Lung cancer after kidney transplantation: a 50-year experience at a single institution.

Purpose: To investigate the clinical characteristics of lung cancer that develops after kidney transplantation.

Methods: The clinical data of patients with lung cancer diagnosed after kidney transplantation were collected retrospectively. The medical records were extracted from our database.

Intrapericardial bronchogenic cyst extirpated through median sternotomy: a case report.

Background: Bronchogenic cyst sometimes occurs in the mediastinum and rarely in the intrapericardial space. When located in the intrapericardial space, the main vessels or the heart can be compressed. In addition, if it is difficult to deny malignancy or malignancy transformation potential using any modality, surgical resection should be performed.

Multicentre, prospective, observational study investigating the most appropriate surgical option that can prevent the recurrence of primary spontaneous pneumothorax after surgery: the PATCH study, protocol.

Introduction: Thoracoscopic surgery is performed for refractory or recurrent primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP). To reduce postoperative recurrence, additional treatment is occasionally adopted during surgery after bulla resection. However, the most effective method has not been fully elucidated.

[Delayed Tracheal Perforation after Pulmonary Resection for Lung Cancer].

We have experienced a case of delayed tracheal perforation after pulmonary resection using soft coagulation system. A 58-year-old male underwent operation for primary lung cancer. A soft coagulation system was used for oozing near upper mediastinal lymph nodes.

Pulmonary Neoplasms in Patients with Birt-Hogg-Dubé Syndrome: Histopathological Features and Genetic and Somatic Events.

Birt-Hogg-Dubé syndrome (BHD) is an inherited disorder caused by genetic mutations in the folliculin (FLCN) gene. Individuals with BHD have multiple pulmonary cysts and are at a high risk for developing renal cell carcinomas (RCCs). Currently, little information is available about whether pulmonary cysts are absolutely benign or if the lungs are at an increased risk for developing neoplasms.

Usefulness of CT-guided hookwire marking before video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for small pulmonary lesions.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the technical and clinical efficacy and safety of CT-guided hookwire marking before video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) for small pulmonary lesions.

Materials And Methods: This procedure was performed on 161 lesions in 154 patients (75 men and 79 women; median age, 62 years; age range 23-89 years). Medical records and images were reviewed, and the technical success rate, surgical success rate and complications were evaluated.

EGFR point mutation in non-small cell lung cancer is occasionally accompanied by a second mutation or amplification.

Activating mutations of EGFR are found frequently in a subgroup of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and are highly correlated with the response to gefitinib and erlotinib. In the present study, we searched for mutations of EGFR, HER2 and KRAS in 264 resected primary NSCLC from Japanese patients and determined whether there is a correlation between genetic alterations of these genes and clinicopathological factors, together with 85 tumors that we reported previously. EGFR mutations were found in 102 of the total 349 tumors, and seven tumors had two missense mutations.

Mutations of epidermal growth factor receptor of non-small cell lung cancer were associated with sensitivity to gefitinib in recurrence after surgery.

The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene has recently been reported to be mutated in a subset of non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC), with the mutations being correlated with the patients' drug sensitivity to gefitinib, an EGFR kinase inhibitor. In this study, we searched for EGFR mutations in patients with lung cancer using primary tumor specimens obtained at initial surgery and examined whether their recurrent tumors showed a response to gefitinib depending on the presence of the activating mutation. Among 12 lung cancers that were treated with gefitinib after recurrence, we found that all four tumors which showed a response to gefitinib had an activating mutation in EGFR, whereas none of the remaining eight tumors had a mutation.

Transcriptional silencing of secreted frizzled related protein 1 (SFRP 1) by promoter hypermethylation in non-small-cell lung cancer.

Secreted frizzled related protein 1 (SFRP 1) is an antagonist of the transmembrane frizzled receptor, a component of the Wnt signaling pathway, and has been suggested to be a candidate tumor suppressor in several human malignancies. Since SFRP 1 is located at chromosome 8 p 11, where lung cancers also exhibit frequent allelic loss, we hypothesized that the inactivation of SFRP 1 is also involved in lung carcinogenesis. To substantiate this, we performed mutational analysis of SFRP 1 for 29 non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and 25 small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) cell lines, and expression analysis for the same cell lines.

