Assessing the multimodal management of advanced solitary fibrous tumors of the pleura in a routine practice setting.

Background: Solitary fibrous tumors of the pleura (SFTP) refer as to a heterogeneous group of mesenchymal malignancies with various anatomic and histology features. Upfront surgical resection is the standard approach, but recurrences may be aggressive and difficult to treat. The most widely accepted staging system has been proposed by De Perrot et al.

A phase II randomized study evaluating the addition of iniparib to gemcitabine plus cisplatin as first-line therapy for metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer.

Background: Iniparib is a novel anticancer agent initially considered a poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor, but subsequently shown to act via non-selective protein modification through cysteine adducts. This randomized phase II study investigated the addition of iniparib to gemcitabine-cisplatin in metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients.

Patients And Methods: Patients with histologically confirmed stage IV NSCLC were randomized 2 : 1 to receive gemcitabine (1250 mg/m(2), days 1/8) and cisplatin (75 mg/m(2), day 1) with [gemcitabine/cisplatin/iniparib (GCI)] or without [gemcitabine/cisplatin (GC)] iniparib (5.

Detection of circulating tumor cells from lung cancer patients in the era of targeted therapy: promises, drawbacks and pitfalls.

Interest in biomarkers in the field of thoracic oncology is focused on the search for new robust tests for diagnosis (in particular for screening), prognosis and theragnosis. These biomarkers can be detected in tissues and/or cells, but also in biological fluids, mainly the blood. In this context, there is growing interest in the detection of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in the blood of lung cancer patients since CTC identification, enumeration and characterization may have a direct impact on diagnosis, prognosis and theragnosis in the daily clinical practice.

[Socio-anthropological perspective of the under nutrition care of cancer patients].

The diet of the cancer patient is a major focus of prevention and treatment strategy of the recent plans that fight against cancer. It is sometimes reduced to a rapid series of more or less general advice, often interfered by other sources of information, more or less conventional. In this pathological situation where the nutritional status of the patient is paramount, it seems crucial to understand the different modalities of how the food behavior is implemented.

[An analysis of treatment delays of thoracic cancers: a prospective study].

Introduction: Lung cancer is the main cause of cancer death in France. The diagnosis is often late and the delay between the onset of symptoms and management is considered an aggravating factor.

Material And Methods: Our prospective study collected the dates of the start of management of 139 consecutive patients receiving first line treatment for thoracic cancer in our hospital between November 2008 and May 2009.

Customized adjuvant phase II trial in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer: IFCT-0801 TASTE.

Purpose: Surgical resection plus adjuvant platinum-based chemotherapy is considered standard care for stage II to III non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but its efficacy is limited, and it involves toxic risks, justifying patient-tailored treatment. Excision repair cross-complementation group 1 (ERCC1) was shown to predict cisplatin-based chemotherapy response; EGFR mutations were predictive of epidermal growth factor receptor inhibition response.

Patients And Methods: This prospective randomized phase II trial enrolled 150 patients with completely resected non-squamous cell stage II or IIIA (non-N2) tumors.

Efficacy of first-line chemotherapy in patients with advanced lung sarcomatoid carcinoma.

Background: Sarcomatoid carcinomas (SCs) are rare tumors that may arise in the lung, accounting for 0.4% of non-small-cell lung cancers; the prognosis is poor. Only few retrospective small-size series have studied the efficacy of chemotherapy (CT) for metastatic SC.

Prognostic factors associated with interventional bronchoscopy in lung cancer.

Background: Interventional bronchoscopy is an effective procedure for malignant central airway obstruction, although its indications are poorly defined and its benefits difficult to predict. The purpose of the study was to identify the patients' or the disease's characteristics that are correlated with survival to enable clinicians to identify the best indications.

Methods: We retrospectively studied the data from 204 patients treated between 2004 and 2010.

[Hospital undertaking of patients with a resection of lung cancer].

Introduction: The aim of the study is to describe the hospital management of patients undergoing pulmonary resection for lung cancer in France.

Methods: Data from patients who underwent resection for "malignant neoplasm of bronchus and lung" in 2008 were analyzed from French PMSI database. Hospitalizations, chemotherapy and radiotherapy sessions were analyzed one year before and after the procedure.

Evaluation of EGFR protein expression by immunohistochemistry using H-score and the magnification rule: re-analysis of the SATURN study.

Introduction: The phase III SATURN study demonstrated that first-line maintenance erlotinib extended progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) versus placebo in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Analysis of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) expression by immunohistochemistry (IHC) found no significant interaction between EGFR IHC status and PFS (p = 0.63) or OS (p = 0.

Lung cancer that harbors an HER2 mutation: epidemiologic characteristics and therapeutic perspectives.

Purpose: HER2 mutations are identified in approximately 2%of non-small-cell lung cancers (NSCLC). There are few data available that describe the clinical course of patients with HER2-mutated NSCLC.

Patients And Methods: We retrospectively identified 65 NSCLC, diagnosed with a HER2 in-frame insertion in exon 20.

Specificities of lung adenocarcinoma in women who have never smoked.

Introduction: No clear data are available on the high rate of tobacco-independent lung cancer in women. We hypothesize that genetic events or hormonal factors may be partly involved.

Methods: We aimed to compare clinical, pathological, and biological characteristics of lung cancer in two cohorts of women: smokers and never-smokers.

Alternative processing of the U2 small nuclear RNA produces a 19-22nt fragment with relevance for the detection of non-small cell lung cancer in human serum.

