto, Portugal
| | - Gianmaria Pennelli
- Department of Medicine (DIMED), Surgical Pathology Unit, University Hospital of Padua, Padua (PD), Italy
| | - Alessandro Vanoli
- Anatomic Pathology Unit, Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Pavia, and IRCCS San Matteo Hospital, Pavia, Italy
| | - Federica Grillo
- IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy
- Anatomic Pathology, Department of Surgical Sciences and Integrated Diagnostics (DISC), University of Genova, Italy
| | - Luca Mastracci
- IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy
- Anatomic Pathology, Department of Surgical Sciences and Integrated Diagnostics (DISC), University of Genova, Italy
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Fassan M, Scarpa A, Remo A, De Maglio G, Troncone G, Marchetti A, Doglioni C, Ingravallo G, Perrone G, Parente P, Luchini C, Mastracci L. Current prognostic and predictive biomarkers for gastrointestinal tumors in clinical practice. Pathologica 2021; 112:248-259. [PMID: 33179625 PMCID: PMC7931577 DOI: 10.32074/1591-951x-158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2020] [Accepted: 06/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The pathologist emerged in the personalized medicine era as a central actor in the definition of the most adequate diagnostic and therapeutic algorithms. In the last decade, gastrointestinal oncology has seen a significantly increased clinical request for the integration of novel prognostic and predictive biomarkers in histopathological reports. This request couples with the significant contraction of invasive sampling of the disease, thus conferring to the pathologist the role of governor for both proper pathologic characterization and customized processing of the biospecimens. This overview will focus on the most commonly adopted immunohistochemical and molecular biomarkers in the routine clinical characterization of gastrointestinal neoplasms referring to the most recent published recommendations, guidelines and expert opinions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matteo Fassan
- Surgical Pathology Unit, Department of Medicine (DIMED), University of Padua, Italy
| | - Aldo Scarpa
- ARC-NET Research Centre, University of Verona, Italy.,Department of Diagnostics and Public Health, Section of Pathology, University and Hospital Trust of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Andrea Remo
- Pathology Unit, Service Department, ULSS9 "Scaligera", Verona, Italy
| | | | - Giancarlo Troncone
- Department of Public Health, Federico II University Medical School Naples, Italy
| | - Antonio Marchetti
- Center of Predictive Molecular Medicine, Center for Excellence on Aging and Translational Medicine, University of Chieti-Pescara, Italy
| | - Claudio Doglioni
- Vita e Salute University, Milan, Italy.,Pathology Unit, Pancreas Translational and Clinical Research Center, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Ingravallo
- Department of Emergency and Organ Transplantation, Section of Pathological Anatomy, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Perrone
- Department of Pathology, Campus Bio-Medico University, Rome, Italy
| | - Paola Parente
- Pathology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Ospedale Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, San Giovanni Rotondo (FG), Italy
| | - Claudio Luchini
- Department of Diagnostics and Public Health, Section of Pathology, University and Hospital Trust of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Luca Mastracci
- Anatomic Pathology, San Martino IRCCS Hospital,, Genova, Italy.,Anatomic Pathology, Department of Surgical Sciences and Integrated Diagnostics (DISC), University of Genova, Genova, Italy
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Hess LM, Grabner M, Wang L, Liepa AM, Li XI, Cui ZL, Bowman L, Schelman WR. Reliability of Conclusions from Early Analyses of Real-World Data for Newly Approved Drugs in Advanced Gastric Cancer in the United States. Pragmat Obs Res 2020; 11:27-43. [PMID: 32431558 PMCID: PMC7205419 DOI: 10.2147/por.s241427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2019] [Accepted: 03/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background As real-world data resources expand and improve, there will increasingly be opportunities to study the effectiveness of interventions. There is a need to ensure that study designs explore potential sources of bias and either acknowledge or mitigate them, in order to improve the accuracy of findings. The objective of this study was to understand newly