Background: BRAF mutations are a common finding in malignant melanoma (MM). Nevertheless, apart from their significance as a therapeutic target in advanced melanoma, their prognostic value is still debated.Objective: To assess BRAF mutation status in primary, recurrent, or metastatic MM and its correlations with histopathological findings.Methods: We analyzed 203 samples from 178 consecutive patients: 129 primary cutaneous MM, 49 metastatic and recurrent MM of unknown primary site, and 25 cases of recurrences or metastases of primary MM. BRAF mutations in exon 15 were identified with real-time polymerase chain reaction and/or direct sequencing or pyrosequencing. Histopathological examination was performed according to standard procedures.Results: We observed a 42.1% prevalence of BRAF mutations at codon 600 among our patients, 84% of whom harbored the V600E mutation. Mutations showed a statistically significant increase in younger patients (P = 0.011), in ulcerated tumors (P = 0.020), and in tumors lacking solar elastosis in adjacent dermis (P = 0.008). Mutations were also more common in male patients, as well as in primary MMs of the torso, and in nonvisceral metastases, however without reaching statistical significance. Logistic regression analysis identified type and ulceration as the only significant predictors of BRAF mutation. The highest frequencies of mutated BRAF were identified in superficial spreading and nodular types, and the lowest in acral lentiginous and lentigo maligna types. In situ MM and primary dermal melanoma displayed intermediate frequencies.Conclusion: Frequency of mutated BRAF is type-related and correlated with ulceration, a known adverse prognostic factor.

In the setting of pronounced inflammation, changes in the epithelium may overlap with neoplasia, often rendering it impossible to establish a diagnosis with certainty in daily clinical practice. Here, we discuss the underlying molecular mechanisms driving tissue response during persistent inflammatory signaling along with the potential association with cancer in the gastrointestinal tract, pancreas, extrahepatic bile ducts, and liver. We highlight the histopathological challenges encountered in the diagnosis of chronic inflammation in routine practice and pinpoint tissue-based biomarkers that could complement morphology to differentiate reactive from dysplastic or cancerous lesions. We refer to the advantages and limitations of existing biomarkers employing immunohistochemistry and point to promising new markers, including the generation of novel antibodies targeting mutant proteins, miRNAs, and array assays. Advancements in experimental models, including mouse and 3D models, have improved our understanding of tissue response. The integration of digital pathology along with artificial intelligence may also complement routine visual inspections. Navigating through tissue responses in various chronic inflammatory contexts will help us develop novel and reliable biomarkers that will improve diagnostic decisions and ultimately patient treatment.

Invasive lobular carcinoma is the most common special breast carcinoma subtype, with unique morphological (discohesive cells, single-cell files, targetoid pattern) and immunohistochemical (loss of E-cadherin and β-catenin staining) features. Moreover, ILC displays a poor response to neoadjuvant therapy, a different metastatic pattern compared to invasive breast carcinoma of no special type, as well as unique molecular characteristics. In addition to the classic variant of invasive lobular carcinoma, several other well-recognized variants exist, including classic, alveolar, tubulolobular, solid, pleomorphic, signet-ring, and mixed. Furthermore, three novel variants of invasive lobular carcinoma, i.e., with extracellular mucin production, papillary features, and tubular elements, have been described during the last decade. We herewith focus on the unique morphological and immunohistochemical characteristics of these novel varieties of invasive lobular carcinoma, as well as differential diagnostic considerations and potential diagnostic pitfalls, especially when dealing with biopsy specimens.

Background: Malignant Brenner tumors are rare ovarian tumors, accounting for less than 1% of malignant ovarian neoplasms. The aim of this manuscript is to systematically review the current literature concerning malignant Brenner tumors. Methods: We searched three medical databases (PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science) for relevant articles published until 15 September 2023. Results: After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, 48 manuscripts describing 115 cases were included in this study from the English literature. Conclusions: We analyzed the demographic, clinical, pathological, and oncological characteristics of 115 patients with malignant Brenner tumors. The statistical analysis showed that recurrence was marginally statistically significantly related to tumor stage and was more common in patients with ascites and in women with abnormal CA-125 levels; patients that were treated with lymphadenectomy had better disease-specific survival.

Breast carcinoma is the most common cancer in women. Nineteen different subtypes of breast carcinomas are recognized in the current WHO classification of breast tumors. Except for these subtypes, there are a number of carcinomas with special morphologic and immunohistochemical features that are not included in the 5th WHO classification, while others are considered special morphologic patterns of invasive breast carcinoma of no special type. In this manuscript, we systematically review the literature on four different subtypes of invasive breast carcinoma, namely lymphoepithelioma-like breast carcinoma, breast carcinoma with osteoclast-like giant cells, signet-ring breast carcinoma, and metaplastic breast carcinoma with melanocytic differentiation. We describe their clinicopathological characteristics, focusing on the differential diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis.

Numerous ancillary techniques detecting HPV DNA or mRNA are viewed as competitors or ancillary techniques to test Papanicolaou. However, no technique is perfect because sensitivity increases at the cost of specificity. Various methods have been applied to resolve this issue by using many examination results, such as classification and regression trees and supervised artificial neural networks. In this article, 1258 cases with results from test Pap, HPV DNA, HPV mRNA, and p16 were used to evaluate the performance of the self-organizing map (SOM). An artificial neural network has three advantages: it is unsupervised, can tolerate missing data, and produces topographical maps. The results of the SOM application were encouraging and produced maps depicting the important tests.