BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Undifferentiated carcinoma of the pancreas with osteoclast-like giant cells (UCOGC) is a rare variant of malignant pancreatic tumor. There is still no standardized treatment for this uncommon subtype, as surgical resection with lymphadenectomy is the only potentially curative treatment so far. In this paper, we describe the current knowledge of this very rare specific subtype of pancreatic cancer (PC) as a narrative review. METHODS: For this review, we did not specify the time range of studies referred to due to limited data availability. Our inclusion criteria comprised previous studies, which specifically focused on the rare UCOGC subtype of PC as a confirmed histopathology, either pure or present together with other subtypes. We disregarded the studies involving any other PC subtype but not UCOGC, including undifferentiated and anaplastic carcinomas without osteoclast-like giant cell components. KEY CONTENT AND FINDINGS: The limited available data precludes a definitive assessment of the efficacy of both neoadjuvant and adjuvant chemotherapy in the treatment of UCOGC. Monoclonal antibody pembrolizumab has been proven to be effective in metastatic cases. Multiple cases demonstrate a better overall survival rate for patients with UCOGC only versus those having UCOGC as a component with a pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) histopathological subtype. The same conclusion can be also drawn comparing the survival rate of patients having pure UCOGC versus UCOGC with associated PDAC. Programmed cell death ligand-1 expression has been shown to be an important determinant, which shortens the survival period of patients diagnosed with UCOGC. CONCLUSIONS: The rarity of UCOGC limits data for clinical courses and treatment plans. We need more data to better understand the relationship between pathogenic mutations, histological subtypes, and prognosis in PC, including UCOGC. Understanding UCOGC's molecular, clinical, radiological, and pathological characteristics can lead to earlier, more accurate diagnoses and better management.

• Klíčová slova
• Pancreatic neoplasms, carcinoma, undifferentiated, review, therapeutics,
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• přehledy MeSH

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a leading global cause of illness and death. There is a need for identification of better prognostic markers beyond traditional clinical variables like grade and stage. Previous research revealed that abnormal expression of cytokeratin 7 (CK7) and loss of the intestinal-specific Special AT-rich sequence-binding protein 2 (SATB2) are linked to poor CRC prognosis. This study aimed to explore these markers' prognostic significance alongside two extraintestinal mucins (MUC5AC, MUC6), claudin 18, and MUC4 in 285 CRC cases using immunohistochemistry on tissue microarrays (TMAs). CK7 expression and SATB2-loss were associated with MUC5AC, MUC6, and claudin 18 positivity. These findings suggest a distinct "non-intestinal" immunohistochemical profile in CRC, often right-sided, SATB2-low, with atypical expression of CK7 and non-colorectal mucins (MUC5AC, MUC6). Strong MUC4 expression negatively impacted cancer-specific survival (hazard ratio = 2.7, p = 0.044). Genetic analysis via next-generation sequencing (NGS) in CK7 + CRCs and those with high MUC4 expression revealed prevalent mutations in TP53, APC, BRAF, KRAS, PIK3CA, FBXW7, and SMAD4, consistent with known CRC mutation patterns. NGS also identified druggable variants in BRAF, PIK3CA, and KRAS. CK7 + tumors showed intriguingly common (31.6%) BRAF V600E mutations corelating with poor prognosis, compared to the frequency described in the literature and databases. Further research on larger cohorts with a non-colorectal immunophenotype and high MUC4 expression is needed.

• Klíčová slova
• Claudin 18, Colorectal carcinoma, Cytokeratin 7, Mucin, NGS, SATB2,
• MeSH
• dospělí MeSH
• fenotyp MeSH
• fosfatidylinositol-3-kinasy třídy I genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• imunohistochemie * MeSH
• keratin-7 metabolismus   genetika   MeSH
• kolorektální nádory * genetika   patologie   metabolismus   mortalita   MeSH
• lidé středního věku MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mucin 4 genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• mucin 5AC genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• mucin 6 genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• mutace MeSH
• nádorové biomarkery * genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• prognóza MeSH
• protoonkogenní proteiny B-Raf genetika   MeSH
• protoonkogenní proteiny p21(ras) genetika   MeSH
• senioři nad 80 let MeSH
• senioři MeSH
• transkripční faktory MeSH
• vazebné proteiny DNA v oblastech připojení k matrix * genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• vysoce účinné nukleotidové sekvenování MeSH
• Check Tag
• dospělí MeSH
• lidé středního věku MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• senioři nad 80 let MeSH
• senioři MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Názvy látek
• BRAF protein, human MeSH Prohlížeč
• fosfatidylinositol-3-kinasy třídy I MeSH
• keratin-7 MeSH
• KRAS protein, human MeSH Prohlížeč
• MUC4 protein, human MeSH Prohlížeč
• MUC5AC protein, human MeSH Prohlížeč
• MUC6 protein, human MeSH Prohlížeč
• mucin 4 MeSH
• mucin 5AC MeSH
• mucin 6 MeSH
• nádorové biomarkery * MeSH
• PIK3CA protein, human MeSH Prohlížeč
• protoonkogenní proteiny B-Raf MeSH
• protoonkogenní proteiny p21(ras) MeSH
• SATB2 protein, human MeSH Prohlížeč
• transkripční faktory MeSH
• vazebné proteiny DNA v oblastech připojení k matrix * MeSH

Undifferentiated carcinoma with osteoclast-like giant cells (UCOGC) of the pancreas represents a rare subtype of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Despite a distinct morphology and specific clinical behavior, UCOGCs exhibit unexpected similarities in regard to DNA mutational profiles with conventional PDAC. Treating pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is particularly challenging, with limited prospects for cure. As with many other malignant neoplasms, the exploration of microRNAs (miRNAs, miRs) in regulating the biological characteristics of pancreatic cancer is undergoing extensive investigation to enhance tumor diagnostics and unveil the therapeutic possibilities. Herein, we evaluated the expression of miR-21, -96, -148a, -155, -196a, -210, and -217 in UCOGCs and poorly differentiated (grade 3, G3) PDACs. The expression of miR-21, miR-155, and miR-210 in both UCOGCs and G3 PDACs was significantly upregulated compared to the levels in normal tissue, while the levels of miR-148a and miR-217 were downregulated. We did not find any significant differences between cancerous and normal tissues for the expression of miR-96 and miR-196a in G3 PDACs, whereas miR-196a was slightly, but significantly, downregulated in UCOGCs. On the other hand, we have not observed significant differences in the expression of the majority of miRNAs between UCOGC and G3 PDAC, with the exception of miR-155. UCOGC samples demonstrated lower mean levels of miR-155 in comparison with those in G3 PDACs.

• Klíčová slova
• ductal adenocarcinoma, miRNA, pancreas, undifferentiated carcinoma with osteoclast-like giant cells,
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH