Clinical characteristics and survival of lung cancer patients associated with multiple primary malignancies.

Objectives: To investigate the characteristics and survival of lung cancer patients with additional malignant primary cancers.

Methods: Records of lung cancer patients newly diagnosed in Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital between January 2000 and January 2010 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients with second primary lung cancer and those with lung cancer only were included for detailed analysis.

β-Catenin overexpression is associated with gefitinib resistance in non-small cell lung cancer cells.

Background: Acquired resistance to epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) presents great challenges in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients, while the mechanisms are still not well understood. The β-catenin signaling pathway has been found to be associated with chemoresistance and can activate the EGFR and its downstream pathways. This study aimed to investigate the role of β-catenin in acquired resistance to EGFR-TKIs in NSCLC cell lines.