Stereotactic ablative radiation therapy for pulmonary metastases: Improving overall survival and identifying subgroups at high risk of local failure.

Background & Purpose: Stereotactic ablative radiation therapy (SABR) is an emerging treatment option for patients with pulmonary metastases; identifying patients who would benefit from SABR can improve outcomes.

Materials & Methods: We retrospectively analyzed local failure (LF), distant failure (DF), overall survival (OS), and toxicity in 317 patients with 406 pulmonary metastases treated with SABR in January 2006-September 2017 at a tertiary cancer center.

Results: Median follow-up time was 23 months.

Left destroyed lung caused by a pen cap in the left lower lobe bronchus "swallowed" 25 years ago.

A delayed diagnosis of tracheobronchial foreign body aspiration (FBA) may result in severe respiratory complications such as pneumonia, bronchiectasis, and atelectasis. Here, we present a rare case of a left lung destruction caused by a pen cap that remained in the left lower lobe bronchus for 25 years and was previously misdiagnosed as cavitary tuberculosis. The foreign body was not detected in bronchoscopic examination prior to surgery due to severe stenosis of the left main bronchus.

Surveillance After Treatment of Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer: A Call for Multidisciplinary Standardization.

Objective: Though interest in expansion of the use of less-invasive therapies among operable non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients is growing, it is not clear that post-treatment surveillance has been comparable between treatment modalities. We sought to characterize institutional surveillance patterns after NSCLC therapy with stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) and lobectomy.

Methods: NSCLC patients treated with lobectomy or SBRT (2005 to 2016) at a single institution were identified.

Preoperative Heparin for Lung Cancer Resection Increases Risk of Reoperation for Bleeding.

Lung cancer patients are at risk for venous thromboembolism (VTE). Preoperative heparin administration may increase the risk of bleeding requiring reoperation. The purpose of this study was to evaluate preoperative heparin's effect on reoperation for bleeding.

Multidisciplinary treatment of thymic neuroendocrine tumors: surgery remains a key component.

Background: Thymic neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are rare malignancies often treated in a multidisciplinary fashion. However, evidence for adjunctive therapy is limited, and predictors of survival and recurrence are not well established.

Methods: Patients treated for thymic NETs at a single center from 1975 to 2018 were reviewed.

Lymphovascular Invasion Is Associated With Mutational Burden and PD-L1 in Resected Lung Cancer.

Background: High tumor mutational burden (TMB) and programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression are leading biomarkers in metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and predict favorable response to checkpoint inhibitors. We sought to identify clinicopathologic characteristics associated with elevated TMB and PD-L1 expression among patients who underwent resection for NSCLC.

Methods: NSCLC patients undergoing primary resection (2016-2018) were prospectively enrolled in an immunogenomic profiling project.

Time Trends of Perioperative Outcomes in Early Stage Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Resection Patients.

Background: Advances in perioperative and operative management hold great promise for improving perioperative outcomes in patients undergoing resection for early stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The objective of this study was to evaluate time trends in the incidence of perioperative outcomes and to identify predictors of pulmonary complication in early stage NSCLC resection patients.

Methods: An institutional database was reviewed to identify patients with primary, clinical stage I and II NSCLC who underwent resection from 1998 to 2016.

Representation of Women in The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Authorship and Leadership Positions.

Background: Recent years have shown a promising increase in women constituting the cardiothoracic (CT) surgery workforce and training positions. It remains unclear whether such change has been accompanied by parallel increases in academic achievement.

Methods: Online archives from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) 2015 and 2018 Annual Meetings were reviewed for female representation among oral abstract authors, nominated STS leadership positions, and The Annals of Thoracic Surgery (ATS) Editorial Board.

Improved Overall Survival With Comprehensive Local Consolidative Therapy in Synchronous Oligometastatic Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer.

Background: Local consolidative therapy (LCT) to optimize disease control is an evolving management paradigm in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients who present with a limited metastatic disease burden. We hypothesized that LCT to all sites of disease would be associated with improved overall survival (OS) among patients with synchronous oligometastatic NSCLC.

