Publications by authors named "Phillip Antippa"

Importance: Patients with lung cancer have poor physical functioning and quality of life. Despite promising outcomes for those who undertake exercise programs, implementation into practice of previously tested hospital-based programs is rare.

Objective: To evaluate a home-based exercise and self-management program for patients after lung resection.

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Background: Lung cancer in Australia contributes 9% of all new cancer diagnoses and is the leading cause of cancer death and burden. Clinical practice guidelines provide evidence-based treatment recommendations for best practice management. We aimed to determine the extent of delivery of guideline-concordant treatment (GCT) and to identify modifiable variables influencing receipt of GCT and survival.

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  • Pleural empyema is a serious condition that affects patient health, and recent studies suggest that surgical intervention might offer better short-term results, but the long-term effects are less understood.
  • A systematic review of 11 studies found that while surgical patients showed improvements in lung function and reduced dyspnoea after 2-7 years, the quality of life and comparisons to other treatments were lacking due to significant bias in the studies.
  • The conclusion emphasizes the need for better-designed prospective trials to accurately assess the long-term benefits of surgical intervention for pleural empyema.
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  • Endobronchial radiofrequency ablation (RFA) offers a minimally invasive treatment for patients with peripheral non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who cannot undergo surgery, with procedures guided by cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT).
  • The study analyzed data from ten patients who underwent bronchoscopic RFA, calculating their radiation exposure using PCXMC2.0 software and evaluating the amount of radiation received during CBCT imaging.
  • Results showed that the average effective radiation dose was about 11.6 mSv, which is similar to radiation levels from other CT-guided procedures, highlighting the safety of this technique in managing NSCLC.
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Tissue-resident memory T (T) cells provide immune defense against local infection and can inhibit cancer progression. However, it is unclear to what extent chronic inflammation impacts T activation and whether T cells existing in tissues before tumor onset influence cancer evolution in humans. We performed deep profiling of healthy lungs and lung cancers in never-smokers (NSs) and ever-smokers (ESs), finding evidence of enhanced immunosurveillance by cells with a T-like phenotype in ES lungs.

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Background: Surgical approach is the most effective treatment for primary spontaneous pneumothorax. The two most widely adopted surgical methods are mechanical abrasion and apical pleurectomy, in addition to bullectomy. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine which technique is superior in treating primary spontaneous pneumothorax.

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Azygos vein injuries are rare consequences of blunt trauma. When there is high drainage output from a right-sided intercostal catheter, an azygos injury must be considered in the differential diagnosis. We report the case of a 38-year-old male patient involved in a fall from a height during a motorcycle accident.

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Background: Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is an established modality for percutaneous ablation of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in medically inoperable patients but is underutilized clinically due to side effects. We have developed a novel, completely endobronchial RFA catheter with an externally cooled electrode.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to establish the safety and feasibility of bronchoscopic RFA using a novel, externally cooled catheter for ablation of peripheral NSCLC.

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  • * A total of 155 patients were analyzed, with a mean age of 61.5 years, and procedures included lobectomy, segmentectomy, and wedge resection performed mostly via video-assisted techniques.
  • * Results indicated that the -8 cm H2O suction was safe, showing manageable median durations for intercostal catheter (ICC) and hospital stays, leading to a recommendation for further prospective studies on suction levels.
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Introduction: Exercise is important in the postoperative management of lung cancer, yet no strong evidence exists for delivery of home-based programmes. Our feasibility (phase I) study established feasibility of a home-based exercise and self-management programme (the programme) delivered postoperatively. This efficacy (phase II) study aims to determine whether the programme, compared with usual care, is effective in improving physical function (primary outcome) in patients after lung cancer surgery.

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  • The study explores how thermal ablation treatment for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) might boost the immune system's response and improve the effectiveness of immunotherapy.* -
  • Five patients underwent bronchoscopic thermal vapour ablation, followed by lobectomy, with findings showing increased PD-L1 expression in some tumor areas post-treatment, suggesting a change in the tumor's immune profile.* -
  • Although the study shows promising results in increasing PD-L1 expression, more research is needed to understand the overall immune response and its impact on the effectiveness of immune checkpoint inhibitors in NSCLC.*
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Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide, with approximately 1.6 million cancer related deaths each year. Prognosis is best in patients with early stage disease, though even then five-year survival is only 55% in some groups.

