Quality assessment of tissue samples stored in a specialized human lung biobank.

Human sample, from patients or healthy donors, are a valuable link between basic research and clinic. Especially in translational research, they play an essential role in understanding development and progression of diseases as well as in developing new diagnostic and therapeutic tools. Stored in biobanks, fast access to appropriate material becomes possible.

Comprehensive clinical profiling of the Gauting locoregional lung adenocarcinoma donors.

A comprehensive characterization of lung adenocarcinoma (LADC) clinical features is currently missing. We prospectively evaluated Caucasian patients with early-stage LADC. Patients with LADC diagnosed between 2011 and 2015 were prospectively assessed for lung resection with curative intent.

EWSR1-fusion-negative, SMARCB1-deficient primary pulmonary myxoid sarcoma.

Primary pulmonary myxoid sarcoma (PPMS) is a recently defined rare neoplasm with histological and molecular similarity to extraskeletal myxoid chondrosarcoma. To date, 20 cases have been reported. A 48-year-old man presented with a huge mass filling the right hemithorax and extending into the tracheobronchial system.

Comprehensive Biomarker Analyses in Patients with Advanced or Metastatic Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Prospectively Treated with the Polo-Like Kinase 1 Inhibitor BI2536.

Background: Polo like kinase 1 (PLK1) is frequently upregulated in tumors and is thus viewed as a promising therapeutic target in various cancers. Several PLK1 inhibitors have recently been developed and clinically tested in solid cancers, albeit with limited success. So far, no predictive biomarkers for PLK1 inhibitors have been established.

Metformin Triggers Autophagy to Attenuate Drug-Induced Apoptosis in NSCLC Cells, with Minor Effects on Tumors of Diabetic Patients.

The biologic plausibility of an association between type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) and lung cancer has received increasing attention, but the results of investigations remain largely inconclusive. In the present study we investigated the influence of the anti-diabetic drug metformin on the cytotoxic effects of EGFR targeted therapy and chemotherapy in 7 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines and a cohort of lung cancer patients with/without T2D. In vitro cell viability assays indicated that metformin didn't potentiate the growth inhibitory effects of erlotinib at different doses in cell lines that are of distinct genetic background.

Genetic changes of non-small cell lung cancer under neoadjuvant therapy.

Background: Large scale sequencing efforts defined common molecular alterations in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and revealed potentially druggable mutations. Yet, systematic data on the changes of the respective molecular profiles under standard therapy in NSCLC are limited.

Results: 14 out of 68 observed coding mutations (21%) and 6 out of 33 (18%) copy number variations (CNV) were lost or gained during therapy.

Vascular Leiomyoma of the Pulmonary Artery.

Leiomyoma of the pulmonary artery represents a curiosity in the literature. We describe a case of a 54-year-old female patient who presented with recurrent cough of a few weeks' duration. Computed tomography of the thorax located a smooth, limited tumor in the left thorax near the interlobar space.

Carcinoid tumours of the lung and the 'PEPPS' approach: evaluation of preoperative bronchoscopic tumour debulking as preparation for subsequent parenchyma-sparing surgery.

Background: Preoperative bronchoscopic tumour ablation has been suggested as a beneficial treatment for bronchopulmonary carcinoid tumours, although data regarding its effects and long-term outcome are lacking.

Methods: In our case-matched cohort study with 208 patients with bronchopulmonary carcinoid tumours we investigated the role of preoperative bronchoscopic interventions before subsequent surgery and analysed the safety of this Procedure of Endobronchial Preparation for Parenchyma-sparing Surgery (PEPPS) based on metastasis and recurrence rates as well as survival data from 1991 to 2010. The subsequent surgery was classified into parenchyma-sparing procedures and classical lobectomies, bilobectomies and pneumonectomies.

Preparation of cell blocks for lung cancer diagnosis and prediction: protocol and experience of a high-volume center.

Minimally invasive diagnostic techniques are increasingly being used to obtain specimens for pathological diagnosis and prediction. Referring to lung cancer, both endobronchial and endoesophageal ultrasound are used worldwide as diagnostic routine methods. Consequently, an increasing number of pathological samples are cytological and fewer are histological.

Prevalence of Achromobacter xylosoxidans in pulmonary mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma in different regions of Europe.

Extranodal marginal zone lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT lymphoma) comprises 7-8% of B-cell lymphomas and commonly originates from a background of long-standing chronic inflammation. An association with distinct bacteria species has been confirmed for several anatomical sites of MALT lymphoma. For pulmonary MALT lymphoma, however, a clear link with an infectious agent or autoimmune disorder has not yet been reported.

Training increases concordance in classifying pulmonary adenocarcinomas according to the novel IASLC/ATS/ERS classification.

The International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC), the American Thoracic Society (ATS), and the European Respiratory Society (ERS) proposed a classification for lung adenocarcinomas (ADC) based on the predominant growth pattern. This classification has been shown to have prognostic and maybe even predictive impact. However, until now, the reproducibility of this classification has not been sufficiently demonstrated.

Bronchial stump coverage and postpneumonectomy bronchopleural fistula.

To prevent postpneumonectomy bronchopleural fistula, coverage of the bronchial stump is recommended, especially for patients treated with neoadjuvant and adjuvant chemotherapy or radiochemotherapy. We compared outcomes after proximal pericardial fat pad coverage and coverage with pleura and surrounding tissues, by retrospective analysis of the records of 243 patients. Postpneumonectomy bronchopleural fistula occurred in 7/143 (4.

Expression and mutational status of PDGFR in thymic tumours.

Background: There is an ongoing search for new therapeutic targets in invasive non-resectable thymic tumours because of the low response rates in current chemotherapeutic treatment modalities. In this study, the possibility that platelet-derived growth factor receptor A (PDGFRA) and/ or PDGFRB may represent potential therapeutic targets in epithelial tumours of the thymus was investigated.

