Talc pleurodesis for secondary pneumothorax in elderly patients with persistent air leak.

Background: We herein report the usefulness of two types of talc pleurodesis for secondary pneumothorax of elderly patients with persistent air leak who have severe pulmonary emphysema.

Methods: We assessed 17 elderly patients with persistent air leak who received talc pleurodesis for secondary pneumothorax from April 2013 to March 2017. Thoracoscopic talc poudrage (TTP) (n=11) was performed in patients whose general condition was thought to sufficiently stable to tolerate for general anesthesia.

A new approach to left sleeve pneumonectomy: complete VATS left pneumonectomy followed by right thoracotomy for carinal resection and reconstruction.

Background: Left sleeve pneumonectomy is a challenging operation that requires individualized approaches. Here, we present a new minimally invasive combined thoracoscopic approach.

Case Presentation: A 61-year-old woman was diagnosed with tracheobronchial adenoid cystic carcinoma.

[A Patient with Lung Adenocarcinoma, Lymphangitis Carcinomatosa, and Multiple Bone Metastases Who Achieved Long-Term Survival after Successful Treatment with Carboplatin, Paclitaxel, and Bevacizumab].

Background: Lymphangitis carcinomatosa of the lung is intractable and associated with a poor prognosis.

Case: A 53-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital due to an uncomfortable feeling on deep inspiration. She was diagnosed with left lung adenocarcinoma with lymphangitis carcinomatosa and bone metastases to the frontal bone of the skull and thoracic vertebrae.

A safe method for marking small pulmonary nodules with crystal violet.

Introduction: The number of cases of wedge resection of small-sized pulmonary nodules performed under video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) is increasing. Computed tomography (CT)-guided marking with hook wires has been used to locate the nodules that are not identifiable under VATS. However, this method is invasive and is associated with a risk of complications.

Genetic profiling of thymic carcinoma using targeted next-generation sequencing.

Objectives: Thymic carcinoma is a rare mediastinal neoplasm and little is known about its tumorigenesis. There is no effective treatment except for complete resection, and the prognosis of advanced cases is poor. To identify the mutations associated with tumorigenesis, we analyzed genetic profile of thymic carcinoma using targeted next-generation sequencing.

Investigation of neurotrophic tyrosine kinase receptor 1 fusions and neurotrophic tyrosine kinase receptor family expression in non-small-cell lung cancer and sensitivity to AZD7451 .

Advances in the molecular segmentation of lung cancer has raised the possibility that neurotrophic tyrosine kinase receptor (NTRK) 1 fusions and NTRK1-3 expression may be promising molecular targets for future therapeutic interventions. We investigated the antitumor effects of a selective pan-NTRK inhibitor, AZD7451, by evaluating its antiproliferative effects on the KM12 cell line (a colorectal cancer cell line harboring a tropomyosin-NTRK1 fusion) and the H460 and H810 cell lines [large-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC) cell lines expressing NTRK2]. Relative quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was performed to measure the mRNA levels of the NTRK1-3 tyrosine kinase domain using cDNA extracted from KM12, H460 and H810 cells.

Prognosis of recurrent non-small cell lung cancer following complete resection.

Prognosis following recurrence subsequent to complete resection of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is considered a multifactorial process dependent on clinicopathological, biological and treatment characteristics. Gefitinib was approved for lung cancer treatment in Japan in 2002. The aim of the current study was to quantify the prognostic effects of these characteristics on post-recurrence prognosis.

gene overexpression in non-small-cell lung cancer.

Recent study results have demonstrated that a subclass of apolipoprotein B mRNA-editing enzyme, catalytic polypeptide-like (APOBEC) cytidine deaminase may induce mutation clusters in various types of cancer. From the Cancer Genome Altas, an APOBEC mutation pattern was identified in bladder, cervical, breast, head and neck and lung cancers. In the present study, mRNA expression was investigated using quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) assay using LightCycler in surgically treated non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cases.

Polymorphisms of NRF2 gene correlated with decreased FEV1 in lung cancers of smokers.

The metabolism of xenobiotics plays a fundamental role in smoking-related lung function loss and the development of pulmonary disease. An NRF2-dependent response is a key protective mechanism against oxidative stress. In the present study, we evaluated the effect of single nucleotide polymorphisms in NRF2 genes on the level of forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) in lung cancers of smokers.

mutations in lung cancer patients.

Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (Keap1) inhibits nuclear factor erythroid 2-related 2 (NEF2L2; also named NRF2)-induced cytoprotection and has been hypothesized to represent a candidate tumor suppressor. We have previously reported the somatic mutations of the NRF2 gene (), however, the correlation between the mutation and the clinicopathological features of lung cancer has not been well investigated. Therefore, in the present study, the mutational status in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients was investigated by reverse transcription PCR and direct sequencing.

Clinicopathological analysis of small-sized anterior mediastinal tumors.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the clinicopathological findings and prognosis of small-sized anterior mediastinal tumors (SSAMTs).

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on 43 patients who underwent surgery between January 1989 and December 2011 for SSAMTs.

Results: From the preoperative radiological findings, the tumors were classified into solid (n = 28) and cystic lesions (n = 15).

Usefulness of immunohistochemistry for the detection of the BRAF V600E mutation in Japanese lung adenocarcinoma.

Purpose: Mutations in components of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade may be a new candidate for target for lung cancer. The usefulness of immunohistochemistry (IHC) as a new approach for the detection of BRAF V600E in cancer patients has been recently reported.

Methods: To increase the sensitivity, we modified BRAF V600E expression detection assay by IHC using mutation specific antibody.

Post-irradiation constrictive pericarditis following thymoma treatment: a report of two cases.

Whole pericardial irradiation may be performed for mediastinal malignancies with pericardial dissemination or malignant pericardial effusion. Case 1 is a 57-year-old woman with a B1 thymoma, Masaoka stage IVa. She underwent whole pericardial irradiation and suffered post-irradiation constrictive pericarditis 3 years later.

Genotype analysis of the NRF2 gene mutation in lung cancer.

Nuclear factor (erythroid derived 2)-like 2 (NRF2, gene name NFE2L2) gene mutations have been previously identified in lung cancers. The constitutive activation of NRF2 resulting from gene mutations has been correlated with the poor prognosis of patients with squamous cell lung cancer. However, DNA sequencing using PCR methods described to date is time-consuming and requires significant quantities of DNA.

RET expression and detection of KIF5B/RET gene rearrangements in Japanese lung cancer.

RET encodes the tyrosine kinase receptor of growth factors belonging to the glial-derived neurotrophic factor family. Recently, RET gene rearrangements with N-terminal of KIF5B gene were identified in lung adenocarcinomas from large-scale sequencing. We investigated RET mRNA expression by real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay using LightCycler, and KIF5B/RET gene rearrangements using newly established fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis in surgically treated nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cases.

Clinicopathological analysis of small-sized thymoma with podoplanin and Ki 67 expression analysis.

Thymoma is the most common tumor of the anterior mediastinum for which surgical resection is currently the primary form of treatment. An increase in the incidence of a small-sized (≤3 cm) thymoma (SST) has recently been noted. Clinicopathological factors and prognosis of SST have not been reported previously.

gene expression in Japanese lung cancer patients.

An imbalance in immune regulation affects tumor-specific T-cell immunity in the cancer microenvironment and reshapes tumor progression and metastasis. Blockade of interactions of immune function mediates anti-tumor activity in preclinical models. In the present study, we investigated mRNA expression by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) using a LightCycler in surgically treated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cases.

RagD gene expression and NRF2 mutations in lung squamous cell carcinomas.

RagD is a member of the small G protein family, which encodes a recently discovered activator of the mTOR pathway. In vitro, RagD plays an important role in the proliferation of NRF2 gene (NFE2L2) mutated cancer cells. We hypothesized that tumor RagD expression may be correlated with the mutation status of NRF2 in lung cancers.

Polymorphisms in intron 1 of the EGFR gene in non-small cell lung cancer patients.

The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene is highly polymorphic and its expression and activity may be affected by various polymorphisms. There have been several studies examining associations between EGFR polymorphisms and clinical outcome of lung cancer therapy; however, the underlying mechanism is largely unknown. The present study investigated EGFR polymorphism status and its correlation with clinicopathological features in Japanese non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients.

Angiopoietin-like protein ANGPTL2 gene expression is correlated with lymph node metastasis in lung cancer.

Inflammation plays key roles at various stages of tumor development, including invasion and metastasis. In mice, the angiopoietin-like protein (ANGPTL2) gene has been implicated in inflammatory carcinogenesis. ANGPTL2 mRNA expression was investigated by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay using LightCycler in surgically treated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cases.

Expression of thymidylate synthase and orotate phosphoribosyltransferase in thymic carcinoma.

Thymic carcinoma is a rare thymic epithelial tumor in which chemotherapy for advanced disease has not yet been established. Thymidylate synthase (TS) and orotate phosphoribosyltransferase (OPRT) protein expression levels in thymic carcinoma were evaluated as possible indicators of the anticancer activity of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) drugs using immunohistochemistry (IHC). A total of 24 samples of thymic carcinoma were used in the present study.

Braf and erbB2 mutations correlate with smoking status in lung cancer patients.

The erbB pathway involves a family of tyrosine kinases and contributes to resistance or sensitivity to chemotherapy in many tumor types. Somatic mutations of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene at the kinase domain have been found in lung cancer patients. These mutations are correlated with clinical response to targeted molecular therapy.

DDR2 polymorphisms and mRNA expression in lung cancers of Japanese patients.

Discoidin domain receptor 2, DDR2, is a tyrosine kinase receptor for fibrillar collagen that is involved in postnatal development, tissue repair and primary and metastatic cancer progression. Recently, mutations in the DDR2 kinase gene were identified in squamous cell lung cancer from large-scale Sanger sequencing. The present study investigated the DDR2 gene mutations and mRNA expression in surgically treated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) of squamous histology cases.

KIF5B/RET fusion gene in surgically-treated adenocarcinoma of the lung.

Recently, a novel fusion gene resulting from a linkage between the kinesin family member 5B gene (KIF5B; 10p11.22) and the rearranged during transfection gene (RET; 10q11.21) was identified in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

MRP3 gene expression correlates with NRF2 mutations in lung squamous cell carcinomas.

The expression of multidrug-resistant protein-3 (MRP3), a membrane-bound transporter, has been linked to drug resistance in non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLCs). Recently, we reported that NRF2 gene (NFE2L2) mutations are correlated with poor prognosis for lung squamous cell carcinomas. We hypothesized that tumor MRP3 expression may be correlated with the mutation status of upstream regulators, including NRF2, in NSCLC patients.