Evaluating ChatGPT as a patient resource for frequently asked questions about lung cancer surgery-a pilot study.

Objective: Chat-based artificial intelligence programs like ChatGPT are reimagining how patients seek information. This study aims to evaluate the quality and accuracy of ChatGPT-generated answers to common patient questions about lung cancer surgery.

Methods: A 30-question survey of patient questions about lung cancer surgery was posed to ChatGPT in July 2023.

Reporting Minority Race and Ethnicity in Cardiovascular and Thoracic Journals.

Introduction: Currently, there is no mandatory standard for reporting race and ethnicity in medical journals, presenting significant barriers to studying disparities in medical outcomes. We seek to investigate whether greater recent awareness of diversity and inclusion reflects in reporting of race and ethnicity by peer-reviewed cardiothoracic articles.

Methods: Pubmed was queried for clinical outcomes articles published from January 2017 to June 2023 in the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Annals of Thoracic Surgery, Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation, and CHEST Journal.

Sub-Lobar Resection: The New Standard of Care for Early-Stage Lung Cancer.

The Lung Cancer Study Group previously established lobectomy as the standard of care for treatment of clinical T1N0 NSCLC. Advances in imaging technology and refinements in staging have prompted a re-investigation to determine the non-inferiority of sub-lobar resections to lobectomies. Two recent randomized studies, JCOG 0802 and CALGB 140503, are reviewed here in the context of LCSG 0821.

Neoadjuvant durvalumab with or without stereotactic body radiotherapy in patients with early-stage non-small-cell lung cancer: a single-centre, randomised phase 2 trial.

Background: Previous phase 2 trials of neoadjuvant anti-PD-1 or anti-PD-L1 monotherapy in patients with early-stage non-small-cell lung cancer have reported major pathological response rates in the range of 15-45%. Evidence suggests that stereotactic body radiotherapy might be a potent immunomodulator in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In this trial, we aimed to evaluate the use of stereotactic body radiotherapy in patients with early-stage NSCLC as an immunomodulator to enhance the anti-tumour immune response associated with the anti-PD-L1 antibody durvalumab.

The Use of Standardized Measures to Predict and Assess Quality of Life after Laparoscopic Hiatal Hernia Repair.

The literature regarding laparoscopic hiatal hernia repair is difficult to interpret because of inconsistencies in describing hernia characteristics and outcome measures. This study was performed to evaluate risk factors for an unsatisfactory outcome after repair using objective definitions of hernia size and a clinically relevant outcome instrument. A retrospective review of a prospectively maintained database was conducted over a seven-year period.

Incidence and Prognostic Significance of Carcinoid Lymph Node Metastases.

Background: Pulmonary carcinoid tumors are often considered indolent tumors. The prognostic significance of lymph node (LN) metastases and the need for mediastinal dissection is controversial. We sought to determine the incidence, risk factors, and prognosis of LN metastases in resected carcinoid patients.

Robotic Thymectomy Is Feasible for Large Thymomas: A Propensity-Matched Comparison.

Background: Robotic-assisted thymectomy (RAT) is increasingly performed for resection of thymomas. Its application for large tumors remains controversial. In this study, we evaluated the safety and feasibility of RAT for large thymomas in comparison with transsternal thymectomy (ST).

Survival Following Gastro-Left Ventricular Fistula in a Patient Post Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass.

We report a case of a 55-year old woman with a prior roux-en-Y gastric bypass who survived after surgical repair of a gastro-left ventricular fistula.

Successful Treatment of an Iatrogenic Tracheal Laceration With a Temporary Polyurethane-Coated Nitinol Stent.

We report the case of a 63-year-old woman who required emergent intubation after a choking episode at home. It resulted in a 5-cm tear in the membranous trachea. She was treated by placement of a temporary tracheal stent, which was successfully removed 3 months later.

Nodal Upstaging in Robotic and Video Assisted Thoracic Surgery Lobectomy for Clinical N0 Lung Cancer.

Background: Recent multiinstitutional published data have demonstrated increased pathologic nodal upstaging by robotic lobectomy compared with historical video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) lobectomy data. To eliminate potential variability from multiple surgical techniques, we compared the rate of nodal upstaging at a single institution where robotic and VATS lobectomy are both performed.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed clinically node-negative patients with lung cancer undergoing VATS or robotic lobectomy.

Right pneumonectomy for resection of a posterior mediastinal follicular dendritic cell sarcoma arising from Castleman's disease.

Follicular dendritic cell sarcoma is a rare malignant neoplasm of immune accessory follicular dendritic cells and may be associated with Castleman's disease which is a known precursor to follicular dendritic cell sarcomas. We report a case of a follicular dendritic cell sarcoma arising in Castleman's disease in a 63-year-old man who presented with a large posterior mediastinal mass, which required a radical pneumonectomy for complete resection.

Transitioning from video-assisted thoracic surgical lobectomy to robotics for lung cancer: are there outcomes advantages?

