Audrey Mansuet-Lupo

Thoracic endometriosis syndrome: CT and MRI features

Thoracic endometriosis is considered to be rare, but is the most frequent form of extra-abdominopelvic endometriosis. Thoracic endometriosis syndrome affects women of reproductive age. Diagnosis is mainly based on clinical findings, which can include catamenial pneumothorax and haemothorax, non-catamenial endometriosis-related pneumothorax, catamenial haemoptysis, lung nodules, and isolated catamenial chest pain. Symptoms are typically cyclical and recurrent, with a right-sided predominance. Computed tomography (CT) is the first-line imaging method, but is poorly specific; therefore, its main role is to rule out other pulmonary diseases. However, in women with a typical clinical history, some key CT findings may help to confirm this often under-diagnosed syndrome. MRI can also assist with the diagnosis, by showing signal changes typical of haemorrhage within diaphragmatic or pleural lesions.

Pneumothorax in Women of Child-Bearing Age: An Update Classification Based on Clinical and Pathologic Findings

BACKGROUND A significant percentage of pneumothorax in women is due to thoracic endometriosis. Pathophysiologic mechanisms continue to be debated, and pathologic aspects are poorly known. METHODS Clinical and pathologic records of all consecutive women of reproductive age operated on for pneumothorax between 2000 and 2011 were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS Two hundred twenty-nine women (mean age, 33 years) underwent surgery. One hundred forty-four cases (63%) were right-sided, and pneumothoraces were catamenial for 80 women (35%). Diagnosed pelvic endometriosis was associated in 29 cases. At pathology, thoracic endometriosis was diagnosed in 54 cases (24%). Endometrial glands were observed in 33 of 54 cases and were often cystic (16 of 33). Stroma was observed in 51 of 54 cases and endometrial stroma without glands in 21 cases. Hemosiderin-laden macrophages were observed in 27 of 54 cases. All cases of thoracic endometriosis were positive for progesterone and/or estrogen receptors (intense and nuclear). Catamenial pneumothoraces (n = 80, 34.9%) were endometriosis related in 50% of cases (n = 40, 17% of the whole population). Pneumothoraces were noncatamenial but endometriosis related in 6% of cases (n = 14) and merely idiopathic in 60% of patients (n = 135). Multivariate analysis showed that right side, presence of diaphragmatic abnormalities, relapse after unilateral surgery, and presence of hemosiderin-laden macrophages were independent variables associated with thoracic endometriosis (all, P < .02). Apical emphysema-like changes were found in 184 of the 213 patients (86%) with apical resection and were significantly associated with the absence of thoracic endometriosis (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS In women with surgically treated pneumothorax, prevalence of catamenial/endometriosis-related pneumothorax is high. Clinicians and pathologists must be aware to recognize such a difficult diagnosis.

Le point sur l'immunocytochimie et sur son intérêt dans la prise en charge des nodules thyroïdiens

Resume La cytoponction suivie par l’etude morphologique du prelevement obtenu est actuellement consideree comme la meilleure technique d’evaluation d’un nodule thyroidien. Les limites diagnostiques sont representees majoritairement par les lesions vesiculaires dont le caractere benin ou malin peut etre difficile a affirmer. Les techniques complementaires et notamment immunocytochimiques sont un bon moyen d’augmenter la sensibilite et la specificite de l’etude morphologique traditionnelle. Dans cette revue, nous decrivons une serie de marqueurs disponibles, certains d’entre eux paraissant tres prometteurs, aidant a la distinction entre lesions benignes et lesions malignes et applicables au materiel cytologique obtenu par cytoponction thyroidienne.

A bicenter study on adjuvant surgery following treatment with tyrosine kinase inhibitors in patients with advanced lung adenocarcinoma

OBJECTIVES A small number of patients with advanced pulmonary adenocarcinomas treated with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) was subsequently considered eligible for surgery. Our goal was to report the clinical characteristics, pathological features and prognosis of these patients with the aim of exploring the feasibility of this strategy of care. METHODS We retrospectively reviewed the medical files of 19 patients in whom systemic treatment, including TKIs, resulted in a possible stabilization of the disease such that they were considered eligible for surgery (adjuvant surgery). RESULTS Lobectomy, pneumonectomy or segmentectomy was performed in 68.4%, 26.3% and 5.3% of cases, respectively. Limited fibrotic tissues were detected intraoperatively in 8 patients who received TKIs as the sole systemic treatment. The postoperative course in the hospital was uneventful in 13 (68.4%) cases; 3 (15.8%) patients suffered major complications. The post-pneumonectomy early morbidity rate was 60%. A pathological analysis of the tumours showed that the median rate of fibrosis was 32.5% (0-100); of viable neoplastic tissue, 25.0% (0-90); and of necrosis, 12.5% (0-80%). Four tumours (21.1%) exhibited no viable tumour cells. The fibrosis ratio was higher in patients older than 60 years (P = 0.01) and in those treated with erlotinib (P = 0.03). The 3- and 5-year overall survival and disease-free survival rates were 79.5%/39.8% and 44.4%/29.6%, respectively. Pneumonectomy and <50% fibrosis or >30% viable tumour cells in the pathological specimens were factors significantly associated with lower disease-free survival. CONCLUSIONS In a subset of highly selected patients, adjuvant lung surgery following treatment with TKI showed a large spectrum of histological changes in the pathological specimens and encouraging preliminary survival results. Pending further research, it may prove a relatively reliable and safe therapeutic choice, except when an extensive resection like a pneumonectomy is planned.

Tests immunohistochimiques PD-L1 dans les cancers du poumon non à petites cellules : recommandations par le groupe PATTERN de pathologistes thoraciques

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in France with low response rates to conventional chemotherapy. Nevertheless, new therapies have emerged recently, among which PD1 immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI), such as nivolumab (OPDIVO®, Bristol-Myers Squibb) and pembrolizumab (KEYTRUDA®, Merck & Co), or PD-L1 ICI, such as atezolizumab (TECENTRIQ®, Genentech), durvalumab (IMFINZI®, Astra-Zeneca), and avelumab (BAVENCIO®, EMD Serono). The prescription of pembrolizumab for advanced stage non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) patients requires the demonstration of PD-L1 expression by tumor cells by immunohistochemistry (IHC) (minimum of 50% of positive tumor cells is required for first-line setting, and of 1% for second-line and beyond) and PD-L1 assay is now considered as a companion diagnostic tool for this drug. Numerous standardized PD-L1 assays performed on dedicated platforms have been validated in clinical trials, each antibody being associated to one specific PD1 or PD-L1 inhibitor. However, not all pathologists have access to the dedicated platforms and the high cost of these assays is still a limitation to their implementation; in addition, the small size of the NSCLC tumor samples does not allow to perform at the same time multiple assays for multiple drugs. The use of laboratory-developed tests seems feasible but their validation must guarantee the same sensitivities and specificities as standardized tests. In this context, the French group of thoracic pathologists PATTERN has teamed up with thoracic oncologists to provide recommendations on the indication, the critical technical steps and the interpretation of the PD-L1 IHC test to help pathologists to implement quickly and in the best conditions this new theranostic test.