Project description:•Extra-uterine endometrial stromal sarcoma may arise in endometriosis.•Abdominal exploration for extra pelvic endometriosis is warranted.•Representative endometriotic implants should be resected and/or biopsied if clinically suspicious.
Project description:14-3-3 proteins are ubiquitously expressed regulators of various cellular functions, including proliferation, metabolism, and differentiation, and altered 14-3-3 expression is associated with development and progression of cancer. We report a transforming 14-3-3 oncoprotein, which we identified through conventional cytogenetics and whole-transcriptome sequencing analysis as a highly recurrent genetic mechanism in a clinically aggressive form of uterine sarcoma: high-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma (ESS). The 14-3-3 oncoprotein results from a t(10;17) genomic rearrangement, leading to fusion between 14-3-3ε (YWHAE) and either of two nearly identical FAM22 family members (FAM22A or FAM22B). Expression of YWHAE-FAM22 fusion oncoproteins was demonstrated by immunoblot in t(10;17)-bearing frozen tumor and cell line samples. YWHAE-FAM22 fusion gene knockdowns were performed with shRNAs and siRNAs targeting various FAM22A exons in an t(10;17)-bearing ESS cell line (ESS1): Fusion protein expression was inhibited, with corresponding reduction in cell growth and migration. YWHAE-FAM22 maintains a structurally and functionally intact 14-3-3ε (YWHAE) protein-binding domain, which is directed to the nucleus by a FAM22 nuclear localization sequence. In contrast to classic ESS, harboring JAZF1 genetic fusions, YWHAE-FAM22 ESS display high-grade histologic features, a distinct gene-expression profile, and a more aggressive clinical course. Fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis demonstrated absolute specificity of YWHAE-FAM22A/B genetic rearrangement for high-grade ESS, with no fusions detected in other uterine and nonuterine mesenchymal tumors (55 tumor types, n = 827). These discoveries reveal diagnostically and therapeutically relevant models for characterizing aberrant 14-3-3 oncogenic functions.
Project description:BackgroundThe prognosis of recurrent low-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma (LGESS) is little known. This study was to investigate the survival outcomes of a cohort of patients with recurrent LGESS.MethodsPatients with primary LGESS diagnosed and treated for first recurrence confirmed by histology in the study center from February 2012 to June 2019 were retrospectively included. The progression-free interval (PFI) after the last treatment for first recurrence and overall survival (OS) since the diagnosis of first recurrence, which were followed up to June 1, 2020, were compared between groups of various therapy modalities.ResultsFifty-six patients were included, and 43 patients (76.8%) had definite follow-up outcomes. The 5-year PFI and OS rates were 30.0% (95% confidence interval [95% CI] 29.2-30.8) and 75.0% (68.0-82.0), respectively. In univariate analysis, only fertility-sparing treatment, ovarian preservation and surgical treatment had a significant impact on the PFI (hazard ratio [HR] 4.5, 3.1, and 0.2; 95% CI 1.5-13.1, 1.3-7.3, and 0.1-0.7; and p = 0.006, 0.009 and 0.006, respectively), but no factor was found to be associated with increased mortality risk. After adjusted with hormone treatment or chemotherapy, surgical treatment had significant effectiveness on OS (HR 0.3 and 0.3, 95% CI 0.1-1.0 and 0.1-1.0, p = 0.045 and 0.049, respectively). None of the patients with fertility-sparing treatment had successful conception, and all experienced repeated relapse.ConclusionFor patients with recurrent LGESS, fertility-sparing treatment or ovarian preservation should not be provided. Surgery is the treatment of choice, and hormone treatment and/or chemotherapy was effective for the survival benefits of surgical treatment.
Project description:A 71-year-old woman presented with a right adnexal solid mass invading the right gonadal vein and inferior vena cava up to the hepatic veins revealed by CT and confirmed by MRI. A thin-walled cyst and a solid mass were unexpectedly found in the right atrium by transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) in the operating room. Using color Doppler and air bubbles as contrast material a circumscribed cyst was confirmed and localized close to the IVC. The cyst was connected to the mass in the inferior vena cava. The tumor, including the cyst, was removed without using cardiopulmonary bypass and described as a low-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma, a rare slowly growing tumor. This is the first TEE description of endometrial stromal sarcoma manifesting as a right atrial cyst.