Catamenial pneumothorax in a pregnant patient.

We report the case of a 29-year-old woman who experienced recurrence of catamenial pneumothorax during pregnancy. Pneumothorax unrelated to the hormonal cycle occurred by pulmonary endometriosis. Thoracoscopic resection of cystic lesions and pleurodesis effectively controlled the pneumothorax.

Frequent inactivation of RASSF1A, BLU, and SEMA3B on 3p21.3 by promoter hypermethylation and allele loss in non-small cell lung cancer.

Non-small cell lung cancer frequently shows loss of heterozygosity of the chromosome 3p21.3 region and several genes such as RASSF1A, BLU, and SEMA3B have been identified as candidate tumor suppressor genes at this region since their downregulation and hypermethylation at their promoter regions were frequently detected in lung cancer. To determine whether these three genes are simultaneously inactivated during lung cancer development, we studied 138 primary non-small cell lung cancers for the promoter methylation status of these genes and allelic loss of the chromosome 3p21.

Primary lung adenocarcinoma with heterotopic bone formation.

A 46-year-old man was referred to our hospital for the treatment of lung cancer. Computed tomography showed a well-defined tumor mass that was 50x45 mm in size and contained a trabecular pattern of calcification. Since he was diagnosed as having a primary lung adenocarcinoma (clinical stage IB), a left upper lobectomy with mediastinal lymph node dissection was performed.

p53 apoptotic pathway molecules are frequently and simultaneously altered in nonsmall cell lung carcinoma.

Background: Lung carcinomas show frequent inactivation of the p53 tumor suppressor, which regulates an apoptotic pathway. The objective of the current study was to assess how the p53 apoptotic pathway is altered in nonsmall cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC), especially in tumors without p53 alterations.

Methods: p53, its upstream regulators (p14(ARF) and HDM2), and downstream effectors of the apoptotic pathway (BAX and BCL2) were studied in 118 NSCLC specimens.

Loss of heterozygosity of chromosome 12p does not correlate with KRAS mutation in non-small cell lung cancer.

Activating mutations of RAS gene families have been found in a variety of human malignancies, including lung cancer, suggesting their dominant role in tumorigenesis. However, several studies have shown a frequent loss of the wild-type KRAS allele in the tumors of murine models and an inhibition of oncogenic phenotype in tumor cell lines by transfection of wild-type RAS, indicating that wild-type RAS may have oncosuppressive properties. To determine whether loss of wild-type KRAS is involved in the development of human lung cancer, we investigated the mutations of KRAS, NRAS and BRAF in 154 primary non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLCs) as well as 10 NSCLC cell lines that have been shown to have KRAS mutations.

Beta-catenin inhibits cell growth of a malignant mesothelioma cell line, NCI-H28, with a 3p21.3 homozygous deletion.

We have found that a malignant mesothelioma cell line, NCI-H28, had a chromosome 3p21.3 homozygous deletion containing the beta-catenin gene (CTNNB1), which suggested that the deletion of beta-catenin might have a growth advantage in the development of this tumor. To determine whether beta-catenin has a growth-inhibitory activity, we transfected wild-type beta-catenin, Ser37Cys mutant beta-catenin as an activated type, and C-terminus deletion mutant beta-catenin that lacks the transcription activity, into the NCI-H28 cells.

Salmonella pericarditis in a patient with primary idiopathic chylopericardium.

We report a case of a 40-year-old man with chylopericardium who developed purulent pericarditis caused by Salmonella enteritidis. Thoracoscopic pericardiotomy with debridement effectively controlled the pericardial infection.

Establishment of a large cell lung cancer cell line (Y-ML-1B) producing granulocyte colony-stimulating factor.

We established a new lung cancer cell line, designated Y-ML-1B, from a lung cancer of a 70-year-old Japanese man with leukocytosis and thrombocytosis. Before surgical resection, the white blood cell and platelet counts were elevated to 34,400/mm3 and 668,000/mm3, respectively, and the granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) level in the serum was increased at 141 pg/mL. The primary tumor showed an undifferentiated morphology with large cells and induced extensive thickening of the pleura in the right hemithorax.