PUREAIR protocol: randomized controlled trial of intensive pulmonary rehabilitation versus standard care in patients undergoing surgical resection for lung cancer.

Background: Non-small cell lung cancer is the most common type of lung cancer. Surgery is proven to be the most effective treatment in early stages, despite its potential impact on quality of life. Pulmonary rehabilitation, either before or after surgery, is associated with reduced morbidity related symptoms and improved exercise capacity, lung function and quality of life.

Occasional detection of thymic epithelial tumor 4 years after diagnosis of adult onset Still disease: A challenging case report and immuno-oncological considerations coming from pertinent literature review.

Background: Thymoma is a T cell neoplasm arising from the thymic epithelium that due to its immunological role, frequently undercover derangements of immunity such a tumors and autoimmune diseases.

Methods: Herein, we report, to the best of our knowledge, the first description of an association between thymoma and adult onset Still disease (AOSD) in a 47-year-old man. The first one was occasionally detected 4 years later the diagnosis of AOSD, and surgically removed via right lateral thoracotomy.

Endobronchial Hamartoma Subtotally Occluding the Right Main Bronchus and Mimicking Bronchial Carcinoid Tumor.

Hamartomas are very rarely identified as an endobronchial lesion. Herein, we describe a peculiar case of a 55-year-old woman with persistent cough and increasing dyspnea and radiological detection of a solid lesion subtotally occluding the main right bronchus. Despite the radiological and radiometabolic (18-fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose positron emission tomography/computer tomography scan) features were highly suspected for bronchial carcinoid, the definitive diagnosis after endoscopic removal was indicative of an endobronchial hamartoma.

A 79-Year-Old Man With Interstitial Lung Disease and Cryptic Area of High 18 Fluorodeoxyglucose Uptake in Left Upper Lobe.

Seven years after left hemicolectomy and radical lymph nodal dissection followed by adjuvant chemotherapy for colorectal cancer (histotype, adenocarcinoma; stage, pT3N2M0; grading, G2), a slight increase in carcinoembryonic antigen levels (6.2 ng/mL; range, 0-5 ng/mL) was detected in a 79-year-old man. He was a heavy smoker with history of an interstitial fibrotic lung disease with associated areas of emphysema.

Severe breathing and swallowing difficulties during routine restorative dentistry.

Unlabelled: Although sporadically reported after dental examination, subcutaneous emphysema may be erroneously confused with an allergic, or anaphylactic, reaction. We herein report a case of a 57-year-old Caucasian woman who came to our attention after restorative treatment for a carious mandibular right second primary molar. During dental examination, an air driven hand-piece was used to restore occlusal caries.

Multicenter comparison of 18F-FDG and 68Ga-DOTA-peptide PET/CT for pulmonary carcinoid.

Purpose: The aims of this study were to retrospectively evaluate and compare the detection rate (DR) of 68Ga-DOTA-peptide and 18F-FDG PET/CT in the preoperative workup of patients with pulmonary carcinoid (PC) and to assess the utility of various functional indices obtained with the 2 tracers in predicting the histological characterization of PC, that is, typical versus atypical.

Methods: Thirty-three consecutive patients with confirmed PC referred for 18F-FDG and 68Ga-DOTA-peptide PET/CT in 2 centers between January 2009 and April 2013 were included. The semiquantitative evaluation included the SUV max, the SUV of the tumor relative to the maximal liver uptake for 18F-FDG (SUV T/L) or the maximal spleen uptake for 68Ga-DOTA-peptides (SUV T/S), the ratio between SUV max of 68Ga-DOTA-peptides PET/CT, and the SUV max of 18F-FDG PET/CT (SUV max ratio).

Ectopic mature cerebral tissue in the nasal cavity incidentally detected by 18F-FDG PET/CT.

Herein we describe a rare case of neuroglial heterotopia (ectopic mature cerebral tissue) incidentally detected by F-FDG PET/CT. A 52-year-old female patient underwent F-FDG PET/CT for metabolic characterization of a left pulmonary nodule. F-FDG PET/CT revealed increased radiopharmaceutical uptake corresponding to the pulmonary nodule pathologically described as adenocarcinoma.

PET/CT assessment of neuroendocrine tumors of the lung with special emphasis on bronchial carcinoids.

Pulmonary neuroendocrine tumors (pNETs) arise from bronchial mucosal cells known as enterochromaffin cells which are part of the diffuse neuroendocrine system. The pathological spectrum of pNETs ranges from low-/intermediate-grade neoplasms such as bronchial carcinoids (BCs), also known as typical or atypical carcinoids, to high-grade neoplasms as large-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma and small-cell lung cancer. The tumor biology of pNETs still represents a matter of open debate.

"Dry" pleural mesothelioma successfully diagnosed on endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS)-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (TBNA).

The acquisition of histologic material is obligatory in order to establish the diagnosis of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). In particular, tissue acquisition in cases of "dry" MPM (focal pleural thickening without pleural effusion or mediastinal lymph node involvement) is usually performed via a thoracoscopic pleural biopsy. In contrast, the techniques for performing echoendoscopic (transbronchial or transesophageal) needle aspiration of pleural lesions have only rarely been reported due to the theoretical limitations of tissue acquisition in such cases.

Soluble epidermal growth factor receptor isoforms in non-small cell lung cancer tissue and in blood.

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is implicated in tumor development and is highly expressed in many human tumors. EGFR overexpression has been observed in both premalignant lesions and in malignant lung tumors, as well as in 40-80% of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). EGFR is a 170-kDa transmembrane glycoprotein with an extracellular ligand-binding domain and a cytoplasmic domain with intrinsic tyrosine kinase activity.

Mediastinal Castleman's disease mimicking thoracic paravertebral schwannoma.

A 51-year-old female underwent resection of a solid lesion in the posterior mediastinum, preoperatively interpreted at imaging as thoracic schwannoma, requiring double sequential surgical procedure to be resected. The histologic examination of the resected mass diagnosed a hyaline-vascular Castleman's disease.

Massive right hemothorax as the source of hemorrhagic shock after laparoscopic cholecystectomy - case report of a rare intraoperative complication.

A 62-year old man was referred to our institution in hemorrhagic shock after a laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis, performed at an outside hospital. A chest X-ray revealed a right-sided massive pleural effusion. Urgent surgical exploration was performed through a video-assisted mini-thoracotomy which revealed active bleeding from a pleural adherence.

Cystic fibrohistiocytic tumor of the lung presenting as a solitary lesion.

Cystic fibrohistiocytic tumor of the lung is a rare neoplasm. In many cases it represents a metastasis from a benign or low-grade fibrohistiocytic tumor of the skin, but occasionally it may be primary. Radiologically it usually occurs as a cystic change of multiple pulmonary nodules, and pneumothorax is the most frequent presenting symptom.

Is age over 70 years a risk factor for pneumonectomy?

The lengthening of life expectancy has led to more surgical procedures in elderly patients. The aim of this work was to determine whether age >70 years is a risk factor for pneumonectomy. All cases of pneumonectomy from January 1999 to December 2006 were retrospectively reviewed.