Pathologe最新文献

Background: The cytology of lymph nodes is a cost-effective method with a short turnaround time and low risk to patients that delivers valuable information on the cause of the lymphadenopathies.

Objectives: To discuss the value of lymph node cytology in the diagnosis of lymph node swellings.

Methods: Analysis of the causes of the controversially discussed aspects of lymph node cytology. Presentation of the diagnostic groups of lymph node cytology according to the Sydney system.

Results: The technical aspects of lymph node sampling during fine needle biopsy, as well as the subsequent preparation of the correctly fixed direct smears and the triage of the sample for the auxiliary studies, may pose a significant challenge for some puncturers. The whole spectrum of modern pathologic auxiliary studies can be applied to correctly triaged cytologic samples. The diagnoses of fine needle biopsies of the lymph nodes can be divided into five groups according to the recently proposed Sydney reporting system: insufficient/non-diagnostic, benign, atypical, suspicious, and malignant. Further details concerning the diagnosis as well as recommendations on how to proceed are additionally included in cytologic reports.

Conclusions: The improvement of lymph node sampling as well as the technical aspects of the sample handling, including the application of auxiliary studies, considerably increase the diagnostic value of fine needle biopsy of the lymph nodes. Wide implementation of the usage of the diagnostic groups for reporting fine needle biopsies of the lymph nodes can standardize reporting and improve communication with other clinical specialists.

Round robin testing is an important instrument for quality assurance. Increasingly, this also applies to the results of molecular diagnostics in pathology, which directly influence therapy decisions in precision oncology. In metastatic colorectal carcinoma (mCRC), the focus has been on detecting KRAS and NRAS mutations, whose absence allows therapy with EGFR blocking antibodies. Recently, BRAF has been added as another predictive marker, since mCRC patients with BRAF V600E mutation benefit significantly from treatment with encorafenib (a BRAF inhibitor) in combination with cetuximab (anti-EGFR antibody) after systemic therapy. Due to the approval of this treatment in 2020, it is a pre-requisite that BRAF V600E mutation detection in diagnostic pathologies is reliably performed. Therefore, this round robin test with BRAF V600E testing either by immunohistochemistry or molecular methods was performed. The round robin test results demonstrate that molecular BRAF V600E detection is currently clearly superior to immunohistochemical detection.

In the evaluation of thyroid nodules, cytopathology of thyroid fine-needle aspiration specimens plays a central role. Established classification schemes should be used. In the case of indeterminate cytology, additional molecular tests may be used. However, the stratification of indeterminate thyroid nodules into malignant and benign lesions based on molecular tests alone, apart from costly commercial assays from US vendors, has so far been clearly limited. Molecular testing of single genetic alterations that can confirm malignancy in papillary, poorly differentiated, and anaplastic thyroid carcinomas is helpful and relatively easy to perform. However, negative test results by no means exclude malignant neoplasia. Predictive markers for single entities (BRAF V600E, RET mutations and RET fusions) should be tested in all advanced thyroid carcinomas.

We report a case of a placenta with extensive maternal vascular malperfusion and chronic histiocytic intervillositis corresponding to SARS-CoV‑2 placentitis in the context of fetal demise at 31 weeks of gestation. Placental swamp and PCR of the placental parenchyma, umbilical cord and amnion-chorion membrane showed SARS-CoV-2- and B‑betacoronavirus-specific RNA. Maternal vascular malperfusion has been described in cases of SARS-CoV‑2 infection; however, the manifested severity of this case in the setting of a severe SARS-CoV‑2 placentitis is rare. It emphasizes the need of a maternal prophylactic anticoagulation.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the most frequent chronic liver diseases with a rising incidence in industrial countries. This is accompanied by an increased prevalence for NAFLD-associated liver cirrhosis and an increased risk for developing hepatocellular carcinoma. The current gold standard in the diagnostics is a liver biopsy. The histopathological evaluation is performed through semiquantitative scoring. To optimize the standardization and quantification of the existing scoring systems, in the coming years procedures with artificial intelligence, such as deep learning models could be used. Fields of application could be the supplementation of conventional histopathological diagnostics, the identification of new predictive parameters for estimating the prognosis and the prediction of a possible response to treatment.

The role of pathologist Hans Klein during the National Socialist era and his career in post-war Germany have hardly received systematic attention. During World War II, Hans Klein worked in two medical institutions, where he collaborated with individuals who were significantly involved in Nazi crimes. Klein's participation initially extended mainly to his work as an employed pathologist at the Rudolf Virchow Hospital in Berlin. There he was introduced to autopsy practices in the context of the children's euthanasia programme and autopsies of victims of medical experiments. Later, a shift in his activities is noticeable at the Hohenlychen Sanatorium. Klein's activities there increasingly involved independent research or voluntary collaboration in the projects of other scientists that were closely connected to the SS and experiments on human beings in concentration camps. He never had to face justice. His role was not further investigated by the Allies - probably due to his non-existent Nazi party and SS membership.

Multiprobe fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) still remains the gold standard for clarifying inconclusive atypia in urinary cytology in daily routine practice. The Paris Classification System (The Paris System, TPS) provides an important basis for the specific indication of FISH and emphasizes the importance of morphological correlation for an integrative approach to diagnosis. Next-generation sequencing technology in urinary specimens, which is highly sensitive for simultaneous detection of multiple genetic alterations, is also likely to play a diagnostic role in the near future.