Common driver mutations and programmed death-ligand 1 expression in advanced non-small cell lung cancer in smokers and never smokers.

Background: In non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), there may be a relationship between programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression, driver mutations and cigarette smoking.

Methods: In this single-center retrospective study, the relationship between common driver mutations (EGFR mutation and ALK rearrangement) and PD-L1 expression in advanced NSCLC according to the patients' smoking history was examined. Light, moderate and heavy smokers had smoked < 20, 20-39, and ≥ 40 pack-years, respectively.

Pathological complete response in an advance stage IIIB non-small cell lung cancer secondary to neoadjuvant osimertinib targeted therapy: A case report and review of literature.

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy is a therapeutic option for potentially resectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The role of neoadjuvant targeted therapy (NTT) remains less explored. This case highlights the use of neoadjuvant osimertinib in a case of advanced NSCLC.

Metastatic pulmonary calcification mimicking pulmonary tuberculosis: A case report.

Metastatic pulmonary calcification (MPC) is characterized by deposition of calcium in the normal lung parenchyma secondary to elevation of serum calcium. Most patients are asymptomatic and routine chest radiograph is not sensitive to make the diagnosis. Further imaging is needed such as computed tomography (CT) which typically shows small centrilobular nodules in the upper lobes.

Influenza in Malaysian adult patients hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia, acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or asthma: a multicenter, active surveillance study.

Background: Available data on influenza burden across Southeast Asia are largely limited to pediatric populations, with inconsistent findings.

Methods: We conducted a multicenter, hospital-based active surveillance study of adults in Malaysia with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) and acute exacerbation of asthma (AEBA), who had influenza-like illness ≤10 days before hospitalization. We estimated the rate of laboratory-confirmed influenza and associated complications over 13 months (July 2018-August 2019) and described the distribution of causative influenza strains.

A high-risk airway mycobiome is associated with frequent exacerbation and mortality in COPD.

Introduction: The chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) bacteriome associates with disease severity, exacerbations and mortality. While COPD patients are susceptible to fungal sensitisation, the role of the fungal mycobiome remains uncertain.

Methods: We report the largest multicentre evaluation of the COPD airway mycobiome to date, including participants from Asia (Singapore and Malaysia) and the UK (Scotland) when stable (n=337) and during exacerbations (n=66) as well as nondiseased (healthy) controls (n=47).

Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) to sarcoma in recurrent lung adenosquamous carcinoma following adjuvant chemotherapy.

Adjuvant chemotherapy has long been indicated to extend survival in completely resected stage IB to IIIA non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, there is accumulating evidence that chemotherapy or chemoradiotherapy can induce epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in disseminated or circulating NSCLC cells. Here, we describe the first case of EMT as the cause of recurrence and metastasis in a patient with resected stage IIB lung adenosquamous carcinoma after adjuvant chemotherapy.

Using a chemiresistor-based alkane sensor to distinguish exhaled breaths of lung cancer patients from subjects with no lung cancer.

Background: Breath alkanes are reported to be able to discriminate lung cancer patients from healthy people. A simple chemiresistor-based sensor was designed to respond to alkanes by a change in resistance measured by a digital multimeter connected to the sensor. In preclinical experiments, the sensor response was found to have a strong positive linear relationship with alkane compounds and not responsive to water.