Browsing by Author "Affolter, Kajsa"

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Diminished Immune Surveillance during Histologic Progression of Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasms Offers a Therapeutic Opportunity for Cancer Interception
    (American Association for Cancer Research, 2022) Hernandez, Sharia; Parra, Edwin Roger; Uraoka, Naohiro; Tang, Ximing; Shen, Yu; Qiao, Wei; Jiang, Mei; Zhang, Shanyu; Mino, Barbara; Lu, Wei; Pandurengan, Renganayaki; Haymaker, Cara; Affolter, Kajsa; Scaife, Courtney L.; Yip-Schneider, Michele; Schmidt, C. Max; Firpo, Matthew A.; Mulvihill, Sean J.; Koay, Eugene J.; Wang, Huamin; Wistuba, Ignacio I.; Maitra, Anirban; Solis, Luisa M.; Sen, Subrata; Surgery, School of Medicine
    Purpose: Intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMN) are bona fide precursors to pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). While genomic alterations during multistep IPMN progression have been well cataloged, the accompanying changes within the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) have not been comprehensively studied. Herein, we investigated TIME-related alterations during IPMN progression, using multiplex immunofluorescence (mIF) coupled with high-resolution image analyses. Experimental design: Two sets of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue samples from surgically resected IPMNs were analyzed. The training set of 30 samples consisted of 11 low-grade IPMN (LG-IPMN), 17 high-grade IPMN (HG-IPMN), and 2 IPMN with PDAC, while a validation set of 93 samples comprised of 55 LG-IPMN and 38 HG-IPMN. The training set was analyzed with two panels of immuno-oncology-related biomarkers, while the validation set was analyzed with a subset of markers found significantly altered in the training set. Results: Cell types indicative of enhanced immune surveillance, including cytotoxic and memory T cells, and antigen-experienced T cells and B cells, were all found at higher densities within isolated LG-IPMNs compared with HG-IPMNs. Notably, the TIME of LG-IPMNs that had progressed at the time of surgical resection (progressor LGD) resembled that of the synchronous HG-IPMNs, underscoring that attenuated immune surveillance occurs even in LG-IPMNs destined for progression. Conclusions: Our findings provide a basis for interception of cystic neoplasia to PDAC, through maintenance of sustained immune surveillance using vaccines and other prevention approaches.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Interobserver study on histologic features of idiopathic non-cirrhotic portal hypertension
    (BMC, 2020-10-23) Kmeid, Michel; Zuo, Chunlai; Lagana, Stephen M.; Choi, Won-Tak; Lin, Jingmei; Yang, Zhaohai; Liu, Xiuli; Westerhoff, Maria; Fiel, M. Isabel; Affolter, Kajsa; Choi, Eun-Young K.; Lee, Hwajeong; Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine
    Background Histologic features of idiopathic non-cirrhotic portal hypertension (INCPH) may overlap with those without INCPH. Recently, these features have been recognized as part of the larger spectrum of porto-sinusoidal vascular disease (PSVD). We assessed interobserver agreement on histologic features that are commonly associated with INCPH and studied whether a provision of relevant clinical history improves interobserver agreement. Methods The examined histologic features include lobular (such as anisocytosis, nodular regeneration, sinusoidal dilatation, increased parenchymal draining veins, and incomplete fibrous septa) and portal tract changes (such as paraportal shunting vessel(s), portal tract remnant, increased number of portal vessels, and obliterative portal venopathy). Thirty-four archived liver samples from patients with (group A) and without (group B) INCPH were retrieved. A total of 90 representative images of lobules (L) and portal tracts (P) were distributed among 9 liver pathologists blinded to true clinical history. Each pathologist answered multiple choice questions based on the absence (Q1) or presence (Q2) of clinical history of portal hypertension. Fleiss’ kappa coefficient analysis (unweighted) was performed to assess interobserver agreement on normal versus abnormal diagnosis, in L and P, based on Q1 and Q2. Results The kappa values regarding normal versus abnormal diagnosis were 0.24, 0.24, 0.18 and 0.18 for L-Q1, L-Q2, P-Q1, and P-Q2, respectively. With true clinical history provided, the kappa values were L- 0.32, P-0.17 for group A and L-0.12, P-0.14 for group B. Four pathologists changed their assessments based on the provided history. Interobserver agreement on the interpretation of L and P as normal versus abnormal was slight to fair regardless of provision of clinical history. Conclusions Our findings indicate that the histologic features of INCPH/PSVD are not limited to patients with portal hypertension and are subject to significant interobserver variation. Supplementary information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13000-020-01049-0.