RNU2 exists in two functional forms (RNU2-1 and RNU2-2) distinguishable by the presence of a unique 4-bases motif. Detailed investigation of datasets obtained from deep sequencing of five human lung primary tumors revealed that both forms express at a high rate a 19-22nt fragment (miR-U2-1 and -2) from its 3' region and contains the 4-bases motif. Deep sequencing of independent pools of serum samples from healthy donors and lung cancer patients revealed that miR-U2-1 and -2 are pervasively processed in lung tissue by means of endonucleolytic cleavages and stably exported to the blood.

Radiofrequency ablation for non-small-cell lung cancer in a single-lung patient: case report and review of the literature.

Background: Radiofrequency thermal ablation is an alternative option to manage primary or metastatic lung malignancies. It is particular useful for unresectable lesions because of the disease's location, prior resection, or comorbidities. Patients presenting with a lung tumor that occurs in a single lung due to a prior pneumonectomy are difficult to manage with a curative intent due to the risk of complications after local treatment.

Bronchial colonisation in patients with lung cancer: a prospective study.

Bronchial colonisation is frequently reported in patients with lung cancer, and has a potential impact on therapeutic management and prognosis. We aimed to prospectively define the prevalence and nature of bronchial colonisation in patients at the time of diagnosing lung cancer. 210 consecutive patients with lung cancer underwent a flexible bronchoscopy for lung cancer.

A comparative and integrative approach identifies ATPase family, AAA domain containing 2 as a likely driver of cell proliferation in lung adenocarcinoma.

Purpose: To identify genetic changes that could drive cancer pathogenesis in never and ever smokers with lung adenocarcinoma.

Experimental Design: We analyzed the copy number and gene expression profiles of lung adenocarcinomas in 165 patients and related the alterations to smoking status. Having found differences in the tumor profiles, we integrated copy number and gene expression data from 80 paired samples.

[COPD and lung cancer: epidemiological and biological links].

Lung cancer and chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD) are two common fatal diseases. Apart from their common link to tobacco, these two diseases are usually considered to be the result of separate distinct mechanisms. In the past 15 years, numerous studies have produced arguments in favour of a relationship between these two pathologies that goes beyond a simple addition of risk factors.

Thymoma and solid-organ transplantation.

Solid-organ-transplant recipients are at high risk of developing cancer, including thoracic malignancies. Herein, we report on two cases of thymoma in solid-organ recipients. One case was a female kidney-transplant recipient who had a type B2, Masaoka stage IVA thymoma that was treated by extended surgical resection followed by postoperative radiation therapy.

Erlotinib versus standard chemotherapy as first-line treatment for European patients with advanced EGFR mutation-positive non-small-cell lung cancer (EURTAC): a multicentre, open-label, randomised phase 3 trial.

Background: Erlotinib has been shown to improve progression-free survival compared with chemotherapy when given as first-line treatment for Asian patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with activating EGFR mutations. We aimed to assess the safety and efficacy of erlotinib compared with standard chemotherapy for first-line treatment of European patients with advanced EGFR-mutation positive NSCLC.

Methods: We undertook the open-label, randomised phase 3 EURTAC trial at 42 hospitals in France, Italy, and Spain.

DNA replication stress response involving PLK1, CDC6, POLQ, RAD51 and CLASPIN upregulation prognoses the outcome of early/mid-stage non-small cell lung cancer patients.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. Clinical staging classification is generally insufficient to provide a reliable prognosis, particularly for early stages. In addition, prognostic factors are therefore needed to better forecast life expectancy and optimize adjuvant therapeutic strategy.

Characteristics of lung cancer in women: importance of hormonal and growth factors.

Based on epidemiological, clinical, and preclinical data, lung carcinogenesis can be distinctive in women, suggesting that women should be treated differently depending on the expression of various specific biomarkers. We aimed to describe the hormonal and genetic profile of lung cancer in both men and women to identify gender specificities. Primary lung-tumor tissues from surgically treated patients, (50 men, 50 women) were analyzed and compared for expression of estrogen receptors (ER) α and β, progesterone receptors (PR), epidermal growth-factor receptor (EGFR), and HER2 (for EGFR and K-Ras mutations).

Prospective molecular marker analyses of EGFR and KRAS from a randomized, placebo-controlled study of erlotinib maintenance therapy in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer.

Purpose: The phase III, randomized, placebo-controlled Sequential Tarceva in Unresectable NSCLC (SATURN; BO18192) study found that erlotinib maintenance therapy extended progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who had nonprogressive disease following first-line platinum-doublet chemotherapy. This study included prospective analysis of the prognostic and predictive value of several biomarkers.

Patients And Methods: Mandatory diagnostic tumor specimens were collected before initiating first-line chemotherapy and were tested for epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) protein expression by using immunohistochemistry (IHC), EGFR gene copy number by using fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH), and EGFR and KRAS mutations by using DNA sequencing.

The prognostic significance of lymphovascular invasion on biopsy specimens in lung cancer treated with definitive chemoradiotherapy.

Purpose: This study aims to determine prognostic factors for patients who have non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that is treated with definitive chemoradiation therapy.

Materials And Methods: Seventy-eight patients has been treated with radiation therapy and concomitant or sequential chemotherapy between 2000 and 2005. Paraffin-embedded biopsy specimens were obtained before treatment from 73 patients and reviewed by two independent pathologists.

[A brief overview of a lung cancer biomarker: thymidylate synthase].

Thymidylate synthase (TS) is an enzyme, which catalyzes the methylation of deoxyuridylate to deoxythymidylate using 5.10-methylenetetrahydrofolate as a cofactor. For this reason, TS has been widely investigated and is one of the best-known drug targets in the anticancer area.