Publications by authors named "Konstantinos Vachlas"

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) constitutes one of the deadliest and most common malignancies. The LKB1/STK11 tumour suppressor is mutated in ∼ 30% of NSCLCs, typically lung adenocarcinomas (LUAD). We implemented zebrafish and human lung organoids as synergistic platforms to pre-clinically screen for metabolic compounds selectively targeting LKB1-deficient tumours.

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During the current pandemic, we witnessed a rise of post-intubation tracheal stenosis (PITS) in patients intubated due to COVID-19. We prospectively analyzed data from patients referred to our institution during the last 18 months for severe symptomatic post-intubation upper airway complications. Interdisciplinary bronchoscopic and/or surgical management was offered.

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A key unknown of the functional space in tumor immunity is whether CD4 T cells depend on intratumoral MHCII cancer antigen recognition. MHCII-expressing, antigen-presenting cancer-associated fibroblasts (apCAFs) have been found in breast and pancreatic tumors and are considered to be immunosuppressive. This analysis shows that antigen-presenting fibroblasts are frequent in human lung non-small cell carcinomas, where they seem to actively promote rather than suppress MHCII immunity.

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Recent advances in sequencing technologies have allowed the in-depth molecular study of tumors, even at the single cell level. Sequencing efforts have uncovered a previously unappreciated heterogeneity among tumor cells, which has been postulated to be the driving force of tumor evolution and to facilitate recurrence, metastasis, and drug resistance. In the current study, focused on early-stage operable non-small cell lung cancer, we used tumor growth in patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models in mice as a fast-forward tumor evolution process to investigate the molecular characteristics of tumor cells that grow in mice, as well as the parameters that affect the grafting efficiency.

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A 63-year-old woman presented with a 2-year history of nonproductive cough. She denied the presence of shortness of breath, chest pain, arthralgia, muscle weakness, weight loss, night sweats, and fatigue. She was a never smoker and had a history of arterial hypertension and diabetes.

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Myasthenia gravis is present in a significant proportion of patients with thymoma. We investigated particular features of the clinical behavior of thymoma and its relationship to myasthenia in a retrospective study of 79 patients who underwent thymectomy for thymoma during the last 20 years. The presence of myasthenia gravis, Masaoka stage, World Health Organization histotype, myasthenia response, and survival were analyzed.

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