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Background: Many extrapulmonary neoplasms metastasize to the lungs. We conducted a retrospective review of all patients who underwent pulmonary metastasectomy for oligometastatic disease at two centres in order to determine long-term outcomes.

Methods: The study institutions' thoracic surgery databases were searched for all patients who underwent pulmonary metastasectomy from 2000 to 2017.

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Background: Pulmonary carcinoids are rare neoplasms, accounting for approximately 1%-2% of all lung malignancies. A retrospective analysis was undertaken of all patients who underwent surgical resection of pulmonary carcinoid tumours across multiple institutions in Melbourne, Australia.

Methods: From May 2000 through April 2020, 241 patients who underwent surgical resection of pulmonary carcinoid tumours were retrospectively reviewed.

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Introduction: Individuals diagnosed with acute lymphoid and myeloid malignancies are at significant risk of invasive fungal and bacterial infections secondary to their marked immunocompromised states with a significant high risk of mortality. The role of metabolic imaging with 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography (PET/CT) has been increasingly recognized in optimizing the diagnosis of invasive infection, monitoring the response to therapy and guiding the duration of antimicrobial therapy or need to escalate to surgical intervention.

Methods: Two distinct cases of pulmonary co-infection of rare fungal and bacterial pathogens are explored in severely immunocompromised individuals where FDG PET/CT aided both patients to make a full recovery and transition to HCT.

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Background: Adenoid cystic carcinoma is a rare cause of thoracic malignancy, and the prognosis may depend on the extent of surgical resection and adjuvant radiotherapy. Complete resection has low rates of local recurrence but is complicated by the involvement of central airways. Adjuvant radiotherapy is frequently recommended but unproven.

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Background: Clinical audit may improve practice in cancer service provision. The UK National Lung Cancer Audit (NLCA) collects data for all new cases of thoracic cancers.

Aim: To collect similar data for our Victorian patients from six hospitals within the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre and associated Western and Central Melbourne Integrated Cancer Service.

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  • Surgical resection is the primary treatment for early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and this study investigates outcomes for patients aged 80 and older in Victoria, Australia.
  • Among 200 patients analyzed, early mortality was higher in those aged 83 and older, especially for those undergoing lobectomy compared to sub-lobar resection.
  • Long-term survival was influenced by age and disease stage, with younger patients (under 83) with Stage I disease having better outcomes with lobectomy than sub-lobar procedures.
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  • Physical activity is crucial for lung cancer patients, yet many do not meet the recommended activity levels, prompting a study to explore the feasibility and effectiveness of a self-management program for increasing their activity.
  • The study involved a case series of lung cancer patients, offering a program that included home aerobic exercises, weekly telephone consultations, and educational support, starting either pre- or post-surgery.
  • Results showed a high consent rate but no significant increase in physical activity or reduction in sedentary time after the program, indicating challenges in improving activity levels among post-operative patients.
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Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is a multisystem phakomatosis. The intrathoracic manifestations of NF1 are protean. We describe a rare case of a plexiform neurofibroma infiltrating the mediastinum and lungs with multiple endobronchial neurofibromata.

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Bronchial carcinoids are uncommon pulmonary tumours, and the gold standard management is surgical resection. Their management is often complicated by their proximal location and propensity to bleed when manipulated. A 22-year-old man was found to have typical carcinoid tumour involving the carina and surgical resection was considered not feasible.

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Lung squamous cell carcinoma (SqCC) is a molecularly complex and genomically unstable disease. No targeted therapy is currently approved for lung SqCC, although potential oncogenic drivers of SqCC have been identified, including amplification of the fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (). Reports from a recently completed clinical trial indicate low response rates in patients treated with FGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors, suggesting inadequacy of amplification as a biomarker of response, or the need for combination treatment.

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