Virchows ArchivPub Date : 2026-09-22DOI: 10.1007/s00428-026-04719-4
Kathleen Byrnes, Lysandra Voltaggio
{"title":"Anal canal neoplasms in the modern era: integrating HPV biology, LAST terminology, and evolving molecular classification.","authors":"Kathleen Byrnes, Lysandra Voltaggio","doi":"10.1007/s00428-026-04719-4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00428-026-04719-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Anal canal neoplasia comprises a heterogeneous and evolving group of precursor lesions and invasive malignancies whose classification increasingly depends on integrating morphology, human papillomavirus association, immunophenotype, and molecular alterations. This review summarizes current concepts in the pathology of anal canal neoplasms, with emphasis on practical application of Lower Anogenital Squamous Terminology, distinction between low-grade and high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions, and the role of ancillary testing in diagnostically challenging cases. We discuss the expanding spectrum of invasive neoplasms, including human papillomavirus-driven and human papillomavirus-independent squamous cell carcinoma, anorectal neuroendocrine carcinoma, and anal adenocarcinoma, highlighting recently described subtypes and their clinicopathologic significance. Attention is given to emerging molecular correlates, including alterations in TP53, CYLD, and other oncogenic pathways, which may refine classification and prognostic stratification. The review also addresses unresolved issues, including precursor lesions for human papillomavirus-independent disease, evolving terminology for glandular and mixed lesions, and controversy regarding staging of anal adenocarcinoma. By combining contemporary terminology with morphologic, immunohistochemical, and molecular findings, this review provides a practical framework for pathologists navigating an uncommon but increasingly complex diagnostic area.</p>","PeriodicalId":23514,"journal":{"name":"Virchows Archiv","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149025921","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Virchows ArchivPub Date : 2026-09-22DOI: 10.1007/s00428-026-04722-9
Halim Song, Ji-Seon Jeong, Uiree Jo, Young Soo Park, Joon Seon Song
{"title":"Clinical Interchangeability of 22C3 and 28 - 8 PD-L1 assays for patient selection in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.","authors":"Halim Song, Ji-Seon Jeong, Uiree Jo, Young Soo Park, Joon Seon Song","doi":"10.1007/s00428-026-04722-9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00428-026-04722-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) comprises 84% of esophageal cancers, with a poor prognosis due to late diagnosis and limited treatment. Immunotherapy targeting programmed death-1 (PD-1) and programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) has improved survival outcomes; however, variability in PD-L1 testing platforms and scoring methods poses challenges. This study evaluated concordance between the PD-L1 immunohistochemistry assays, specifically 22C3 and 28 - 8, in ESCC using tumor proportion score (TPS) and combined positive score (CPS) methodologies to address inconsistencies in testing approaches. PD-L1 expression in 198 ESCC cases was assessed using biopsy or surgical resection specimens. Two standardized PD-L1 assays (Dako 22C3 pharmDx and Dako 28 - 8 pharmDx) were evaluated according to the manufacturer's protocols. Staining was independently scored by two pathologists using TPS and CPS with cutoffs of ≥ 1%, ≥ 10%, and ≥ 50%. Among 198 ESCC cases, PD-L1 expression assessed by the 22C3 and 28 - 8 assays showed comparable positivity rates across TPS and CPS cutoffs. Inter-assay concordance was high, with intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) of 0.82 and 0.81 for TPS and CPS, respectively. Cohen's kappa and Gwet's AC1 showed substantial agreement across clinical cutoffs. Inter-observer reproducibility was excellent (ICC, 0.95‒0.97) for both assays. Higher T stage was associated with CPS positivity at the CPS ≥ 1 cutoff (p = 0.012 for 22C3; p = 0.045 for 28 - 8). Notable concordance was observed between the 22C3 and 28 - 8 assays, suggesting their potential interchangeability in selecting patients with ESCC for PD-1 inhibitor therapy.