Schwannomas are benign peripheral nerve sheath tumors that originate from Schwann cells and characteristically display a biphasic appearance of compact hypercellular and myxoid hypocellular areas, named Antoni A and Antoni B areas, respectively. While most schwannomas arise sporadically, they can be associated with familial tumor syndromes such as neurofibromatosis type 2 and Carney complex. Herein, we report a case of a 61-year-old female who had a schwannoma resected from her upper extremity that later revealed a focus of squamous metaplasia associated with the schwannoma, a finding that has not yet been reported in the literature. This unique finding may aid pathologists in the future when confronted with such an atypical presentation in a schwannoma.

UNASSIGNED: Primary squamous cell carcinoma of the liver (SCC) is a rare and challenging pathology. As an aggressive cancer, the prognosis is extremely poor with less than 12 months overall survival. In view of its low prevalence, we report the case of an elderly patient with primary squamous cell carcinoma of the liver.
UNASSIGNED: A 74-year-old female, with no pathological history, presented with acute right hypochondrium pain associated with shivering, asthenia and weight loss. We diagnosed primary hepatic squamous cell carcinoma by pathological analysis.
UNASSIGNED: Primary hepatic squamous cell carcinoma represents a rare malignant tumour with extremely poor prognosis. There is no established treatment protocol for this disease and a multidisciplinary approach is needed to choose the best therapeutic option.
CONCLUSIONS: Primary squamous cell carcinoma of the liver (SCC) is extremely rare, making each case report valuable to the medical community. Documentation and analysis of these cases are crucial to enriching knowledge of this rare disease.The absence of established treatment protocols for primary SCC of the liver highlights the need for a multidisciplinary approach to determine the best therapeutic options, which could include innovative treatments and clinical trials.The importance of documenting cases like this can help build a knowledge database. This can help identify trends, improve diagnostic and treatment strategies, and potentially lead to standardized treatment protocols.

UNASSIGNED: There is limited data on prognostic value of baseline plasma cell free DNA (cfDNA) in advanced squamous non-small cell lung cancer (sq-NSCLC). This prospective observational study aimed to assess change in plasma cfDNA levels in locally-advanced/metastatic sq-NSCLC with chemotherapy and its correlation with symptom-scores and radiological-responses.
UNASSIGNED: Chemotherapy-naive patients with stages-IIIB/IIIC/IV sq-NSCLC (n = 59), smokers with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD, COPD-controls (CC); n = 27] and healthy-controls (n = 25) were enrolled. Respiratory symptom burden (RSB) and total symptom burden (TSB) were calculated from mean visual-analog-scores (VAS) of dyspnoea, cough, chest pain, hemoptysis RSB, anorexia and fatigue (all six for TSB). cfDNA was isolated from peripheral blood. All patients received platinum-doublet chemotherapy. RSB/TSB/cfDNA assessment and contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT)-thorax scans were done at baseline and post-chemotherapy.
UNASSIGNED: At baseline, 13/59 (22%) sq-NSCLC, 3/27 (11%) CC and none (0%) healthy-controls had detectable cfDNA. All three CC were heavy smokers with no evidence of malignancy and undetectable cfDNA levels on repeat testing. In sq-NSCLC group, majority were males (95%), current-smokers (88%), heavy-smokers (70%), had metastatic disease (59%) with median age of 65 years. Eastern Co-operative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status (PS) was 0-1 (56%) and 2 (42%). Median RSB- and TSB-scores were 9 [interquartile range (IQR) = 5-14] and 16 (IQR = 9-23), respectively. Of the 59 patients, 54 received ≥ 1 cycle while 27 underwent post-C4 evaluation with detectable cfDNA levels in 18/27 (66.7%). No baseline characteristic correlated with cfDNA detectability. Median overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were 262 days and 167 days, respectively. ECOG PS ≥ 2, RSB-score > 9 and TSB-score > 16 were all associated with worse OS and PFS as was cfDNA detectability [median OS = 97 days vs. 298 days and median PFS = 97 days vs. 197 days; P = 0.025; hazard ratio (HR) = 2.17].
UNASSIGNED: Baseline cfDNA detectability is independently associated with poor OS and PFS in patients with advanced sq-NSCLC on chemotherapy.

