Spectrum of somatic EGFR, KRAS, BRAF, PTEN mutations and TTF-1 expression in Brazilian lung cancer patients.

Lung cancer is the leading global cause of cancer-related mortality. Inter-individual variability in treatment response and prognosis has been associated with genetic polymorphisms in specific genes: EGFR, KRAS, BRAF, PTEN and TTF-1. Somatic mutations in EGFR and KRAS genes are reported at rates of 15-40% in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in ethnically diverse populations.

Cavernostomy x resection for pulmonary aspergilloma: a 32-year history.

Background: The most adequate surgical technique for the treatment of pulmonary aspergilloma is still controversial. This study compared two groups of patients submitted to cavernostomy and pulmonary parenchyma resection.

Methods: Cases of pulmonary aspergilloma operated upon between 1979 and 2010 were analyzed retrospectively.

Intimal sarcoma of the pulmonary artery: a differential diagnosis of chronic pulmonary thromboembolism.

Intimal sarcoma of the pulmonary artery is a rare and potentially lethal tumor, the diagnosis of which is difficult and therefore frequently delayed. The clinical signs and symptoms are nonspecific, often mimicking chronic pulmonary thromboembolism (CPTE). We report the case of a 45-year-old male under treatment for CPTE associated with pulmonary arterial hypertension and chronic cor pulmonale.