</p>","PeriodicalId":23514,"journal":{"name":"Virchows Archiv","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149026018","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"KRAS-mutated endometrial carcinomas: a comprehensive analysis of clinicopathological and molecular profiles across histological subtypes.","authors":"Wen-Qi Li, Hai-Xia Wu, Han-Bo Li, Qing Zhang, Jing-Wen Si, Shu-Jie Pang, Yan Shen","doi":"10.1007/s00428-026-04723-8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00428-026-04723-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (KRAS) mutations represent oncogenic drivers in endometrial carcinoma (EC), while their clinicopathological and genomic features across EC histological subtypes have not been fully defined. In a cohort of 612 ECs subjected to targeted sequencing were retrospectively enrolled and cases were screened for KRAS hotspot mutations. Clinicopathological characteristics and genomic landscapes were systematically analyzed. KRAS hotspot mutations were identified in 119 (19.4%) EC cases, including 9 mesonephric-like adenocarcinomas (MLA), 98 endometrioid carcinomas (EEC), and 12 other histological types. Although MLA patients were younger than EECs, they showed significantly advanced FIGO stage (P < 0.0001), along with distinct patterns of myometrial invasion and lymph node metastasis. The overall dominant KRAS variants were G12D (35.3%), G12V (21.8%), and G13D (21.0%). Notably, EECs with mucinous differentiation (MD) possessed a distinct mutational spectrum dominated by G12D (83.3%), which differed significantly from other subgroups (P < 0.0001). All MLA cases displayed microsatellite stability, with only one KRAS/PTEN and three KRAS/PIK3CA co-mutations. Mismatch repair deficiency (MMRd) was observed in 31 cases (31.6%) of EECs. All EECs with MD and/or squamous differentiation harbored KRAS-PTEN/PIK3CA co-mutations, whereas KRAS were mutually exclusive with TP53 and CTNNB1 alterations. KRAS-mutated ECs display prominent subtype-specific clinicopathological and genomic heterogeneity. The unique molecular signatures may provide novel insights to improve diagnostic accuracy and facilitate the development of targeted treatment strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":23514,"journal":{"name":"Virchows Archiv","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149012943","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"High-risk human papillomavirus infection and immunohistochemical expression patterns of p16 and Rb in primary and metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the lung.","authors":"Fumiya Narutomi, Hidetaka Yamamoto, Mikiko Hashisako, Kayo Ijichi, Rina Jiromaru, Ryosuke Kuga, Yoshinao Oda","doi":"10.1007/s00428-026-04547-6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00428-026-04547-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The prevalence of high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) infection in lung squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) remains controversial. Moreover, distinguishing primary lung SCC from metastatic SCC is challenging. HPV-associated cancers, including oropharyngeal and cervical carcinomas, exhibit typical p16 overexpression and Rb partial loss pattern in both primary sites and lymph node metastases. However, their diagnostic utility in pulmonary lesions remains unclear. The clinicopathological features of 114 cases of primary lung SCC and 11 of pulmonary metastatic SCC were analyzed. HR-HPV infection was assessed using RNA in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry for p16 and Rb. HR-HPV was not detected in any primary lung SCC cases, whereas it was detected in 9 of 11 metastatic SCC cases. All nine cases of HPV-positive metastatic SCCs showed p16 positivity and Rb loss (partial loss, n = 8; complete loss, n = 1). Among the primary lung SCC cases, 31 (27.2%) cases were positive for p16, and 48.4% showed preserved Rb expression and 51.6% showed complete loss of Rb expression. The p16 or Rb expression status did not influence the prognostic difference in primary SCCs. HR-HPV infection was not observed in primary lung SCC, suggesting a lower prevalence than previously reported. The p16+/Rb partial loss pattern was exclusively associated with metastatic HPV-related SCC, whereas primary lung SCC demonstrated distinct p16 and Rb expression profiles. However, cases with a p16+/Rb complete loss pattern require HPV-specific testing. The combination of p16 and Rb IHC with HPV-specific testing may help differentiate primary lung SCC from metastatic SCC.</p>","PeriodicalId":23514,"journal":{"name":"Virchows Archiv","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149002649","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Virchows ArchivPub Date : 2026-09-18DOI: 10.1007/s00428-026-04721-w
Manuel Meneses-Flores, Brenda S Zúñiga-Ascencio, Jose S Lopez-Gonzalez, Saray Santos-Torres, Francina Bolaños-Morales, Dolores Aguilar-Cazares, Cesar Luna-Rivero
