Publications by authors named "Birgit G Skov"

Concordance between 3 validated, commercial programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) assays and their associated platforms (PD-L1 IHC 22C3 pharmDx Autostainer Link 48, PD-L1 IHC 28-8 pharmDx Autostainer Link 48, and Ventana SP263) has been demonstrated in non-small cell lung cancer. No comparison studies exist for IHC 22C3 pharmDx on the Dako Omnis platform. PD-L1 scoring can be challenging and time-consuming, but no quantitative data exist.

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Little is known about prevalence of PD-L1 expression in tumor cells of unselected patients with all stages of non-small cell lung cancer. The objective of this study is to assess the prevalence of PD-L1 positivity in patients with non-small cell lung cancer, to analyze the association between PD-L1 positivity and patients' clinicopathological characteristics, and to assess the use of immune-oncologic treatment in eligible patients. All non-small cell lung cancer patients diagnosed in a 10-month period in an unselected population of 1.

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Purpose Three programmed death-1/programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibitors are currently approved for treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Treatment with pembrolizumab in NSCLC requires PD-L1 immunohistochemistry (IHC) testing. Nivolumab and atezolizumab are approved without PD-L1 testing, though US Food and Drug Administration-cleared complementary PD-L1 tests are available for both.

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Background: Programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1) expression is a predictive biomarker for anti-PD-1 immunotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer. Different immunohistochemistry (IHC) assays have been developed on histologic material with different cutoffs for positivity. More than one third of the patients are diagnosed on cytology alone.

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Aims: To assess the prevalence of EML4-ALK rearrangement gene measured by immunohistochemistry in an unselected population-based consecutive cohort of patients with adenocarcinoma of the lung (ACL), and the correlation with smoking history, thyroid transcription factor 1 (TTF1), gender and age.

Methods And Results: All patients diagnosed in the population of the greater Copenhagen area were included, irrespective of gender, age, smoking habits, stage or type of available diagnostic material. Tumours were stained with immunohistochemistry (clone 5A4).

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The advent of computed tomography screening for lung cancer will increase the incidence of ground-glass opacity (GGO) nodules detected and referred for diagnostic evaluation and management. GGO nodules remain a diagnostic challenge; therefore, a more systematic approach is necessary to ensure correct diagnosis and optimal management. Here we present the latest advances in the radiologic imaging and pathology of GGO nodules, demonstrating that radiologic features are increasingly predictive of the pathology of GGO nodules.

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Rationale: As of April 2015, participants in the Danish Lung Cancer Screening Trial had been followed for at least 5 years since their last screening.

Objectives: Mortality, causes of death, and lung cancer findings are reported to explore the effect of computed tomography (CT) screening.

Methods: A total of 4,104 participants aged 50-70 years at the time of inclusion and with a minimum 20 pack-years of smoking were randomized to have five annual low-dose CT scans (study group) or no screening (control group).

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EGFR mutation frequencies in unselected Caucasian populations are unknown. This study assesses the prevalence of EGFR mutations in an unselected population-based cohort, and the correlation between mutation and gender, age, ethnicity, smoking habits, and pathological data. NSCLC patients diagnosed in a well-defined Danish population were included.

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Lung cancer is the cancer type that causes the largest number of deaths in Denmark. With advances in medical imaging and widespread use of computed tomography (CT), it is possible to detect even small abnormalities in lung tissue. This has led to a great interest in lung cancer screening with low-dose CT and launching of randomised screening trials worldwide.

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Results from the American National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) show a significant reduction in lung cancer and all-cause mortality in a high risk population screened with annual low-dose CT. Handling of pulmonary nodules, false positive tests, overdiagnosis, psychosocial consequences and cost-efficiency etc. are all aspects that require careful consideration.

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Determination of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations has a pivotal impact on treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). A standardized test has not yet been approved. So far, Sanger DNA sequencing has been widely used.

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Background: Mediastinoscopy is the gold standard for preoperative mediastinal staging of patients with suspected or proven lung cancer. Since the development of endoscopic ultrasound-guided biopsy via the trachea (EBUS-TBNA), this status has been challenged. The purpose of the study was to examine whether mediastinoscopy is necessary, when EBUS-TBNA is performed in a center with (1) a high level of expertise, (2) "bed side" microscopy by a pathologist, (3) general anesthesia, and (4) achievement of representative tissue from station 4R, 7 and 4L, that is, the same mediastinal stations that mediastinoscopy gives access to.