Patients And Methods: Tissue samples were obtained by thymectomy from 36 different patients with epithelial tumours of the thymus (26 thymomas types A, AB, B1-3 and 10 thymic carcinomas).

Monitoring of glucocorticoid therapy by assessment of CD14(+)CD16(+) monocytes: a case report.

Bronchiolitis obliterans with organizing pneumonia (BOOP) is a disease affecting small airways and alveoli. It is characterized by interstitial inflammation rich in foamy macrophages and by fibroblastic connective tissue expanding into the airway and alveolar lumen. We report herein on a 54-year-old male BOOP patient who was treated with glucocorticoids (GCs) and who over a 5-year period had three relapses.

Cellular localization of EMMPRIN predicts prognosis of patients with operable lung adenocarcinoma independent from MMP-2 and MMP-9.

Extracellular matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) inducer (EMMPRIN, CD147) is a multifunctional protein that has been implicated in cancer invasion and metastasis by the induction of MMPs. To address its role in primary tumors of human non-small-cell lung cancer we assessed whether EMMPRIN expression is associated with the expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9 and with patient survival. Primary tumors of 150 patients (65 adenocarcinomas, 58 squamous cell carcinomas, and 27 of other subtypes) with completely resected lung cancers were stained by immunohistochemistry.

COX-2 upregulation in thymomas and thymic carcinomas.

The treatment of advanced stage thymomas and thymic carcinomas is a multimodal therapy. New therapeutic targets are currently under investigation, including the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) as well as KIT. A number of studies have shown protumorigenic potential of Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in a variety of human malignancies, but so far it is unknown whether COX-2 is expressed in primary malignancies of the thymus.

Expression of multiple epigenetically regulated cancer/germline genes in nonsmall cell lung cancer.

Cancer/germline (CG) antigens represent promising targets for widely applicable mono- and multiantigen cancer vaccines for nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Since little is known about their composite expression in this tumor type, we analyzed 7 CG genes (MAGE-A3, NY-ESO-1, LAGE-1, BRDT, HOM-TES-85, TPX-1 and LDHC) in 102 human NSCLC specimens. About 81% of NSCLC express at least 1 and half of the specimen at least 2 CG genes.

Chromosomal imbalances in sporadic neuroendocrine tumours of the thymus.

Neuroendocrine (carcinoid) tumours of the thymus are rare neoplasms characterized by a highly malignant clinical behavior. Some of these tumors are associated with MEN1. In this study we evaluated 10 cases of sporadic thymic neuroendocrine tumours using immunohistochemistry and comparative genomic hybridization (CGH).

Oncogenetic tree models based on cytogenetic data: new insights into the development of epithelial tumors of the thymus.

Epithelial tumors of the thymus are rare neoplasms typically arising in the anterior mediastinum. There is an ongoing discussion whether thymomas of different histological subtypes form a biological continuum or represent distinct biological entities. To further investigate this question, we performed a statistical analysis of CGH data of 65 previously published cases.

Atypical goblet cell hyperplasia in congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation as a possible preneoplasia for pulmonary adenocarcinoma in childhood: A genetic analysis.

Congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation (CCAM) of the lung is a congenital lesion that is sometimes complicated by bronchioloalveolar adenocarcinoma (BAC). In some cases foci of atypical goblet cell hyperplasia (AGCH) can be found within the cysts. It has been proposed that CCAM and AGCH predispose to the development of BAC.

[Pulmonary lymphangioleiomyomatosis as a rare cause of recurrent spontaneous pneumothorax].

Background: Pulmonary lymphangioleiomyomatosis is a rare disease that occurs mainly in women of reproductive age. The clinical characteristics include recurrent spontaneous pneumothorax and progressive dyspnea. The features of chest computed tomography are nearly pathognomonic with the detection of bilateral thin-walled cysts.

Elevated expression of carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 1 promotes progression of non-small cell lung cancer.

Purpose: Carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 1 (CEACAM-1) has recently been implicated in cancer development and progression. This study was performed to assess whether CEACAM-1 expression in primary tumors is correlated to long-term survival in patients with operable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Experimental Design: Primary tumors of 145 consecutive patients with completely resected NSCLC (pT(1-4) pN(0-2) M(0) R(0)) were stained immunohistochemically using the monoclonal anti-CEACAM-1 antibody 4D1/C2.

Clusters of chromosomal imbalances in thymic epithelial tumours are associated with the WHO classification and the staging system according to Masaoka.

Using comparative genomic hybridisation, we investigated chromosomal imbalances in 28 cases of thymic epithelial neoplasms including type A, B2, B3, the A component of type AB and different subtypes of type C thymoma. To identify different patterns of chromosomal aberrations associated with the biological behaviour and the histological diversity of thymomas, a hierarchical cluster analysis of 65 cases was performed. The here-reported Comparative Genomic Hybridisation (CGH) data (28 cases) of partly uninvestigated tumour subtypes were pooled with previously published data of chromosomal imbalances of 37 thymomas (Zettl et al.

Prognostic impact of matrix metalloproteinase-9 in operable non-small cell lung cancer.

We assessed the clinical impact of MMP-9 expression on long-term survival in patients with operable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Primary tumors of 143 consecutive patients with NSCLC resected completely and without overt distant metastases (pT1-4, pN0-2, M0, R0) were examined for MMP-9 expression using immunohistochemistry with a polyclonal, affinity-purified rabbit antibody that recognizes both latent and active MMP-9. Immunohistochemical staining of tumor cells was evaluated in comparison to normal bronchiolar epithelium that served as an internal positive control.