{"title":"Clinicopathological factors potentially relevant to pulmonary intravascular fibrin organisation in patients with COVID-19: an autopsy-based study.","authors":"Manuel Meneses-Flores, Brenda S Zúñiga-Ascencio, Jose S Lopez-Gonzalez, Saray Santos-Torres, Francina Bolaños-Morales, Dolores Aguilar-Cazares, Cesar Luna-Rivero","doi":"10.1007/s00428-026-04721-w","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00428-026-04721-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Microvascular thrombosis is a hallmark of severe COVID-19, but the structural organisation of fibrin within these thrombotic formations remains poorly characterized. We previously identified a distinctive radial fibrin pattern in pulmonary and renal microvessels; however, factors potentially relevant to its formation were not explored. The objective of this study was to identify clinicopathological variables potentially relevant to the formation of the radial fibrin pattern. In a retrospective observational cohort of 307 patients with COVID-19, clinical and laboratory parameters were compared between survivors and non-survivors to contextualize findings in a subset of 40 autopsied patients. Within this autopsied subset, cases were stratified according to the presence and architecture of intravascular fibrin. Clinical and laboratory parameters were evaluated across groups, and immunohistochemical studies were performed to detect platelets and endothelial-associated factors within intravascular fibrin. The radial pattern of intravascular fibrin was observed in areas of severe tissue injury. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated CD61-positive platelets within these structures, with Factor VIII and von Willebrand factor positivity. Cases with a radial pattern of intravascular fibrin showed significantly lower calcium levels and higher procalcitonin concentrations, together with trends toward increased inflammatory and coagulation markers, consistent with the broader cohort analysis in which nonsurvivors exhibited higher inflammatory and coagulation parameters. These findings suggest that, in severe COVID-19, intravascular fibrin with a radial pattern may arise in a hypercoagulable setting marked by systemic inflammation, in which hypocalcaemia appears to be a relevant variable.</p>","PeriodicalId":23514,"journal":{"name":"Virchows Archiv","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149002671","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Virchows ArchivPub Date : 2026-09-16DOI: 10.1007/s00428-026-04727-4
Shahid Mehmood, Muzammil Hussain, Muhammad Adnan Khan
{"title":"Uncertainty-aware and interpretable deep learning in cytopathology: toward trustworthy AI-powered diagnostics.","authors":"Shahid Mehmood, Muzammil Hussain, Muhammad Adnan Khan","doi":"10.1007/s00428-026-04727-4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00428-026-04727-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Deep learning has shown remarkable success in cytopathology, particularly in cervical cancer screening and thyroid nodule classification. Yet, most models remain \"black boxes,\" offering deterministic predictions without indicating uncertainty or explaining their reasoning, limiting clinical adoption. This review systematically examines uncertainty quantification (UQ) and explainable AI (XAI) techniques for trustworthy deep learning in cytology-the first to do so in this domain. We review state-of-the-art methods such as Bayesian neural networks, Monte Carlo dropout, and deep ensembles for uncertainty estimation, alongside Grad-CAM, attention mechanisms, and surrogate models for interpretability. Applications span cervical, thyroid, urinary, and hematological cytopathology. UQ methods help identify model limitations, flagging cases that need human review, while studies show improved accuracy for high-confidence predictions and better detection of misclassified cases. Visual explanation tools, especially Grad-CAM, highlight diagnostically relevant cellular features that align with pathologists' reasoning. Integrating UQ and XAI fosters effective human-AI collaboration, enabling systems to communicate both confidence levels and diagnostic rationale. This addresses the clinical trust gap, positioning AI as an assistive colleague rather than a black box, ultimately enhancing diagnostic accuracy and efficiency in cytopathology workflows.</p>","PeriodicalId":23514,"journal":{"name":"Virchows Archiv","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149076100","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"OGT-rearranged mesenchymal neoplasm of the palm with a novel C3orf62/MAPS partner gene: expanding the molecular spectrum of this rare entity.","authors":"Federico Repetto, Klaus J Busam, Arivarasan Karunamurthy, Mohamed Yakoub, Konstantinos Linos","doi":"10.1007/s00428-026-04717-6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00428-026-04717-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>OGT-rearranged mesenchymal neoplasm is a rare, molecularly defined soft tissue tumor with an acral predilection and recurrent fusions involving FOXO1, FOXO3, FOXO4, or CITED1. We report a tumor of the left ulnar palm in a 72-year-old woman presenting as a scaly papule. Shave biopsy demonstrated a bland dermal mesenchymal neoplasm composed of epithelioid to spindled cells arranged in cords and small nests within a hyalinized to fibromyxoid stroma. The lesional cells expressed CD34 diffusely and EMA focally, whereas SOX10 and SMA were negative. Targeted RNA sequencing identified a novel in-frame OGT::C3orf62/MAPS fusion joining OGT exon 22 to MAPS exon 3 and predicted to preserve the OGT enzymatic architecture. MAPS is implicated in phase separation and chromatin organization. This case expands the molecular and clinical spectrum of OGT-rearranged mesenchymal neoplasm, documents C3orf62/MAPS as a novel fusion partner, and highlights its dermal papular presentation as a potential diagnostic pitfall in routine dermatopathology.</p>","PeriodicalId":23514,"journal":{"name":"Virchows Archiv","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148971534","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Virchows ArchivPub Date : 2026-09-12DOI: 10.1007/s00428-026-04710-z
