Missed Intrapulmonary Lymph Node Metastasis and Survival After Resection of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Background: Pathologic nodal stage is a key prognostic factor for patients with surgically resected lung cancer. We previously described the extent of missed intrapulmonary nodal metastasis in a cohort of patients treated at institutions in metropolitan Memphis, TN. With long-term follow-up, we now quantify the survival impact of missed nodal metastasis.

Corticosteroids in the management of prostate cancer: a critical review.

Corticosteroids have been used in the management of prostate cancer for over 30 years. Although daily oral corticosteroids have frequently used in conjunction with chemotherapy for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, their independent impact on survival is unclear. However, corticosteroids confer palliative benefits and are associated with objective responses and circulating tumor cell (CTC) and PSA declines in a small minority of patients, although toxicities such as osteoporosis and immunosuppression complicate long-term use.

Cytotoxic chemotherapy in the contemporary management of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC).

For several years, docetaxel was the only treatment shown to improve survival of patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). There are now several novel agents available, although chemotherapy with docetaxel and cabazitaxel continues to play an important role. However, the increasing number of available agents will inevitably affect the timing of chemotherapy and therefore it may be important to offer this approach before declining performance status renders patients ineligible for chemotherapy.

Size and histologic characteristics of lymph node material retrieved from tissue discarded after routine pathologic examination of lung cancer resection specimens.

Redissection of discarded lung resection specimens after routine pathology examination reveals missed lymph node metastasis. We sought to determine if size can be used to grossly select lymph nodes for microscopic examination. This is a prospective cohort study of lymph nodes retrieved from discarded lung resection specimens.

Dual intervention to improve pathologic staging of resectable lung cancer.

Background: Detection of lymph node metastasis is of immense prognostic value in patients with resectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but routine pathologic nodal staging is suboptimal. To determine the impact on the rate of detection of nodal metastasis, we tested dual intervention with a prelabeled lymph node specimen collection kit to improve intraoperative node dissection and a fastidious gross dissection of the lung resection specimen for intrapulmonary lymph nodes.

Methods: We matched dual-intervention cases with controls staged using standard surgical specimen collection and pathologic examination protocols.

Incomplete intrapulmonary lymph node retrieval after routine pathologic examination of resected lung cancer.

Purpose: Pathologic nodal stage affects prognosis in patients with surgically resected non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Unlike examination of mediastinal lymph nodes (LNs), which depends on surgical practice, accurate examination of intrapulmonary (N1) nodes depends primarily on pathology practice. We investigated the completeness of N1 LN examination in NSCLC resection specimens and its potential impact on stage.

Use of a surgical specimen-collection kit to improve mediastinal lymph-node examination of resectable lung cancer.

Introduction: Pathologic examination of mediastinal lymph nodes (MLNs) after resection of non-small-cell lung cancer is critical in the determination of prognosis and postoperative management. Although systematic nodal dissection is recommended, the quality of pathologic lymph-node staging often falls short of recommendations in practice. We tested the feasibility of improving pathologic lymph-node staging of resectable non-small-cell lung cancer by using a prelabeled specimen-collection kit.