approved drug utilization patterns in real-world clinical settings over time. Methods This retrospective study included three sources of real-world data (claims, electronic health records, and recoded data from a quality care program) collected from patients diagnosed with gastric cancer who initiated therapy with either trastuzumab or ramucirumab. Linear regression was used to investigate trends in the use of these drugs for the care of patients with gastric cancer over time from Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval. Results Eligible patients (n=1700) had consistent demographic and clinical characteristics over time. After regulatory approval, trastuzumab was used in later lines of therapy and then shifted to earlier lines (p=0.002), while ramucirumab utilization remained consistent over time after FDA approval (p=0.49). Ramucirumab augmentation, defined as the addition of the drug after initiation of a line of therapy, decreased over time (p=0.03), and trastuzumab augmentation remained consistent over time (p=0.58). Conclusion Since treatment effectiveness may change across lines of treatment, bias may arise if there are changes in the use of the drug (such as line migration) during the time period of analysis using real-world data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa M Hess
- Global Patient Outcomes, Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Michael Grabner
- Life Sciences Research, HealthCore Inc., Wilmington, DE, USA
| | - Liya Wang
- Life Sciences Research, HealthCore Inc., Wilmington, DE, USA
| | - Astra M Liepa
- Global Patient Outcomes, Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Xiaohong Ivy Li
- Global Statistics, Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | | | - Lee Bowman
- Global Patient Outcomes, Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, IN, USA
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Coati I, Lotz G, Fanelli GN, Brignola S, Lanza C, Cappellesso R, Pellino A, Pucciarelli S, Spolverato G, Guzzardo V, Munari G, Zaninotto G, Scarpa M, Mastracci L, Farinati F, Realdon S, Pilati P, Lonardi S, Valeri N, Rugge M, Kiss A, Loupakis F, Fassan M. Claudin-18 expression in oesophagogastric adenocarcinomas: a tissue microarray study of 523 molecularly profiled cases. Br J Cancer 2019; 121:257-263. [PMID: 31235864 PMCID: PMC6738069 DOI: 10.1038/s41416-019-0508-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2019] [Revised: 06/03/2019] [Accepted: 06/05/2019] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Claudin-18 (CLDN18) is a highly specific tight junction protein of the gastric mucosa. An isoform of CLDN18, the Claudin 18.2, has recently emerged as an innovative drug target for metastatic gastric cancer. METHODS We investigated the immunohistochemical profile of CLDN18, p53, p16, E-cadherin, MSH2, MSH6, MLH1, PSM2, HER2, and PDL-1 in a large series of 523 primary gastric carcinomas (GCs; n = 408) and gastro-oesophageal carcinomas (GECs; n = 115) and 135 matched and synchronous nodal metastases. The status of HER2 and EBER by means of chromogenic in situ hybridisation (CISH) was also evaluated. RESULTS High membranous CLDN18 expression was present in 150/510 (29.4%) primary cases and in 45/132 (34.1%) metastases. An abnormal expression (i.e. nuclear and/or cytoplasmic) was observed in 115 (22.5%) primary cases and in 33 (25.0%) metastases. A 38.8% of the cases showed significant CLDN18 intratumoural variability among the different tissue microarray cores obtained from the same tumour. Positive membrane CLDN18 expression was statistically associated with non-antral GCs (p = 0.016), Lauren diffuse type (p = 0.009), and with EBV-associated cancers (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS CLDN18 is frequently expressed in gastric and gastro-oesophageal cancers; further studies should investigate the prognostic significance of CLDN18 heterogeneity in order to implement its test into clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irene Coati
- Department of Medicine (DIMED), Surgical Pathology & Cytopathology Unit, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Gábor Lotz
- 2nd Department of Pathology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Giuseppe Nicolò Fanelli
- Department of Medicine (DIMED), Surgical Pathology & Cytopathology Unit, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Stefano Brignola
- Department of Medicine (DIMED), Surgical Pathology & Cytopathology Unit, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Cristiano Lanza
