"Lineage switch" is a term used to describe the phenomenon of change of lineage of acute leukemia to a different lineage. It is typically seen during therapy or at the time of relapse. More commonly, it is described in the pediatric population with an incidence of 6-9%. Lineage switches, though uncommon, can occur from acute myeloid leukemia (AML) to acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL (B/T)) and vice versa. The present scenario of AML to B-ALL switch is rare in an adult, with only a handful of cases described in literature. We report herein a case diagnosed as AML at 56 years of age, with NPM mutation who relapsed after 18 months post initial diagnosis. The clinicopathological features, flowcytometry, and molecular characteristics are discussed.

Embryonal sarcoma of the liver (ESL) is an aggressive tumor of childhood and rare in adults. Herein, we report an ESL in a 37-year-old female patient, who presented with liver rupture and acute abdomen. ESL was not considered in preoperative clinical differential diagnoses due to its rarity and the diagnosis was not established in the preoperative liver aspirate. This study highlights the fact that ESL should be considered as an uncommon malignant tumor in adults affecting commonly the right lobe of the liver, especially when the serum alpha-fetoprotein level is within normal ranges. Histological examination is essential to establish the diagnosis with ancillary tests. Due to its rarity, although a definitive mode of therapy is not known, postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy is effective in achieving symptom-free recovery. The index patient developed omental metastasis after 9 months of diagnosis and such a presentation is possibly an indicator of aggressive tumor behavior.

Chondrosarcomas are slow-growing malignant tumors of cartilaginous origin. The tumor can be locally aggressive with a risk of recurrence. Less than 10% of these tumors occur in the head and neck region, with most involving the maxilla, skull base, or larynx. Chondrosarcoma arising from the nasal septum is extremely rare. We report a case of a 64-year-old woman who presented with nasal obstruction and was subsequently diagnosed with nasal septal chondrosarcoma. She was treated with wide endoscopic surgical excision and regular follow-up, resulting in a good outcome.

Myeloid sarcoma (MS) refers to an extramedullary collection of immature cells of granulocytic series and occurs either in isolation or in association with myeloid malignancies, particularly acute myeloid leukemia (AML). We report a 16-year old girl with AML who was treated at our hospital with standard "7 + 3" induction chemotherapy and achieved morphological remission. She developed a small nodule below her right eyelid at day 10 of first consolidation chemotherapy with high-dose cytarabine. Eyelid lesion increased in size despite oral antibiotics. Peripheral blood did not show any blasts. However, bone marrow examination was consistent with relapsed AML. She was treated with salvage chemotherapy followed by allogeneic stem cell transplant. However, her disease relapsed 2 months later and she died. This is the first case of eyelid MS from India in which eyelid MS developed during chemotherapy for AML and heralded the subsequent disease relapse. Eyelid MS could be a sinister manifestation of AML. Literature regarding eyelid MS is discussed in brief.

Glioneuronal tumors are a very rare type of central nervous system (CNS) tumors. Due to rarity, even literature is limited. There is inconsistency in literature with respect to prevalence in different age groups, sex predilection, and treatment. Diagnosis of diffuse glioneuronal tumors is based on both radiologic and histopathologic features. Radiologically, they are often large, ill-defined lesions. On immunohistochemistry, the are positive for glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), OLIG2, S100, and synaptophysin and negative for IDH1. Recently, glioneuronal tumors are included in the 2016 World Health Organization (WHO) classification of CNS neoplasms; however, there are many cases of glioneuronal tumors with distinctive morphologic features that are still not formally included in any classification. Similarly, there is vast disparity between treatments in various literature reports, ranging from surgery to chemoradiation to craniospinal irradiation. Here, we are presenting a case of high-grade diffuse glioneuronal tumor in a 28-year-old male. We have described the radiologic and pathologic features in our case. He was treated with volumetric modulated arc technique (VMAT) radiotherapy and concurrent chemotherapy.

Succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) deficient gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) is the most common type of wild type GIST characterized by lack of mutations in proto-oncogene receptor tyrosine kinase (KIT) or platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha (PDFGR alpha) pathways. It has a unique predilection for females and young adults, with a relatively indolent prognosis and varied treatment modalities. Data regarding SDH GIST from the Indian subcontinent is sparse.

Radiation therapy plays a critical role in head and neck cancer treatment, which can utilize artificial intelligence algorithms for automatic contour segmentation, treatment planning, and the selection of individual treatments. During the planning phase of radiation therapy, organs at risk (OARs), like the parotid gland, must be identified and mapped out to avoid unwanted side effects. Manual contouring of the parotid gland can be time-consuming and error-prone, causing interobserver variability. This study presents an algorithmic framework for the automated delineation of parotid glands using artificial intelligence and deep learning algorithms that interprets image sets to increase the precision and effectiveness of treatment planning, reduce the risk of side effects, and enhance treatment outcomes. Auto contouring increases the consistency and reproducibility of treatment plans and reduces the need for recontouring.

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is an angiogenic marker and is implicated in the carcinogenesis and prognostication of cancers. However, its prognostic potential in Ewing sarcoma (ES) merits exploration.

The aim of this study was to investigate the association between serum C-reactive protein-to-albumin ratio (CAR) and the prognosis of multiple myeloma (MM).

Mammographic density (MD) is a strong, heritable risk factor for breast cancer. To date, 55 independent MD-associated genetic loci have been identified through genome-wide association studies (GWASs) in women of European ancestry; however, no studies have been reported in Asian women.

Liver metastasis continues to be a leading cause of cancer-related mortality, particularly in colorectal, pancreatic, and breast cancer. The successful establishment of metastatic lesions depends critically on the liver metastatic tumor microenvironment, where reciprocal cellular interactions between disseminated tumor cells and both parenchymal hepatocytes and non-parenchymal cells facilitate tumor cell colonization and outgrowth. Hepatic macrophages that encompass both tissue-resident Kupffer cells (KCs) and monocyte-derived macrophages (Mo-Macs) have emerged as pivotal regulators of liver metastatic progression. This review summarizes recent progress from the following perspectives: (I) Primary tumors recruit macrophages via secretion of cytokines and exosomes, or induce phenotypic alterations in resident KCs and recruited Mo-Macs, thereby establishing a premetastatic niche; (II) Once the premetastatic niche is formed, hepatic macrophages directly interact with tumor cells to mediate their capture, colonization, and subsequent outgrowth; (III) Furthermore, hepatic macrophages regulate phenotypic changes in T cells, NK cells, hepatocytes, and hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) through cytokine/exosome secretion or direct cell-cell interactions, which induce T cell exhaustion, impairment of NK cell cytotoxicity, and activation of HSCs leading to fibrotic microenvironment formation. Additionally, we review advances in macrophage-targeted therapeutic strategies against liver metastasis. By delineating the pivotal roles of hepatic macrophages in metastatic progression and analyzing current clinical limitations of targeting macrophages for liver metastasis therapies, this review provides foundational insights for understanding macrophage biology and developing effective therapeutics.

Tumor-derived exosomal microRNAs mediate intercellular communication between malignant cells and distant organs and play a pivotal role in metastatic dissemination. Breast cancer brain metastasis (BCBM) poses a significant clinical challenge, with endothelial barrier dysfunction representing a critical yet poorly understood step in metastatic progression.

Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is a hormone that may be abnormally secreted in several tumour types, including intracranial germ cell tumours. In pineal region tumors, hCG is a key tumor marker. In fact, mild elevation typically suggests a germinoma with syncytiotrophoblastic cells, whereas a markedly elevated level indicates a choriocarcinoma or a mixed germ cell tumor with trophoblastic differentiation. While histopathological confirmation remains the diagnostic gold standard, the anatomical situation of the pineal gland makes biopsy very challenging. In certain situations, diagnosis may therefore rely on a constellation of clinical, radiological, and biochemical findings, including cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) β-hCG levels. However, the differential diagnosis of pineal region tumours includes other primary neoplasms of the pineal parenchyma, which differ markedly in both prognosis and therapeutic management. Here, we report two cases of pineoblastoma with unexpectedly elevated CSF β-hCG levels, which might have led to a misdiagnosis of intracranial germinoma. These cases highlight the need for the development of novel, non-invasive biomarkers to improve the diagnostic accuracy of intracranial tumours.

