MicroRNA and mRNA features of malignant pleural mesothelioma and benign asbestos-related pleural effusion.

Introduction: We investigated the expression of microRNAs and mRNAs in pleural tissues from patients with either malignant pleural mesothelioma or benign asbestos-related pleural effusion.

Methods: Fresh frozen tissues from a total of 18 malignant pleural mesothelioma and 6 benign asbestos-related pleural effusion patients were studied. Expression profiling of mRNA and microRNA was performed using standard protocols.

Generation and sequencing of pulmonary carcinoid tumor cell lines.

Introduction: Pulmonary carcinoid tumors account for approximately 5% of all lung malignancies in adults, and comprise 30% of all carcinoid tumors. There are limited reagents available to study these rare tumors, and consequently no major advances have been made for patient treatment. We report the generation and characterization of human pulmonary carcinoid tumor cell lines to study underlying biology, and to provide models for testing novel chemotherapeutic agents.

Early experience with robotic-assisted lung resection.

Objective: Robotic-assisted surgery is not widely accepted for general thoracic surgical procedures, and the technical advantages, cost effectiveness, and patient benefit are in question. Few reports have been published to date regarding clinical experience with this technology. We describe our first consecutive case experience with robotic-assisted lung resection.

Surgical management of lung cancer.

Lung cancer continues to be the most frequent cancer-related cause of death in the United States and throughout the world. Surgical resection is currently the most effective treatment in early-stage non-small-cell lung cancer, and historically the only treatment approach achieving significant cure rates. In advanced disease, therapeutic approaches involving chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy are utilized to improve prognosis, either as part of a neoadjuvant treatment approach followed by surgical resection or as definitive treatment alone.

Bronchial resection margin length and clinical outcome in non-small cell lung cancer.

Objective: Complete surgical resection with pathologic negative margin is associated with the best prognosis in early-stage non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, the impact of the length of the bronchial margin remains unknown. This study aimed to determine whether an increased bronchial resection margin length is correlated with an improved disease-free and overall survival rate.

Pretreatment assessment for the optimal management of early-stage lung cancer.

Optimal management of non-small cell lung cancer requires treatment approach to be tailored to both the particular disease stage and the overall health and functional status of the patient. Even though surgical resection by means of an anatomic lobectomy remains the treatment of choice with the goal of cure for early-stage lung cancer, it is an invasive procedure with associated morbidity and mortality. Although these risks continue to decrease in the modern era with improvements in surgical technique and perioperative management, the risks are elevated in patients with associated medical comorbidities.

Outcome of lung transplantation in elderly recipients.

Objective: Lung transplantation is a standard treatment option for patients with end-stage lung disease. Lung transplantation in the elderly is controversial due to concerns over anticipated increased surgical risks, inferior long-term outcomes and proper stewardship in allocating limited donor organs. With demographic trends showing an increasing proportion of patients over 60 years old, we evaluated our outcomes with lung transplantation in this older cohort.

Prospects for molecular staging of non-small-cell lung cancer from genomic alterations.

Genomic technology continues to advance, and data derived from non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tumor specimens in conjunction with clinical information are accumulating at an exponential rate. Application of this information to clinical practice for the treatment of patients with NSCLC lags behind the promise of individualized patient management based on genomic medicine. Testing treatment decisions based on genomic information in cancer clinical trials is only now being addressed.

An alternative postoperative pathway reduces length of hospitalisation following oesophagectomy.

Objective: As part of our ongoing quality improvement effort, we evaluated our conventional approach to post-oesophagectomy management by comparing it to an alternative postoperative management pathway.

Methods: Medical records from 386 consecutive patients undergoing oesophagectomy with gastric conduit for oesophageal cancer or Barrett's oesophagus with high-grade dysplasia were analysed retrospectively (July 2004 to August 2008). The conventional pathway involved a routine radiographic contrast swallow study at 5-7 days after oesophagectomy with initiation of oral intake if no leak was detected.

Clinical outcomes of video-assisted thoracoscopic lobectomy.

Objective: To review our experience with video-assisted thoracoscopic (VATS) lobectomy with respect to morbidity, mortality, and short-term outcome.

Patients And Methods: VATS lobectomies were performed in 56 patients between July 6, 2006, and February 26, 2008. Two patients declined consent for research participation and were excluded.