- Department of Medicine (DIMED), Surgical Pathology & Cytopathology Unit, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Rocco Cappellesso
- Department of Medicine (DIMED), Surgical Pathology & Cytopathology Unit, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Antonio Pellino
- Unit of Oncology 1, Department of Oncology, Veneto Institute of Oncology IOV - IRCCS, Padua, Italy
| | - Salvatore Pucciarelli
- Department of Surgical Oncology and Gastroenterology Sciences (DiSCOG), Surgery Unit, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Gaya Spolverato
- Department of Surgical Oncology and Gastroenterology Sciences (DiSCOG), Surgery Unit, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Vincenza Guzzardo
- Department of Medicine (DIMED), Surgical Pathology & Cytopathology Unit, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Giada Munari
- Department of Medicine (DIMED), Surgical Pathology & Cytopathology Unit, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
- Unit of Oncology 1, Department of Oncology, Veneto Institute of Oncology IOV - IRCCS, Padua, Italy
| | | | - Marco Scarpa
- Department of Surgical Oncology and Gastroenterology Sciences (DiSCOG), Surgery Unit, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Luca Mastracci
- Department of Surgical Sciences and Integrated Diagnostics (DISC), Pathology Unit, University of Genova, Genova, Italy
| | - Fabio Farinati
- Department of Surgical Oncology and Gastroenterology Sciences (DiSCOG), Gastroenterology Unit, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Stefano Realdon
- Unit of Gastroenterology, Veneto Institute of Oncology IOV - IRCCS, Padua, Italy
| | - Pierluigi Pilati
- Unit of Surgical Oncology of the Esophagus and Digestive Tract, Veneto Institute of Oncology IOV - IRCCS, Padua, Italy
| | - Sara Lonardi
- Unit of Oncology 1, Department of Oncology, Veneto Institute of Oncology IOV - IRCCS, Padua, Italy
| | - Nicola Valeri
- Division of Molecular Pathology, Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK
- Department of Medicine, Royal Marsden Hospital, London, UK
| | - Massimo Rugge
- Department of Medicine (DIMED), Surgical Pathology & Cytopathology Unit, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
- Veneto Cancer Registry, Padua, Italy
| | - Andras Kiss
- 2nd Department of Pathology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Fotios Loupakis
- Unit of Oncology 1, Department of Oncology, Veneto Institute of Oncology IOV - IRCCS, Padua, Italy
| | - Matteo Fassan
- Department of Medicine (DIMED), Surgical Pathology & Cytopathology Unit, University of Padua, Padua, Italy.
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Grillo F, Fassan M, Sarocchi F, Fiocca R, Mastracci L. HER2 heterogeneity in gastric/gastroesophageal cancers: From benchside to practice. World J Gastroenterol 2016; 22:5879-5887. [PMID: 27468182 PMCID: PMC4948273 DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v22.i26.5879] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2016] [Revised: 05/13/2016] [Accepted: 05/23/2016] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
HER2 is overexpressed in approximately 10%-20% of gastric and gastroesophageal junction carcinomas. In these types of cancer, accurate assessment of HER2 status is mandatory, for selecting patients who may benefit from targeted therapies with anti-HER2 drugs such as Trastuzumab. This manuscript focuses on HER2 in gastric carcinogenesis, on optimal evaluation of HER2 and on the possible causes which may contribute to inaccurate HER2 evaluation. Similarly to breast cancer HER2 evaluation, standardization of HER2 testing in gastric cancer is necessary in diagnostic practice. The three principle aspects which require consideration are: (1) the choice of sample with regards to cancer morphology - intestinal vs diffuse areas; (2) the choice of scoring criteria - use of HER2 scoring criteria specific for gastric cancer; and (3) the choice of HER2 evaluation methods - use of an algorithm in which both immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization play a role. Problematic issues include: (1) pre-analytic variables with particular emphasis on fixation; (2) recommended methodology for HER2 assessment (immunohistochemistry vs in situ hybridization); (3) HER2 heterogeneity both within the primary tumor and between primary tumor and metastases; (4) reliability of biopsies in HER 2 evaluation; and (5) quantity of sample (FFPE blocks from surgical specimens or endoscopic biopsies) necessary for an adequate assessment.
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