Trastuzumab-based therapy has been shown to confer overall survival benefit in HER2-positive patients with advanced gastric cancer in a large multicentric trial (ToGA study). Subgroup analysis identified adenocarcinomas of the stomach and gastroesophageal (GE) junction with overexpression of HER2 according to immunohistochemistry (IHC) as potential responders. Due to recent approval of trastuzumab for HER2 positive metastatic gastric and GE-junction cancer in Europe (EMEA) HER2 diagnostics is now mandatory with IHC being the primary test followed by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) in IHC2+ cases. However, in order to not miss patients potentially responding to targeted therapy determination of a HER2-positive status for gastric cancer required modification of scoring as had been proposed in a pre-ToGA study. To validate this new HER2 status testing procedure in terms of inter-laboratory and inter-observer consensus for IHC scoring a series of 547 gastric cancer tissue samples on a tissue microarray (TMA) was used. In the first step, 30 representative cores were used to identify specific IHC HER2 scoring issues among eight French and German laboratories, while in the second step the full set of 547 cores was used to determine IHC HER2 intensity and area score concordance between six German pathologists. Specific issues relating to discordance were identified and recommendations formulated which proved to be effective to reliably determine HER2 status in a prospective test series of 447 diagnostic gastric cancer specimens.

We generated human and mouse gastric cancer organoids modelling typical characteristics and altered pathways of human gastric cancer. Successful interference with activated pathways demonstrates their potential usefulness as living biomarkers for therapy response testing.

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Our data indicate that bcl-2 expression is characteristic of the early phase of colorectal carcinogenesis. Its physiologic function as an inhibitor of PCD is preserved in most colorectal carcinomas, whereas p53 is apparently not involved in the regulation of PCD in colorectal neoplasias. bcl-2 expression in colorectal carcinomas is associated with a better clinical course. This correlation became even more evident in the subgroups of patients with carcinomas that also had low PCD index or lacked p53 immunoreactivity.

Aims/hypothesisPancreatic islet beta cell failure causes type 2 diabetes in humans. To identify transcriptomic changes in type 2 diabetic islets, the Innovative Medicines Initiative for Diabetes: Improving beta-cell function and identification of diagnostic biomarkers for treatment monitoring in Diabetes (IMIDIA) consortium (www.imidia.org) established a comprehensive, unique multicentre biobank of human islets and pancreas tissues from organ donors and metabolically phenotyped pancreatectomised patients (PPP).MethodsAffymetrix microarrays were used to assess the islet transcriptome of islets isolated either by enzymatic digestion from 103 organ donors (OD), including 84 non-diabetic and 19 type 2 diabetic individuals, or by laser capture microdissection (LCM) from surgical specimens of 103 PPP, including 32 non-diabetic, 36 with type 2 diabetes, 15 with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and 20 with recent-onset diabetes (<1 year), conceivably secondary to the pancreatic disorder leading to surgery (type 3c diabetes). Bioinformatics tools were used to (1) compare the islet transcriptome of type 2 diabetic vs non-diabetic OD and PPP as well as vs IGT and type 3c diabetes within the PPP group; and (2) identify transcription factors driving gene co-expression modules correlated with insulin secretion ex vivo and glucose tolerance in vivo. Selected genes of interest were validated for their expression and function in beta cells.ResultsComparative transcriptomic analysis identified 19 genes differentially expressed (false discovery rate ≤0.05, fold change ≥1.5) in type 2 diabetic vs non-diabetic islets from OD and PPP. Nine out of these 19 dysregulated genes were not previously reported to be dysregulated in type 2 diabetic islets. Signature genes included TMEM37, which inhibited Ca2+-influx and insulin secretion in beta cells, and ARG2 and PPP1R1A, which promoted insulin secretion. Systems biology approaches identified HNF1A, PDX1 and REST as drivers of gene co-expression modules correlated with impaired insulin secretion or glucose tolerance, and 14 out of 19 differentially expressed type 2 diabetic islet signature genes were enriched in these modules. None of these signature genes was significantly dysregulated in islets of PPP with impaired glucose tolerance or type 3c diabetes.Conclusions/interpretationThese studies enabled the stringent definition of a novel transcriptomic signature of type 2 diabetic islets, regardless of islet source and isolation procedure. Lack of this signature in islets from PPP with IGT or type 3c diabetes indicates differences possibly due to peculiarities of these hyperglycaemic conditions and/or a role for duration and severity of hyperglycaemia. Alternatively, these transcriptomic changes capture, but may not precede, beta cell failure.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s00125-017-4500-3) contains peer-reviewed but unedited supplementary material, which is available to authorised users.