Ka Long Leung, Ronald Chan, Howard Leung, Joshua Li, Chaiwat Aphivatanasiri, Yun-Bi Ni, Julia Y Tsang, Man-Chi Eric Fu, Dajiang Guo, Gary M Tse
{"title":"HER2-low metastatic breast cancers: clinic-pathological characteristics, metastatic sites, and survival impact on biomarker discordance.","authors":"Ka Long Leung, Ronald Chan, Howard Leung, Joshua Li, Chaiwat Aphivatanasiri, Yun-Bi Ni, Julia Y Tsang, Man-Chi Eric Fu, Dajiang Guo, Gary M Tse","doi":"10.1007/s00428-026-04710-z","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00428-026-04710-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Trastuzumab Deruxtecan has shown promising results in patients with HER2-low and -ultralow (UL) metastatic breast cancers, attracting extensive research on these tumors. While most studies focus on primary tumors, there is limited data on metastatic disease. Here, we aimed to evaluate the clinicopathological features, metastatic patterns and biomarker discordance in HER2-low/UL metastatic breast cancers. The HER2 status in a large cohort of metastatic breast cancer cases was correlated with different pathological and survival parameters. Data from matched primary tumours were also retrieved for further comparisons. HER2-low metastatic breast cancer is significantly associated with ER positivity (p = 0.033), PR positivity (p = 0.037) and Luminal status (p = 0.047), but no distinct overall survival. These tumors were preferentially found in liver metastases (42.9%), differing significantly from HER2-zero cancers (p < 0.001). Downregulation of HER2-positive primaries to HER2-negative metastasis was found to be the highest in liver (50.0%), and the least in lung (0%). Downregulation of HER2 is associated with poorer OS (Chi-sq = 9.248, p = 0.002). In metastatic settings, features and survival outcomes of HER2-UL are not significantly distinct from HER2-null tumors. HER2-low metastatic cancers largely retain clinicopathological characteristics of their primary origins. Liver is the predominant site of HER2-low metastasis and shows a notable risk of HER2 discordance. Given that discordance, particularly the link of worse outcome to HER2 downregulation, re-evaluation of biomarker status in high-risk sites should be considered to optimise therapeutic strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":23514,"journal":{"name":"Virchows Archiv","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148956648","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Virchows ArchivPub Date : 2026-09-12DOI: 10.1007/s00428-026-04715-8
Meejeong Kim, Jun-Ook Park, Dong-Il Sun, Youn Soo Lee
{"title":"Invasive carcinoma ex intraductal carcinoma of the salivary gland showing extensive infiltrative growth despite deceptively low-grade cribriform morphology.","authors":"Meejeong Kim, Jun-Ook Park, Dong-Il Sun, Youn Soo Lee","doi":"10.1007/s00428-026-04715-8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00428-026-04715-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Intraductal carcinoma (IDC) of the salivary gland is an uncommon neoplasm frequently associated with RET rearrangements, particularly in the intercalated duct subtype. Although invasive carcinoma ex IDC has increasingly been recognized, most reported cases have demonstrated overtly invasive or high-grade morphology distinct from the associated intraductal component. Herein, we report a case of NCOA4::RET fusion-positive IDC of the parotid gland showing extensive infiltrative growth into adjacent soft tissue despite deceptively low-grade cribriform histomorphology. Tumor cells showed diffuse SOX10 and S100 expression, supporting intercalated duct differentiation, while cribriform nests demonstrated heterogeneous myoepithelial cell preservation, ranging from an intact peripheral layer to its complete absence. Targeted next-generation sequencing identified an in-frame NCOA4::RET fusion. This case expands the morphologic spectrum of invasive carcinoma ex IDC and highlights that unequivocal infiltrative growth may occur despite retention of a deceptively low-grade feature.</p>","PeriodicalId":23514,"journal":{"name":"Virchows Archiv","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148956643","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}