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Background: Anaplastic lymphoma kinase-positive non-small cell lung carcinoma patients are generally highly responsive to the dual anaplastic lymphoma kinase and MET tyrosine kinase inhibitor crizotinib. However, they eventually acquire resistance to this drug, preventing the anaplastic lymphoma kinase inhibitors from having a prolonged beneficial effect. The molecular mechanisms responsible for crizotinib resistance are beginning to emerge, e.

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The syndrome of Leser–Trélat (LT) is characterized by the sudden appearance of multiple seborrhoeic keratoses (SKs) in association with internal occult malignancy. Usually, the syndrome has been associated with adenocarcinoma, most frequently of the gastrointestinal tract and breast. The pathogenesis is unclear but might be explained by circulating tumor-associated growth factors.

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Background And Aims: Few randomized studies have assessed the clinical performance of 25-gauge (25G) needles compared with 22-gauge (22G) needles during endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) biopsy of intra-abdominal lesions. We aimed to compare the diagnostic yield, as well as performance characteristics of 22G versus 25G EUS biopsy needles by determining their diagnostic capabilities, the number of needle passes as well as cellularity of aspirated tissue specimen.

Methods: The study is a prospective, randomized, multicenter study.

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Background: The effects of low-dose CT screening on disease stage shift, mortality and overdiagnosis are unclear. Lung cancer findings and mortality rates are reported at the end of screening in the Danish Lung Cancer Screening Trial.

Methods: 4104 men and women, healthy heavy smokers/former smokers were randomised to five annual low-dose CT screenings or no screening.

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Until recently, the division of pulmonary carcinomas into small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) was adequate for therapy selection. Due to the emergence of new treatment options subtyping of NSCLC and predictive testing have become mandatory. A practical approach to the new requirements involving interaction between pulmonologist, oncologist and molecular pathology to optimize patient care is described.

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Background: Patients with upper gastrointestinal cancers have a poor prognosis and only few treatment options. The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) are valid targets in many solid tumours, and they have synergistic effects in preclinical studies.

Methods: In this multi-center phase II trial patients with chemoresistant, metastatic upper gastrointestinal cancer were treated with erlotinib (150 mg daily) and bevacizumab (10 mg/kg every two weeks).

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Malignancies in the upper gastrointestinal (UGI) tract are amongst the most aggressive cancers and only few treatment options exist. We have recently analysed data from a phase II trial where patients with UGI cancers were treated with erlotinib and bevacizumab. The combination therapy could not be recommended in an unselected population of patients with chemo-refractory UGI cancer.

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The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and angiogenesis are well established targets in anti-cancer therapy. Several targeted anti-cancer therapies are in clinical trials in pancreatic and gastroesophageal (GEJ) cancer. However, many patients do not respond to these targeted therapies and there is therefore an increasing need for biomarkers for selection of patients to these therapies.

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Background: Enhancer of Zeste Homolog 2 (EZH2) and B lymphoma Mo-MLV Insertion region 1 polycomb ring finger (BMI1) are involved in malignant transformation of many human carcinomas. Still, in neuroendocrine tumors of the lung (NELT) their expression pattern is largely unknown. This study evaluated their expression in 96 NELT and correlated it to clinical features including survival.

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Background: Correct mediastinal staging is a cornerstone in the treatment of patients with non-small cell lung cancer. A large range of methods is available for this purpose, making the process of adequate staging complex. The objective of this study was to describe faults and benefits of positron emission tomography (PET)-CT in multimodality mediastinal staging.

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Background: Low forced expiratory volume (FEV(1)) and low performance status usually preclude surgical treatment of lung neoplasms. Earlier case reports have suggested that curative, safe surgery is possible in extrapulmonal intrathoracic neoplasms.

Methods: A case report of an 83-year-old women with progressing dyspnoea secondary to a huge left-side neoplasm.

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Background: Excision repair cross-complementation group 1 (ERCC1) is a key component of the platinum-DNA repair mechanism. Ki67 is associated with the clinical course of several malignancies. The associations of ERCC1 and Ki67, clinical features and survival in small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC), typical carcinoid (TC), atypical carcinoid (AC), and large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC) were determined.

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Introduction: Correct lung cancer staging is pivotal for optimal allocation to surgical and nonsurgical treatment. A left adrenal gland (LAG) mass is found in 5 to 16%, and malignancy preclude surgery. Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) is superior to other imaging procedures in visualizing LAG, but the impact of EUS-fine needle aspiration (FNA) on tumor, node, metastasis (TNM)-staging, treatment, and survival is unknown.

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