Retrolaminar Block Versus Paravertebral Block for Pain Relief After Less-Invasive Lung Surgery: A Randomized, Non-Inferiority Controlled Trial.

Introduction A retrolaminar block (RLB) is a modified paravertebral technique with a local anesthetic injected at the retrolaminar site. The aim of this non-inferiority, parallel-group, prospective, and randomized study was to compare the analgesic efficacy of the paravertebral block (PVB) and RLB after lung surgery. Methods Eligible subjects were patients aged more than 20 years, with American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status Ⅰ or II, who were scheduled to undergo video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) or limited thoracotomy because of lung disease.

A case of cardiac amyloidosis incidentally detected by bone scintigraphy.

A 73-year-old man with lung cancer underwent bone scintigraphy for disease staging. Diffuse myocardial technetium hydroxymethylene diphosphonate (Tc-HMDP) uptake was incidentally found. A diagnosis of amyloid transthyretin (ATTR) cardiac amyloidosis was suspected, although the patient had no symptoms at this time.

Podoplanin promotes progression of malignant pleural mesothelioma by regulating motility and focus formation.

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is characterized by dissemination and aggressive growth in the thoracic cavity. Podoplanin (PDPN) is an established diagnostic marker for MPM, but the function of PDPN in MPM is not fully understood. The purpose of this study was to determine the pathogenetic function of PDPN in MPM.

Akt Kinase-Interacting Protein 1 Signals through CREB to Drive Diffuse Malignant Mesothelioma.

Diffuse malignant mesothelioma (DMM) is a tumor of serosal membranes with propensity for progressive local disease. Because current treatment options are largely ineffective, novel therapeutic strategies based on molecular mechanisms and the disease characteristics are needed to improve the outcomes of patients with this disease. Akt kinase interacting protein 1 (Aki1; Freud-1/CC2D1A) is a scaffold protein for the PI3K-PDK1-Akt signaling module that helps determine receptor signal selectivity for EGFR.

Significant relationship between the extent of pleural plaques and pulmonary asbestos body concentration in lung cancer patients with occupational asbestos exposure.

Background: The aim of this study was to elucidate whether there is a relationship between the extent of pleural plaques and pulmonary asbestos body concentration (PABC).

Methods: The subjects were 207 lung cancer patients with occupational asbestos exposure. We determined the plaque extent by findings on chest images using our own criteria.

Therapeutic activity of glycoengineered anti-GM2 antibodies against malignant pleural mesothelioma.

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare and highly aggressive neoplasm that arises from the pleural, pericardial, or peritoneal lining. Although surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and combinations of these therapies are used to treat MPM, the median survival of such patients is dismal. Therefore, there is a compelling need to develop novel therapeutics with different modes of action.

[Chronic eosinophilic pneumonia presenting as a solitary nodule, suspicious of lung cancer;report of a case].

A 70-year-old man was followed up at the surgery department of our hospital after colon polypectomy. It was pointed out that the level of carcinoembryonic antigen(CEA) was high at blood test. Chest computed tomography (CT) showed small nodule close to the pulmonary vein in the right lower lobe (S6-S10), 15 mm in size, in September 2011.

Snail expression is associated with a poor prognosis in malignant pleural mesotheliomas.

Background: Malignant pleural mesotheliomas (MPMs) are aggressive tumors with a poor prognosis. We aimed to clarify the mechanisms of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in MPMs by analyzing the expressions of EMT-associated transcription factors and E-cadherin in relation to tumor proliferation rates and patient survival.

Methods: One hundred nine patients with MPMs were investigated.

[Minute pulmonary meningothelial-like nodules （MPMNs） incidentally detected at surgical biopsy for ground-glass opacity（ GGO）].

A 75-year-old woman was followed up at the urology department of our hospital after left nephrectomy for renal cell carcinoma. Chest computed tomography (CT) showed ground-glass opacity in the right lower lobe( S6), 6 mm in size, in December 2010. 3 months later, the tumor was enlarged and she was introduced to our department.

Intratumoral Wnt2B expression affects tumor proliferation and survival in malignant pleural mesothelioma patients.

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is an aggressive thoracic tumor with a poor prognosis. We performed a comprehensive clinical study on the intratumoral expression of Wnt1, Wnt2B and Wnt5A in MPM. One hundred and seven MPM patients were investigated.

Pleural mesothelioma instigates tumor-associated fibroblasts to promote progression via a malignant cytokine network.

The tumor microenvironment is crucial to the progression of various malignancies. Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM), which originates from the pleura, grows aggressively in the thoracic cavity. Here we describe an orthotopic implantation SCID mouse model of MPM and demonstrate that α-SMA-positive fibroblast-like cells accumulate in the tumors produced by the human MPM cell lines MSTO-211H and Y-Meso-14.

[A phase I study of intraperitoneal plus intravenous paclitaxel against gastric cancer with peritoneal dissemination (HGCG 0301)].

The safety of the intraperitoneal (ip) plus intravenous (iv) paclitaxel against gastric cancer with peritoneal dissemination was evaluated on a phase I dose escalation trial. Patients were treated with ip paclitaxel administered in 500 ml of normal saline before closing the abdomen, using the following dose levels: level 1, 50 mg/m(2); level 2, 60 mg/m(2); level 3, 70 mg/m(2); and level 4, 80 mg/m(2), followed by iv infusion of the same doses of paclitaxel on days 14 and 21. Twelve patients were enrolled in this study: 7 underwent reduction surgery,while 5 had only a laparotomy.

Pulmonary metastasectomy for 165 patients with colorectal carcinoma: A prognostic assessment.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to analyze our entire experience with pulmonary resection for metastatic colorectal carcinoma to determine prognostic factors and critically evaluate the potential role of extended metastasectomy.

Methods: We analyzed the postoperative survival of 165 patients who underwent curative pulmonary surgery at eight institutions in the Kansai region of western Japan (Kansai Clinical Oncology Group) from 1990 to 2000.

Results: Overall survivals at 5 and 10 years were 39.