Feedstuffs are often recommended to mitigate potential damage from acid associated with equine squamous gastric disease (ESGD). In acidic conditions, pectin alters its structure to one like mucus and binds the stomach mucosa, whilst alfalfa has a strong intrinsic acid buffering capacity. The study aimed to determine whether feeding a commercial beet pulp/alfalfa/oat fibre mix aids ESGD healing and/or prevention of recurrence. Ten adult horses with naturally occurring ESGD were included. All animals were treated with omeprazole as per the attending veterinarian\'s recommendation and randomly allocated to also be fed a commercial beet pulp/alfalfa/oat fibre mix (1Kg/horse divided into 2 meals/day; n=5) or no additional feed (n=5) for one month. Gastroscopy was then repeated to assess response to therapy. If the ESGD had healed, omeprazole therapy was discontinued, and the commercial feed given to all horses for a further month. Gastroscopy was repeated to determine ESGD recurrence. The mean (±SD) age of the horses was 11.6 (±3.8) years; 4 mares and 6 geldings; various breeds were represented; and the median (range) initial ESGD grade was 2 (2-4). ESGD had healed (grade 0/4) in all animals after one month. After a further month, ESGD had recurred in significantly (p=0.04) more animals that did not receive the commercial feed initially (3/5; 60%; mean [range] ESGD grade 3 [0,4]) compared to those that did (0/5; 0%; mean [range] ESGD grade 0 [0,0]). Thus, the commercial beet pulp/alfalfa/oat fibre mix aided prevention of ESGD recurrence when fed during the healing and prevention phases.

Adenoid squamous cell carcinoma is a rare variant of squamous cell carcinoma. It is mainly reported in the sun-exposed areas of the head and neck. In literature, adenoid variants of squamous cell carcinoma are reported in the lip and tongue. Documented cases of buccal mucosa are very few. In this case report, we describe an adenoid variant of squamous cell carcinoma, which is an unusual presentation of a rare carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Omega-3 fatty acid and alpha-tocopherol supplementation reduces gastric ulcer formation in humans and rodents; however, efficacy of prevention in horses is unknown. Equine Omega Complete (EOC) is an oral supplement containing omega-3 fatty acids and alpha-tocopherol.
OBJECTIVE: Determine if EOC supplementation prevents gastric ulcers and increases serum alpha-tocopherol concentrations in healthy horses.
METHODS: Nine thoroughbred geldings; 5-13 years old.
METHODS: Prospective randomized block design, repeated in crossover model. Horses were administered EOC, omeprazole, or water PO for 28 days. Horses underwent an established gastric ulcer induction protocol from days 21-28 via intermittent feed deprivation. Gastroscopies were performed on days 0, 21, and 28. Serum alpha-tocopherol concentrations were measured on days 0 and 28. The effects of treatment and time on ulcer grades were assessed with ordinal logistic regression, with significance at P-value <.05.
RESULTS: Ulcer grades increased during ulcer induction in control and EOC but not omeprazole groups (P = .02). Grades increased in EOC-treated horses after ulcer induction from a median of 1 [95% confidence interval 0-2.5] (day 0) to 2.5 [1.5-3.5] (day 28) and were similar to the control group (P = .54). Serum alpha-tocopherol increased in EOC-treated horses from day 0 to day 28 (mean 2.2 ± 0.43 μg/mL to 2.96 ± 0.89 μg/mL; P < .001) with high individual variation; this increase was not different from omeprazole or control groups.
CONCLUSIONS: Supplementation with EOC for 28 days did not prevent gastric ulcer formation nor increase alpha-tocopherol concentrations relative to the control group.