Purpose: To investigate the impact of hypoxia-induced gene expression and cancer stem cell (CSC) marker expression on outcome of postoperative cisplatin-based radiochemotherapy (PORT-C) in patients with locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).Experimental Design: Expression of the CSC markers CD44, MET, and SLC3A2, and hypoxia gene signatures were analyzed in the resected primary tumors using RT-PCR and nanoString technology in a multicenter retrospective cohort of 195 patients. CD44 protein expression was further analyzed in tissue microarrays. Primary endpoint was locoregional tumor control.Results: Univariate analysis showed that hypoxia-induced gene expression was significantly associated with a high risk of locoregional recurrence using the 15-gene signature (P ¼ 0.010) or the 26-gene signature (P ¼ 0.002). In multivariate analyses, in patients with HPV16 DNA-negative but not with HPV16 DNA-positive tumors the effect of hypoxia-induced genes on locoregional control was apparent (15-gene signature: HR 4.54, P ¼ 0.006; 26-gene signature: HR 10.27, P ¼ 0.024). Furthermore, MET, SLC3A2, CD44, and CD44 protein showed an association with locoregional tumor control in multivariate analyses (MET: HR 3.71, P ¼ 0.016; SLC3A2: HR 8.54, P ¼ 0.037; CD44: HR 3.36, P ¼ 0.054; CD44 protein n/a because of no event in the CD44-negative group) in the HPV16 DNA-negative subgroup.Conclusions: We have shown for the first time that high hypoxia-induced gene expression and high CSC marker expression levels correlate with tumor recurrence after PORT-C in patients with HPV16 DNA-negative HNSCC. After validation in a currently ongoing prospective trial, these parameters may help to further stratify patients for individualized treatment de-escalation or intensification strategies.

Clinical outcome of patients with stage IV breast cancer is dependent on tumor biology, extent, and localization of metastases. Routine imaging diagnostics for distant metastasis is not recommended by the national guidelines for breast cancer follow-up. In this study, we evaluated different patterns of metastases of cancer subtypes in order to generate hypotheses on individualization of follow-up after breast cancer in the adjuvant setting. Patients of the Regional Breast Cancer Center Dresden diagnosed within the years 2006-2011 were classified into the five intrinsic subtypes luminal A (ER+, Her2-, G1/2), luminal B/Her2 negative (ER+, Her2-, G3), triple positive (ER+, PR+, Her2+), Her2-enriched (ER-, Her2+), and triple negative (ER-, PR-, Her2-) and with a median follow-up of 45 months. Tumor stage at time of first diagnosis of breast cancer as well as time and site of metastasis at first diagnosis of distant metastatic disease was analyzed. Tumor specimen of 2284 female patients with primary breast cancer was classified into five subtypes. Distant recurrence-free survival at 3 years was most unfavorable in Her2-enriched (66.8 %), triple negative (75.9 %), and triple-positive breast cancer (81.7 %). The same subtypes most frequently presented with visceral metastases only at first presentation: Her2-enriched 46.9 %, triple negative 45.5 %, and triple-positive breast cancer 37.5 %. Longest median survival of 2.3 years was seen in luminal A and in Her2-enriched metastatic disease, respectively. Median survival was significantly better in the luminal A, Her2-enriched, and triple-positive subtype compared to triple-negative breast cancer (p < 0.005). Differences in time to metastatic disease, first localization of metastases, and overall survival after diagnosis of metastatic disease were shown. Considering new targeted therapies and the option of surgery of oligometastases, screening for visceral metastases might be reasonable after diagnosis of Her2-positive subtypes.

Metabolic diseases are associated with an increased risk of severe COVID-19 and conversely, new-onset hyperglycemia and complications of preexisting diabetes have been observed in COVID-19 patients. Here, we performed a comprehensive analysis of pancreatic autopsy tissue from COVID-19 patients using immunofluorescence, immunohistochemistry, RNA scope and electron microscopy and detected SARS-CoV-2 viral infiltration of beta-cells in all patients. Using SARS-CoV-2 pseudoviruses, we confirmed that isolated human islet cells are permissive to infection. In eleven COVID-19 patients, we examined the expression of ACE2, TMPRSS and other receptors and factors, such as DPP4, HMBG1 and NRP1, that might facilitate virus entry. Whereas 70% of the COVID-19 patients expressed ACE2 in the vasculature, only 30% displayed ACE2-expression in beta-cells. Even in the absence of manifest new-onset diabetes, necroptotic cell death, immune cell infiltration and SARS-CoV-2 viral infection of pancreatic beta-cells may contribute to varying degrees of metabolic dysregulation in patients with COVID-19.