Insulinoma-Associated Protein 1 Is a Crucial Regulator of Neuroendocrine Differentiation in Lung Cancer.

Insulinoma-associated protein 1 (INSM1) is expressed exclusively in embryonic developing neuroendocrine (NE) tissues. INSM1 gene expression is specific for small-cell lung cancer (SCLC), along with achaete-scute homolog-like 1 (ASCL1) and several NE molecules, such as chromogranin A, synaptophysin, and neural cell adhesion molecule 1. However, the underlying biological role of INSM1 in lung cancer remains largely unknown.

Novel approach to pleurodesis with 50 % glucose for air leakage after lung resection or pneumothorax.

Purpose: Pleurodesis is performed in patients demonstrating air leakage after lung resection and in those with pneumothorax who must avoid surgery. However, there have so far been very few reports of pleurodesis with 50 % glucose. We herein examined the feasibility and effectiveness of this novel pleurodesis technique.

Adenosquamous carcinoma of the lung: surgical results as compared with squamous cell and adenocarcinoma cases.

Objectives: An adenosquamous carcinoma (ASC) of the lung is a relatively rare tumor. In this multi-institutional cohort study, we tested the hypothesis that an ASC exhibits more aggressive clinical behavior as compared to adenocarcinoma (AC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SC).

Methods: This retrospective cohort study used a prospective database produced by the Japan National Hospital Organization Study Group for Lung Cancer over a 7-year period (operations from 1997 to 2003, follow-up data until March 2010).

A micropapillary pattern is predictive of a poor prognosis in lung adenocarcinoma, and reduced surfactant apoprotein A expression in the micropapillary pattern is an excellent indicator of a poor prognosis.

A micropapillary pattern is defined as papillary tufts without a fibrovascular core and is known to be a factor that indicates a poor prognosis in numerous cancers. However, their role in lung adenocarcinoma has not been investigated widely. In 185 cases of small-size lung adenocarcinoma (< or =3 cm), cases with a micropapillary pattern ratio of more than 1% (analyzed by NIH image) were defined as micropapillary pattern positive.

MUC4 expression correlates with poor prognosis in small-sized lung adenocarcinoma.

The mortality of lung cancer remains high, despite improved diagnostic techniques that allow small lung tumors to be detected. In this study, we evaluated the prognostic significance of the tracheal mucin MUC4 by immunohistochemical investigation of the expression profiles of MUC4, ErbB2, p27 and MUC1 in lung adenocarcinoma specimens (non-bronchiolo-alveolar type, < or =3cm) from 185 patients. MUC4 is a membrane mucin, similarly to MUC1, and in addition MUC4 functions as an intra-membrane ligand for receptor tyrosine kinase ErbB2 and is associated with regulation of p27.

Sparganum mansoni parasitic infection in the lung showing a nodule.

Reported herein is a 57-year-old man infected by Sparganum mansoni, a kind of tapeworm, showing a solitary nodule of the middle lobe of the right lung. Because a transbronchial biopsy could not diagnose the nodule, a right middle lobectomy was performed on suspicion of malignant tumor. The lesion was diagnosed as sparganosis by histological and immuno-serological examinations.