Journal of Pathology and Translational Medicine

Original Articles

Development of a prognostic prediction model for tumor recurrence or progression in gastrointestinal stromal tumors: integrating inflammatory blood indices with 5 mm² versus 50 high-power field mitotic counts: Waratchaya Tirasarnvong, Thammasin Ingviya, Paramee Thongsuksai; Received February 10, 2026 Accepted June 15, 2026 Published online July 31, 2026; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4132/jptm.2026.06.15 [Epub ahead of print]

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Abstract PDF Supplementary Material: Background
The behavior of gastrointestinal stromal tumors varies according to tumor size, location, mitotic rate, and rupture. Traditional mitotic counting in 50 high-power fields (HPF; 5.3 mm2) may overestimate progression risk, as 5 mm2 corresponds to 20–25 HPF under modern microscopy. However, the 50-HPF method remains widely used. This study evaluated the impact of two mitotic counting methods on risk classification and developed a prognostic model combining inflammatory biomarkers with clinicopathological factors. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 150 patients who underwent resection at Songklanagarind Hospital between 2009 and 2021. Patients who had received neoadjuvant therapy or had a second primary cancer were excluded. Mitosis was evaluated using both methods. Clinicopathological and serum biomarker data were collected. The primary outcome was 5-year disease-free or progression-free survival. The model was developed using forward stepwise variable selection based on the time-dependent area under the curve and internally validated by bootstrapping. Results: The 50-HPF method overestimated the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology classification in 14.2% of cases. A model incorporating tumor size, location, rupture, mitotic count within 5 mm2, and systemic immune-inflammation index achieved the highest area under the curve of 0.939 in both training and validation sets, outperforming previous models. The 5-mm2 method demonstrated superior performance to the 50-HPF method across all models (0.939 vs. 0.919 for the proposed model). Conclusions: Mitotic counting in 50 HPF overestimated risk classification in certain cases. Incorporating systemic immune-inflammation index and using a 5 mm2 mitotic count enhanced prognostic model performance.

Frequency of PIK3CA mutations in different subsites of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma in southern Thailand: Arunee Dechaphunkul, Phatcharaporn Thongwatchara, Paramee Thongsuksai, Tanadech Dechaphunkul, Sarayut Lucien Geater; J Pathol Transl Med. 2022;56(3):126-133. Published online February 28, 2022; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4132/jptm.2022.01.04

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Background
Phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase catalytic subunit alpha (PIK3CA) mutations have been reported in many cancers, including head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). The frequency of these mutations varies among tumor locations and might be relevant to treatment outcomes among HNSCC. In this study, we examined the frequency of PIK3CA mutations in the different subsites of HNSCC.
Methods
Ninety-six fresh biopsy specimens were investigated for mutations in PIK3CA exons 4, 9, and 20 using allele-specific real-time polymerase chain reaction. Patient characteristics and survival were analyzed and compared between specimens with or without PIK3CA mutations.
Results
The study included primary tumors originating from the oral cavity (n=63), hypopharynx (n=23), and oropharynx (n=10). We identified mutations in 10.4% of patients (10 of 96 specimens). The overall mutational frequency was 17.4% (4/23) and 9.5% (6/63) in the hypopharynx and oral cavity, respectively. No patients with oropharyngeal carcinoma had mutations. Among the 10 mutant specimens, five were missense mutations (exon 9 [E545K] in two samples and exon 20 [H1047R] in three samples) and five were silent mutations in exon 20 (T1025T). Mutations were not found in exon 4. Among 84 patients with available clinical data, we found no significant differences in clinical characteristics and survival based on the presence or absence of PIK3CA mutations.
Conclusions
The results indicate that PIK3CA mutations are involved in HNSCC carcinogenesis, and the hypopharynx should be considered a primary site of interest for future studies, particularly in Southeast Asian populations.

Citations

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