A Phase II Study to Assess the Efficacy of Osimertinib in Patients With EGFR Mutation-positive NSCLC Who Developed Isolated CNS Progression (T790M-negative or Unknown) During First- or Second-generation EGFR-TKI or Systemic Disease Progression (T790M-negative) After Treatment With First- or Second-generation EGFR-TKI and Platinum-based Chemotherapy (WJOG12819L).

Osimertinib is a third-generation epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) that has recently been established as a standard treatment option for chemotherapy-naive patients with EGFR mutation-positive non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, only about one-half of patients who have received prior treatment with a first- or second-generation EGFR-TKI are eligible for osimertinib therapy because its indication in the second-line setting is limited to metastatic NSCLC positive for the T790M resistance mutation of EGFR. The dose-escalation part of a study in which patients received osimertinib at doses of 20 to 240 mg once daily after the development of resistance to first- or second-generation EGFR-TKIs revealed a response rate of 21% and a median progression-free survival of 2.

The association between ear involvement and clinical features and prognosis in ANCA-associated vasculitis.

Objective: The concept of otitis media with ANCA-associated vasculitis (OMAAV) was recently proposed by the study group of the Japan Otological Society. However, little is known about the effect of ear involvement on the clinical features and prognosis of AAV. We investigate this issue in this study.

Endobronchial hamartoma coexisting with lung cancer.

Clinicians should be careful when examining a case with endobronchial hamartoma with concurrent malignant disease because radiographic imaging and symptoms cannot clearly differentiate between both diseases.

Prediction of Spirometric Indices Using Forced Oscillometric Indices in Patients with Asthma, COPD, and Interstitial Lung Disease.

Background And Objective: Spirometry is sometimes difficult to perform in elderly patients and patients with cognitive impairment. Forced oscillometry (FOT) is a simple, noninvasive technique used for measuring respiratory impedance. The aim of this study was to develop regression equations to estimate vital capacity (VC), forced vital capacity (FVC), and forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV) on the basis of FOT indices and to evaluate the accuracy of these equations in patients with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and interstitial lung disease (ILD).

Pulmonary Hemorrhaging as a Fatal Complication of IgA Vasculitis.

A 64-year-old man was admitted to our hospital for purpuric rash, joint pain, and a fever. He had earlier undergone a follow-up examination for interstitial lung disease. At the current visit, the diagnosis was immunoglobulin A (IgA) vasculitis, based on skin and renal biopsy findings.

[Pneumonia and Streptococcal Toxic Shock Syndrome Due to Group A Streptococci: A Case Report].

A 71-year-old woman who was undergoing immunosuppressive therapy presented with a 7-day history of productive cough and 2-day history of fever. She was diagnosed with severe pneumonia and septic shock. Meropenem, azithromycin, large amounts of fluids, and noradrenaline were administered, and high-flow nasal cannula oxygen therapy was provided.

Lung cancer surgery in patients aged 80 years or older: an analysis of risk factors, morbidity, and mortality.

Introduction: As the population ages, the age of patients undergoing thoracic surgery increases, and elderly patients often have more comorbidities than younger patients.

Methods: This retrospective study observed preoperative comorbidities, surgical procedures and postoperative morbidity and mortality after lung cancer surgery in patients 80 years of age or older. The medical records of lung cancer patients 80 years of age or older who underwent surgery from January 2003 to December 2012 were reviewed.

Antitumor activity of MEK and PI3K inhibitors against malignant pleural mesothelioma cells in vitro and in vivo.

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is an aggressive malignancy for which there is no approved targeted therapy. We examined the therapeutic efficacy of the mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK) and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitors against human MPM cell lines both in vitro and orthotopically inoculated into severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mice. In addition, the molecular mechanisms of these agents were confirmed in vitro and in vivo.

Antitussive effect of bakumondoto a fixed kampo medicine (six herbal components) for treatment of post-infectious prolonged cough: controlled clinical pilot study with 19 patients.

Bakumondoto (TJ-29) is a traditional herbal medicine that has been used in Japan for the treatment of bronchitis, bronchial asthma, and cough. This study investigated the effect of TJ-29 for the treatment of post-infectious prolonged cough. We performed a multicenter randomized controlled trial treating patients without (group A, n=11) or with TJ-29 (group B, n=8) for a total of 2 weeks using a beta 2 stimulant as the basal agent.

A case of pulmonary nodular lymphoid hyperplasia with a resected cavity, followed by spontaneous regression of the remaining lesions.

A 50-year-old man was admitted to our hospital for examination of an abnormal shadow on chest radiography. Computed tomography revealed multiple small nodular shadows in bilateral lung fields, with cavitation in a right S3 lesion that was resected by video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery. Histopathological examination revealed marked proliferation of lymphoid tissue, including many plasma cells that were polyclonal in nature.

In vitro and in vivo therapeutic efficacy of the PPAR-γ agonist troglitazone in combination with cisplatin against malignant pleural mesothelioma cell growth.

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM), an aggressive and refractory tumor type, is increasing in frequency throughout the world. Peroxisome proliferator activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ) agonists have anticancer activity against several cancer cell lines in vitro and in vivo. However, there have been no reports that PPAR-γ agonists induce growth inhibition of MPM cell lines.

Comparative evaluation of serum markers in pulmonary sarcoidosis.

Background: Although several serum markers have shown their ability to reflect lymphocytic alveolitis and disease progression in pulmonary sarcoidosis, to our knowledge no prior study has made comparative evaluations of these markers.

Methods: Forty-three patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis were enrolled. BAL fluid (BALF) cells were analyzed, and serum levels of serum amyloid A (SAA), soluble interleukin 2 receptor (sIL-2R), lysozyme, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), and the mucin-like, high-molecular-weight glycoprotein KL-6 were measured at disease presentation.

Pulmonary tumor thrombotic microangiopathy associated with lung cancer.

We describe a case of pulmonary tumor thrombotic microangiopathy (PTTM) associated with lung cancer. A 63-year-old woman, who had been treated for lung cancer, was admitted to our hospital because of progressive dyspnea. Chest CT films showed reticular shadows in the middle and left upper lobes, and echocardiography revealed severe pulmonary hypertension.

Bacterial tracheobronchitis. A rare cause of adult airway stenosis.

Bacterial tracheobronchitis is a rare cause of airway stenosis in adults. This report describes a 73-year-old woman with a recent history of polysialadenitis, who presented with severe airway obstruction due to infection and stenosis of tracheal and bronchial tissue. Tissue culture of the bronchial mucosa showed growth of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis (MRSE).

[Successful treatment of non-small cell lung cancer by gefitinib in an elderly patient with poor performance status].

A 91-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital with dyspnea. A chest radiograph and chest CT films revealed a large amount of pleural effusion in the right side pleural cavity. After serial thoracentesis, chest CT films showed a mass shadow in the right S(6).

Refractory pneumothorax secondary to lung cancer in a patient with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

An unusual case of refractory pneumothorax secondary to lung cancer in a 69-year-old man patient with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is described. High-pressure suction applied through chest tube did not resolve the large right pneumothorax. Acute exacerbation of IPF has also appeared.

[Chronic necrotizing pulmonary aspergillosis in the surgically treated lung].

A 76-year-old man was admitted because of bloody sputum persisting for 3 months. Right upper lobectomy had been performed for non-small cell lung cancer (well-differentiated adenocarcinoma, pT1NOMO) 6 years prior, and the patient had uncontrolled diabetes. Chest computed tomography on admission showed a 1-cm nodule (fungus ball) in a cavitary lesion and consolidation with an air bronchogram were present in the right lung.