Morphologic and molecular data for staging of multifocal lung squamous cell carcinomas (LSCCs) are limited. In this study, whole exome sequencing (WES) was used as the gold standard to determine whether multifocal LSCC represented separate primary lung cancers (SPLCs) or intrapulmonary metastases (IPMs). Genomic profiles were compared with the comprehensive morphologic assessment.
WES was performed on 20 tumor pairs of multifocal LSCC and matched normal lymph nodes using the Illumina NovaSeq6000 S4-Xp (Illumina, San Diego, CA). WES clonal and subclonal analysis data were compared with histologic assessment by 16 thoracic pathologists. In addition, the immune gene profiling of the study cases was characterized by the HTG EdgeSeq Precision Immuno-Oncology Panel.
By WES data, 11 cases were classified as SPLC and seven cases as IPM. Two cases were technically suboptimal. Analysis revealed marked genomic and immunogenic heterogeneity, but immune gene expression profiles highly correlated with mutation profiles. Tumors classified as IPM have a large number of shared mutations (ranging from 33.5% to 80.7%). The agreement between individual morphologic assessments for each case and WES was 58.3%. One case was unanimously interpreted morphologically as IPM and was in agreement with WES. In a further 17 cases, the number of pathologists whose morphologic interpretation was in agreement with WES ranged from two (one case) to 15 pathologists (one case) per case. Pathologists showed a fair interobserver agreement in the morphologic staging of multiple LSCCs, with an overall kappa of 0.232.
Staging of multifocal LSCC based on morphologic assessment is unreliable. Comprehensive genomic analyses should be adopted for the staging of multifocal LSCC.

For tumours of the ear that are suspected to involve auricular cartilage, precise definition of the extent of involved deep margin can be difficult. As large resections of cartilage can be cosmetically disfiguring with limited repair options, we propose a simple and effective technique to facilitate a targeted deep margin resection using a curette and a surgical marking pen.

UNASSIGNED: Primary squamous cell carcinoma of the renal pelvis is a rare malignancy, accounting for fewer than 1 % of all kidney tumors. This form of cancer normally develops in the urinary tract\'s transitional epithelium, and its presence in the renal pelvis is extremely rare.
METHODS: In this report, we discuss the clinical and pathological aspects of a patient with primary squamous cell carcinoma of the renal pelvis. The patient, a 58-year-old man, had flank discomfort associated with burning micturition. A right nephrectomy was done after imaging investigations indicated right kidney hydronephrosis. The diagnosis of primary squamous cell carcinoma was confirmed by pathological investigation of the specimen. The patient has received 4cycles of chemotherapy with cisplatin and gemcitabine. One month later, the patient was referred for a metastatic mass in the chest wall.
UNASSIGNED: Because of the tumor\'s rarity, diagnosis and therapy are difficult. This case report emphasizes the significance of including primary squamous cell carcinoma in the differential diagnosis of renal pelvic tumors, especially in individuals with risk factors such as smoking and chronic renal calculi.
CONCLUSIONS: Renal pelvis squamous cell carcinoma is a rare, aggressive, high-grade tumor with a poor prognosis. Chronic irritation plays a substantial role in the process. Thus, patients with a history of urolithiasis should be monitored closely.

Amplification of human chromosome 3q26-29, which encodes oncoprotein ΔNp63 among other isoforms of the p63 family, is a feature common to squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) of multiple tissue origins. Along with overexpression of ΔNp63, activation of the protooncogene, RAS, whether by overexpression or oncogenic mutation, is frequently observed in many cancers. In this study, analysis of transcriptome data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) demonstrated that expression of TP63 mRNA, particularly ΔNp63 isoforms, and HRAS are significantly elevated in advanced squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck (HNSCCs), suggesting pathological significance. However, how co-overexpressed ΔNp63 and HRAS affect the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) is incompletely understood.
Here, we established and characterized an immune competent mouse model using primary keratinocytes with retroviral-mediated overexpression of ΔNp63α and constitutively activated HRAS (v-rasHa G12R) to evaluate the role of these oncogenes in the immune TME.
In this model, orthotopic grafting of wildtype syngeneic keratinocytes expressing both v-rasHa and elevated levels of ΔNp63α consistently yield carcinomas in syngeneic hosts, while cells expressing v-rasHa alone yield predominantly papillomas. We found that polymorphonuclear (PMN) myeloid cells, experimentally validated to be immunosuppressive and thus representing myeloid-derived suppressor cells (PMN-MDSCs), were significantly recruited into the TME of carcinomas arising early following orthotopic grafting of ΔNp63α/v-rasHa-expressing keratinocytes. ΔNp63α/v-rasHa-driven carcinomas expressed higher levels of chemokines implicated in recruitment of MDSCs compared to v-rasHa-initiated tumors, providing a heretofore undescribed link between ΔNp63α/HRAS-driven carcinomas and the development of an immunosuppressive TME.
These results support the utilization of a genetic carcinogenesis model harboring specific genomic drivers of malignancy to study mechanisms underlying the development of local immunosuppression.