Search

Gallbladder dysplasia can progress to cancer and may be associated with increased cancer risk at other biliary tract sites. Thus, its accurate identification is relevant both for etiologic understanding and for clinical purposes. Data on the frequency and distribution of gallbladder dysplasia are lacking due to limited gallbladder sampling and inability to visualize dysplasia grossly. An expert pathology group used consensus criteria to review 140 totally sampled consecutive cholecystectomy specimens from Chilean women. Three cases (2%) revealed incidental invasive carcinoma, all T2, along with high-grade dysplasia (HGD). The surface area covered by dysplasia or cancer in these cases was 9%, 37%, and 87%. Although the first longitudinal (“diagnostic”) section of the whole gallbladder captured HGD or cancer in all three cases, the deepest focus of invasive carcinoma was not present in this section. Fourteen additional cases (10%) had low-grade dysplasia (LGD), which was typically very focal (covering

Gallbladder cancer (GBC) is a highly fatal cancer that can be cured through cholecystectomy if identified early. The presence of gallstones is the primary risk factor for GBC, but few people with gallstones develop GBC. A key question is what drives the development of GBC among persons with gallstones. We initiated the Chile Biliary Longitudinal Study (Chile BiLS) to address this question. From 2016 to 2019, Chile BiLS enrolled 4,726 women aged 50–74 years with ultrasound-detected gallstones from southern-central Chile, accounting for an estimated 36% of eligible women with gallstones in the study area. The median age was 59 years; 25% of the women were Amerindian (Mapuche), 60% were obese, 25% had diabetes, and 6% had cardiovascular disease. Participants will be followed for gallbladder dysplasia or cancer for 6 years. As of April 30, 2020, over 91% of those eligible completed the year 2 follow-up visit. Data being collected include epidemiologic and sociodemographic information, anthropometric measurements, blood pressure, and tooth counts. Biosamples being taken include baseline plasma, buffy coat, red blood cells, serum, blood clot from serum, and PAXgene whole blood (PreAnalytiX GmbH, Hombrechtikon, Switzerland). Complete gallbladder sampling is conducted for most participants undergoing cholecystectomy. The Chile BiLS cohort study will increase our understanding of GBC etiology and could identify potential risk stratification and early detection strategies in high-risk areas.

Background: Pathology tissue specimens with associated epidemiologic and clinical data are valuable for cancer research. The Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian (PLCO) Cancer Screening Trial undertook a large-scale effort to create a public resource of pathology tissues from PLCO participants who developed a cancer during the trial. Methods: Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue blocks were obtained from pathology laboratories on a loan basis for central processing of tissue microarrays, with additional free-standing tissue cores collected for nucleic acid extraction. Results: Pathology tissue specimens were obtained for prostate cancer (n = 1,052), lung cancer (n = 434), colorectal cancer (n = 675) and adenoma (n = 658), ovarian cancer and borderline tumors (n = 212), breast cancer (n = 870), and bladder cancer (n= 204). The process of creating this resource was complex, involving multidisciplinary teams with expertise in pathology, epidemiology, information technology, project management, and specialized laboratories. Conclusions: Creating the PLCO tissue resource required a multistep process, including obtaining medical records and contacting pathology departments where pathology materials were stored after obtaining necessary patient consent and authorization. The potential to link tissue biomarkers to prospectively collected epidemiologic information, screening and clinical data, and matched blood or buccal samples offers valuable opportunities to study etiologic heterogeneity, mechanisms of carcinogenesis, and biomarkers for early detection and prognosis. Impact: The methods and protocols developed for this effort, and the detailed description of this resource provided here, will be useful for those seeking to use PLCO pathology tissue specimens for their research and may also inform future tissue collection efforts in other settings. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 25(12); 1635–42. ©2016 AACR.

Objective The aim of the study was to increase participation in cervical cancer screening of under-screened women living in the Mississippi Delta, a U.S. population at high risk for cervical cancer. Methods We conducted a door-to-door feasibility study of women living in the Mississippi Delta to increase participation in cervical cancer screening in 2009–10. Women ( n = 119) aged 26–65 years who had not been screened in last 3 years or more, were not pregnant, and had a cervix were offered a cost-free choice: clinic-based Pap testing or home self-collection with HPV DNA testing. Results Seventy-seven women (64.7%) chose self-collection with HPV testing, of which sixty-two (80.5%) returned their self-collected specimen. By comparison, 42 women (35.3%) chose Pap testing, of which 17 (40.5%) attended their clinic appointment. Thus there was an almost 4-fold greater participation of under-screened women in self-collection with HPV testing than in free Pap testing (78.4% vs. 21.5%). Conclusions We found that offering self-collection will increase participation in cervical cancer screening among under-screened populations living in the Mississippi Delta. Based on these preliminary results, we suggest that self-collection with HPV DNA testing might complement current Pap testing programs to reach under-screened populations of women, such as those living in the Mississippi Delta.