Project description:Endometrial stromal sarcomas (ESSs) are a genetically heterogeneous group of rare uterine neoplasms that are frequently driven by recurrent gene rearrangements. In conventional low-grade ESSs, JAZF1-SUZ12, PHF1-JAZF1, EPC1-PHF1 and MEAF6-PHF1 chimeric fusions have been reported in >50% of cases. The recently described t(10;17)(q22;p13) translocation yields YWHAE-FAM22A/B chimeric proteins that are associated with histologically high-grade and clinically more aggressive ESS. Integrating whole-transcriptome paired-end RNA sequencing with fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and conventional cytogenetics, we identified MBTD1 (Malignant Brain Tumor Domain-containing 1) and CXorf67 (Chromosome X open reading frame 67) as the genes involved in the novel reciprocal t(X;17)(p11.2;q21.33) translocation in two independent low-grade ESS of classical histology. The presence of the MBTD1-CXorf67 fusion transcript was validated in both cases using RT-PCR followed by Sanger sequencing. A specific FISH assay to be used on paraffin tissues was developed to detect the novel t(X;17) translocation, and resulted in identification of an additional low-grade ESS case positive for the MBTD1-CXorf67 fusion among 14 uterine stromal tumours [9 ESSs and 5 undifferentiated endometrial sarcomas (UESs)] that were negative for JAZF1 and YWHAE rearrangements. Gene expression profiles of 3 ESSs with YWHAE- and 4 classical ESSs with JAZF1-rearrangements, and 4 UESs without known gene rearrangements, indicated clustering of tumours with MBTD1-CXorf67 fusion together with low-grade JAZF1-associated ESSs. The chimeric MBTD1-CXorf67 fusion identifies yet another cytogenetically distinct subgroup of low-grade ESS and offers the opportunity to shed light on the functions of two poorly characterized genes. Total RNA was extracted from 11 frozen tumor samples from 4 low-grade ESS cases, 4 UES cases and 3 high-grade ESS cases; Agilent One-Color technology.
Project description:Recurrent chromosomal translocations leading to gene fusion formation have been described in uterine sarcomas, including low-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma (LG-ESS). Involvement of the PHF1 gene in chromosomal rearrangements targeting band 6p21 has been found in LG-ESS with different partners from JAZF1 mapping in 7p15, to EPC1 from 10p11, MEAF6 from 1p34, and BRD8 from 5q31. In the present study, RNA sequencing of a LG-ESS showed a novel recombination of PHF1 with the Enhancer of Polycomb homolog 2 (EPC2). RT-PCR followed by Sanger sequencing and FISH analysis confirmed the EPC2-PHF1 fusion transcript.
Project description:The purpose of this study is to evaluate utility of MRI in differentiation of uterine low-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma (LGESS) from rare leiomyoma variants. This multi-center retrospective study included consecutive 25 patients with uterine LGESS and 42 patients with rare leiomyoma variants who had pretreatment MRI. Two radiologists (R1/R2) independently evaluated MRI features, which were analyzed statistically using Fisher's exact test or Student's t-test. Subsequently, using a five-point Likert scale, the two radiologists evaluated the diagnostic performance of a pre-defined MRI system using features reported as characteristics of LGESS in previous case series: uterine tumor with high signal intensity (SI) on diffusion-weighted images and with either worm-like nodular extension, intra-tumoral low SI bands, or low SI rim on T2-weighted images. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), sensitivity, and specificity of the two readers' Likert scales were analyzed. Intra-tumoral low SI bands (p < 0.001), cystic/necrotic change (p ≤ 0.02), absence of speckled appearance (p < 0.001) on T2-weighted images, and a low apparent diffusion coefficient value (p ≤ 0.02) were significantly associated with LGESS. The pre-defined MRI system showed very good diagnostic performance: AUC 0.86/0.89, sensitivity 0.95/0.95, and specificity 0.67/0.69 for R1/R2. MRI can be useful to differentiate uterine LGESS from rare leiomyoma variants.
Project description:The uterine corpus represents the most common site for tumour development in the female genital system. Uterine neoplasms are categorised as epithelial, mesenchymal, mixed epithelial-mesenchymal or trophoblastic tumours. In this study we employed a mouse genetic approach using the MuLE lentiviral gene regulatory system to functionally test the ability of ecotropic lentiviruses to model epithelial and mesenchymal uterine malignancies ex vivo and in vivo. We discovered that MuLE lentiviruses efficiently infect uterine stromal cells but not endometrial epithelial cells when injected into the uterus of cycling, pseudopregnant or ovarectomized mice. Consistent with this cellular infection spectrum, we show that intra-uterine injection of ecotropic MuLE viruses expressing oncogenic HrasG12V together with knockdown of Cdkn2a induce high-grade endometrial stromal sarcomas. These findings establish this approach as an efficient method of generating autochthonous mouse models of uterine sarcomas and in general for performing genetic manipulations of uterine stromal cells in vivo.
Project description:Efforts to develop vaccines that can elicit mucosal immune responses in the female genital tract against sexually transmitted infections have been hampered by an inability to measure immune responses in these tissues. The differential expression of adhesion molecules is known to confer site-dependent homing of circulating effector T cells to mucosal tissues. Specific homing molecules have been defined that can be measured in blood as surrogate markers of local immunity (e.g. α4β7 for gut). Here we analyzed the expression pattern of adhesion molecules by circulating effector T cells following mucosal infection of the female genital tract in mice and during a symptomatic episode of vaginosis in women. While CCR2, CCR5, CXCR6 and CD11c were preferentially expressed in a mouse model of Chlamydia infection, only CCR5 and CD11c were clearly expressed by effector T cells during bacterial vaginosis in women. Other homing molecules previously suggested as required for homing to the genital mucosa such as α4β1 and α4β7 were also differentially expressed in these patients. However, CD11c expression, an integrin chain rarely analyzed in the context of T cell immunity, was the most consistently elevated in all activated effector CD8+ T cell subsets analyzed. This molecule was also induced after systemic infection in mice, suggesting that CD11c is not exclusive of genital tract infection. Still, its increase in response to genital tract disorders may represent a novel surrogate marker of mucosal immunity in women, and warrants further exploration for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes.
Project description:Although recurrent gene fusions such as JAZF1-JJAZ1 are considered driver events for endometrial stromal sarcoma (ESS) development, other genomic alterations remain largely unknown. In this study, we performed whole-exome sequencing, transcriptome sequencing and copy number profiling for five ESSs (three low-grade ESS (LG-ESS) and two undifferentiated uterine sarcomas (UUSs)). All three LG-ESSs exhibited either one of JAZF1-SUZ12, JAZF1-PHF1 and MEAF6-PHF1 fusions, whereas the two UUSs did not. All ESSs except one LG-ESS exhibited copy number alterations (CNAs), many of which encompassed cancer-related genes. In UUSs, five CNAs encompassing cancer-related genes (EZR, CDH1, RB1, TP53 and PRKAR1A) accompanied their expressional changes, suggesting that they might stimulate UUS development. We found 81 non-silent mutations (35 from LG-ESSs and 46 from UUSs) that included 15 putative cancer genes catalogued in cancer-related databases, including PPARG and IRF4 mutations. However, they were non-recurrent and did not include any well-known mutations, indicating that point mutations may not be a major driver for ESS development. Our data show that gene fusions and CNAs are the principal drivers for LG-ESS and USS, respectively, but both may require additional genomic alterations including point mutations. These differences may explain the different biologic behaviors between LG-ESS and UUS. Our findings suggest that ESS development requires point mutations and CNAs as well as the gene fusions.