Kaposi sarcoma is a vascular neoplasm linked to human herpes virus 8 and presents in four main variants. The development of Kaposi sarcoma, particularly the iatrogenic form, in younger women with autoimmune conditions such as multiple sclerosis is exceedingly rare and presents unique diagnostic and therapeutic challenges.

Cisplatin (DDP) an effective DNA-damaging agent, is fundamental in treating non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Resistance to DDP remains a significant challenge in the treatment of NSCLC. This study aimed to elucidate the mechanisms underlying DDP resistance, with a focus on the role of DNA repair pathways and cancer stem cells (CSCs) in NSCLC.

This study aims to investigate potential prognostic differences between male and female patients with non-small cell lung cancer under various antitumor treatment modalities, as well as to analyze potential factors influencing these differences.

Breast cancer is a heterogeneous illness in terms of histologic variants, natural history of disease, clinical behaviour, and response to therapy. Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a biologically aggressive tumour with the worst prognosis among all subtypes, owing to higher grade and high proliferation capacity, and, restricted therapeutic choices. Despite numerous attempts to identify therapeutic aberrations that can be targeted, chemotherapy continues to be the primary systemic treatment for TNBC. It should be noted, however, that multiple studies have shown racial variation in the clinical behaviour of TNBCs and there remains a need to identify alternative, novel driver mutations in our ethnically diverse population, especially actionable mutations that might prove to be potential targets for precision therapy. This study was taken up with the aim to identify distinct targetable genetic alterations in TNBC patients and to report the frequencies of various subtypes.

Bladder cancer (BLCA) is a highly heterogeneous malignancy with high morbidity and mortality. Massive lactate production and hypoxia are characteristics of the tumor microenvironment (TME). However, our understanding of the clinical value of hypoxia and lactate metabolism (HLM) in BLCA remains limited.

Different types of testicular tumours require different treatments. Malignant germ cell tumours usually require radical orchiectomy, while benign tumours may only require excision of the mass. Currently, conventional imaging examinations are difficult to diagnose testicular pathology types. Since testicular tumours are mainly malignant germ cell tumours, puncture of such tumours may lead to tumour metastasis. Therefore, testicular tumours are generally not recommended for puncture biopsy, and radical orchiectomy is performed directly, which inevitably leads to the mistaken removal of testicles in some patients with benign tumours.Since ultrasound texture analysis can evaluate tumour echoes and uniformity in greater detail and with greater accuracy than grey-scale ultrasound, it is helpful in distinguishing tumour pathology types.

Trophoblast cell surface antigen 2 (TROP2) overexpression has been demonstrated in several tumor types, including breast cancer (BC). Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) offer a non-invasive, dynamic and real-time detection method. The detection of TROP2 expression in CTCs is significant for predicting BC progression, prognosis and the efficacy of targeted therapy. A quantitative analysis method for TROP2 of CTCs was established using our established TUMORFISHER detection platform based on epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM), and a new magnetic nanoparticle with TROP2 as the trapping target was developed, named TROP2@MNPs. The developed quantitative analysis of TROP2 was an effective method for accurately identifying the expression of TROP2 in BC cells and CTCs from BC patients, which was consistent with the data obtained by immunohistochemical (IHC) analysis. The established TROP2@MNPs could specifically capture TROP2-positive BC cells, and the capture efficiency was closely related to the expression of TROP2 in CTCs. Notably, the TROP2-based enrichment strategy was found to capture TROP2-expressing CTCs that were missed by the EpCAM-based enrichment strategy. The TROP2-targeting CTC capture platform, TROP2@MNPs, could serve as a liquid biopsy of TROP2 expression in BC patients, providing an important reference for further research on CTC-related diagnosis and individualised treatment employing TROP2-targeting drugs.