Patients And Methods: Patients presenting to a single institution (2000-2017) with stage IV NSCLC and ≤ 3 synchronous metastases were identified.

Persistent Opioid Use Among the Elderly After Lung Resection: A SEER-Medicare Study.

Background: Opioids represent the mainstay for treating postsurgical pain but can cause significant morbidity in addition to dependency. The aim of the study was to determine the incidence of persistent opioid use after lung surgery.

Methods: Patients who underwent lung resection from 2008 to 2013 for non-small cell lung cancer were identified in the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results-Medicare database.

The Thoracic Surgery Social Media Network: Early experience and lessons learned.

Background: The Thoracic Surgery Social Media Network (TSSMN) is a social media collaborative formed in 2015 by The Annals of Thoracic Surgery and The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery to bring social media attention to key publications from both journals and to highlight major accomplishments in the specialty. Our aim is to describe TSSMN's preliminary experience and lessons learned.

Methods: Twitter analytics was used to obtain information regarding the @TSSMN Twitter handle and #TSSMN hashtag.

The Thoracic Surgery Social Media Network: Early Experience and Lessons Learned.

Background: The Thoracic Surgery Social Media Network (TSSMN) is a social media collaborative formed in 2015 by The Annals of Thoracic Surgery and The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery to bring social media attention to key publications from both journals and to highlight major accomplishments in the specialty. Our aim is to describe TSSMN's preliminary experience and lessons learned.

Methods: Twitter analytics was used to obtain information regarding the @TSSMN Twitter handle and #TSSMN hashtag.

Social Media Improves Cardiothoracic Surgery Literature Dissemination: Results of a Randomized Trial.

Background: The Thoracic Surgery Social Media Network (TSSMN) represents a collaborative effort of leading journals in cardiothoracic surgery to highlight publications via social media, specifically Twitter. We conducted a prospective randomized trial to determine the effect of scheduled tweeting on nontraditional bibliometrics of dissemination.

Methods: A total of 112 representative original articles (2017-2018) were selected and randomized 1:1 to an intervention group to be tweeted via TSSMN or a control (non-tweeted) group.

Local failure after stereotactic body radiation therapy or wedge resection for colorectal pulmonary metastases.

Objective: Several options are available for the local treatment of colorectal pulmonary metastases; however, the efficacy of each treatment has not been well characterized. We compared the risk of local recurrence after wedge resection or stereotactic body radiation therapy for pulmonary metastases of colorectal origin.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed records of patients treated for pulmonary colorectal metastases with stereotactic body radiation therapy or wedge resection from 2006 to 2016 at a single institution.

Trainee Thoracic Surgery Social Media Network: Early Experience With TweetChat-Based Journal Clubs.

Background: Virtual journal clubs on Twitter (TweetChats) provide a platform to globally discuss publications. The Thoracic Surgery Social Media Network (TSSMN) is an organization that focuses on bringing social media attention to key publications in cardiothoracic surgery. TSSMN recently formed a Trainee Group with the goal of conducting chats covering key topics in cardiothoracic surgical training.

Colorectal cancer mutations are associated with survival and recurrence after pulmonary metastasectomy.

Background And Objectives: While knowledge has grown extensively regarding the impact of mutations on colorectal cancer prognosis, their role in outcomes after pulmonary metastasectomy (PM) remains minimally understood. We sought to determine the prognostic role of mutant disease on survival and recurrence after metastasectomy.

Methods: Patients with available tumor sequencing profiles who underwent PM for colorectal cancer at a single institution from 2011 to 2017 were reviewed.

Tumor characteristics associated with engraftment of patient-derived non-small cell lung cancer xenografts in immunocompromised mice.

Background: Patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models increasingly are used in translational research. However, the engraftment rates of patient tumor samples in immunodeficient mice to PDX models vary greatly.

Methods: Tumor tissue samples from 308 patients with non-small cell lung cancer were implanted in immunodeficient mice.