Patients with Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome (BWS) have an increased risk to develop cancer in childhood, especially Wilms tumor and hepatoblastoma. The risk varies depending on the cause of BWS. We obtained clinical and molecular data in our cohort of children with BWS, including tumor occurrences, and correlated phenotype and genotype. We obtained similar data from larger cohorts reported in the literature. Phenotype, genotype and tumor occurrence were available in 229 of our own patients. Minor differences in phenotype existed depending on genotype/epigenotype, similar to earlier studies. By adding patients from the literature, we obtained data on genotype and tumor occurrence of in total 1,971 BWS patients. Tumor risks were highest in the IC1 (H19/IGF2:IG-DMR) hypermethylation subgroup (28%) and pUPD subgroup (16%) and were lower in the KCNQ1OT1:TSS-DMR (IC2) subgroup (2.6%), CDKN1C (6.9%) subgroup, and the group in whom no molecular defect was detectable (6.7%). Wilms tumors (median age 24 months) were frequent in the IC1 (24%) and pUPD (7.9%) subgroups. Hepatoblastoma occurred mostly in the pUPD (3.5%) and IC2 (0.7%) subgroups, never in the IC1 and CDKN1C subgroups, and always before 30 months of age. In the CDKN1C subgroup 2.8% of patients developed neuroblastoma. We conclude tumor risks in BWS differ markedly depending on molecular background. We propose a differentiated surveillance protocol, based on tumor risks in the various molecular subgroups causing BWS. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

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Background In vivo reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) is a promising non‐invasive skin imaging technique that could facilitate early diagnosis of basal cell carcinoma (BCC) instead of routine punch biopsies. However, the clinical value and utility of RCM vs. a punch biopsy in diagnosing and subtyping BCC is unknown.ObjectiveTo assess diagnostic accuracy of RCM vs. punch biopsy for diagnosing and subtyping clinically suspected primary BCC.MethodsA prospective, consecutive cohort of 100 patients with clinically suspected BCC were included at two tertiary hospitals in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, between 3 February 2015 and 2 October 2015. Patients were randomized between two test‐treatment pathways: diagnosing and subtyping using RCM imaging followed by direct surgical excision (RCM one‐stop‐shop) or planned excision based upon the histological diagnosis and subtype of punch biopsy (standard care). The primary outcome was the agreement between the index tests (RCM vs. punch biopsy) and reference standard (excision specimen) in correctly diagnosing BCC. The secondary outcome was the agreement between the index tests and reference standard in correctly identifying the most aggressive BCC subtypes.ResultsSensitivity to detect BCC was similar for RCM and punch biopsy (100% vs. 93.94%), but a punch biopsy was more specific than RCM (79% vs. 38%). RCM expert evaluation for diagnosing BCC had a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 75%. The agreement between RCM and excision specimen in identifying the most aggressive BCC subtype ranged from 50% to 85% vs. 77% by a punch biopsy.ConclusionReflectance confocal microscopy and punch biopsy have comparable diagnostic accuracy to diagnose and subtype BCC depending on RCM experience. Although experienced RCM users could accurately diagnose BCC at a distance, we found an important difference in subtyping BCC. Future RCM studies need to focus on diagnostic accuracy, reliability and specific criteria to improve BCC subtype differentiation.

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most prevalent type of skin cancer. Histologic analysis of punch biopsy or direct excision specimen is used to confirm clinical diagnosis. In vivo reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) is a non-invasive imaging modality that could facilitate early diagnosis and minimize unnecessary invasive procedures. We systematically reviewed diagnostic accuracy (sensitivity and specificity) of RCM in diagnosing primary BCCs to judge its usefulness. Eligible studies were reviewed for methodological quality using the QUADAS-2 tool. We used the bivariate random-effects model to calculate summary estimates of sensitivity and specificity. Six studies met the selection criteria and were included for analysis. The meta-analysis showed a summary estimate of sensitivity 0.97 (95% CI, 0.90-0.99) and specificity 0.93 (95% CI, 0.88-0.96). All but one of the QUADAS-2 items showed a high or unclear risk of bias with regards to patient selection. RCM may be a promising diagnostic tool, but the limited number of available studies and potential risk of bias of included studies do not allow us to draw firm conclusions. Future accuracy studies should take these limitations into account.

These findings confirm that the preischemic delivery of hydrogen sulfide limits ischemia-reperfusion injury-induced cellular damage in myotubes and skeletal muscle and suggests that, when given in the appropriate dose, this molecule may have significant therapeutic applications in multiple clinical scenarios.

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