Objectives: To determine if there are advantages to transitioning to robotics by a surgeon who is already proficient in performing video-assisted thoracic surgical (VATS) lobectomy.

Methods: A single surgeon proficient in VATS lobectomy initiated a robotic lobectomy program, and a retrospective review was conducted of his patients undergoing minimally invasive lobectomy (robotics or VATS) for lung cancer between 2011 and 2012. Data collected included patient/tumor characteristics, morbidity, mortality, operative times, and length of hospital stay.

Patterns of recurrent and persistent intestinal metaplasia after successful radiofrequency ablation of Barrett's esophagus.

Objective: Radiofrequency ablation can eradicate Barrett's esophagus successfully in the majority of cases. We sought to determine (1) how often intestinal metaplasia is detected during follow-up endoscopy after successful ablation and (2) patterns of persistent/recurrent intestinal metaplasia.

Methods: Patients ablated successfully during a phase II clinical trial of radiofrequency ablation for Barrett's esophagus were followed using endoscopic surveillance according to a defined protocol.

Utility of endobronchial ultrasound-guided mediastinal lymph node biopsy in patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

Objective: Invasive mediastinal biopsy is often necessary in the evaluation of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and mediastinoscopy has long been considered the reference standard. However, the emergence of endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) has resulted in controversy regarding it represents a suitable replacement for mediastinoscopy. We chose to determine the utility of EBUS-TBNA in evaluating the mediastinum in patients with NSCLC.

Effect of hiatal hernia size and columnar segment length on the success of radiofrequency ablation for Barrett's esophagus: a single-center, phase II clinical trial.

Objective: Hiatal hernia is common in patients with Barrett's esophagus. We sought to evaluate the effect of hiatal hernia size and initial columnar segment length on the success of radiofrequency ablation of Barrett's esophagus.

Methods: A phase II clinical trial was conducted aimed at evaluating the success of radiofrequency ablation in eradicating Barrett's esophagus.

The utility of automated volumetric growth analysis in a dedicated pulmonary nodule clinic.

Objective: Our objectives were 3-fold: to define the correlation between automated volumetric and 2-dimensional measurements of pulmonary nodule growth and prospectively; to determine whether volumetric growth analysis represents a useful addition to 2-dimensional measurements; and to evaluate growth rates over time of biopsy-proven lung cancers using automated volumetric software.

Methods: Nodule growth on consecutive 2-dimensional computed tomographic scans was measured, and a decision regarding nodule biopsy was made. Automated volumetric software was then used to determine nodule growth, growth rates obtained from the 2 techniques were correlated, and the decision to perform a biopsy was reassessed.

An unusual case of dysphagia from intrathoracic liver.

We report an unusual case of heterotopic intrathoracic liver resulting in severe dysphagia and esophageal obstruction.

TNM stage is the most important determinant of survival in metachronous lung cancer.

Background: Distinguishing a metachronous lung cancer from a metastatic or recurrent lesion in patients with a prior history of non-small cell lung cancer is a challenging task. Previous studies have suggested histologic type and disease-free interval as criteria for diagnosing metachronous lung cancer. These factors may not be as relevant now that current imaging allows for earlier detection of tumors and with the rising incidence of adenocarcinoma.

SCCRO (DCUN1D1) is an essential component of the E3 complex for neddylation.

Covalent modification of cullins by the ubiquitin-like protein NEDD8 (neddylation) regulates protein ubiquitination by promoting the assembly of cullin-RING ligase E3 complexes. Like ubiquitination, neddylation results from an enzymatic cascade involving the sequential activity of a dedicated E1 (APPBP1/Uba3), E2 (Ubc12), and an ill-defined E3. We show that SCCRO (also known as DCUN1D1) binds to the components of the neddylation pathway (Cullin-ROC1, Ubc12, and CAND1) and augments but is not required for cullin neddylation in reactions using purified recombinant proteins.

Mediastinoscopy might not be necessary in patients with non-small cell lung cancer with mediastinal lymph nodes having a maximum standardized uptake value of less than 5.3.

Objective: Accurate pretreatment staging in non-small cell lung cancer remains tantamount in formulating an appropriate treatment plan. The maximum standardized uptake value obtained with integrated fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography/computed tomography has been proposed to be a predictor of malignancy in mediastinal lymph nodes. A recent study has also suggested that accuracy of integrated fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography/computed tomography might be improved by increasing the maximum standardized uptake value used for calling a lymph node positive from 2.

Advances in positron emission tomography technology have increased the need for surgical staging in non-small cell lung cancer.

Objectives: Pretreatment staging of patients with non-small cell lung cancer is critically important in determining an appropriate treatment plan. As positron emission tomography (PET) and computed tomography (CT) are proven complementary modalities in clinical staging, recent advances in PET technology have brought forth integrated PET/CT as the new standard. We tested the hypothesis that improvements in PET technology have not increased the sensitivity or specificity of PET in the staging of non-small cell lung cancer to an extent that surgical staging is no longer required.