Lung cancer after kidney transplantation: a 50-year experience at a single institution.

Purpose: To investigate the clinical characteristics of lung cancer that develops after kidney transplantation.

Methods: The clinical data of patients with lung cancer diagnosed after kidney transplantation were collected retrospectively. The medical records were extracted from our database.

＜Editors' Choice＞ Learning curve of robotic lobectomy for lung malignancies by certified thoracic surgeons.

Video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) has become widespread in the last 20 years, followed by robot-assisted thoracic surgery (RATS). Few studies compared the learning curve between RATS lobectomy and conventional VATS. This study included 79 RATS lobectomy cases performed in our hospital from November 2015 to October 2019.

Combined surgical therapy for pulmonary sequestration and aberrant artery from the abdominal aorta.

Pulmonary sequestration with feeding vessels from the abdominal aorta is relatively rare. A 56-year-old woman with chronic left thoracic pain was referred to our hospital. Computed tomography showed multiple pulmonary cysts in the left lung and an aberrant artery from the abdominal aorta.

Thymic lipofibroadenoma accompanied with largish calcifications.

Thymic lipofibroadenomas are extremely rare; their radiological features have never been reported. We report the first case of a lipofibroadenoma with some largish calcifications mimicking a teratoma. A 28-year-old man had an anterior mediastinal tumor with some calcifications on preoperative computed tomography, which was suspected to be a mature teratoma and resected through robot-assisted thoracic surgery.

Factors associated with changes in the 12-m stair-climbing time after lung lobectomy.

Objective: Postoperative loss-of-exercise capacity is one of the main concerns for patients undergoing lung cancer surgery. This study was designed to identify the factors associated with loss-of-exercise capacity after lobectomy, using an easy surrogate measure: the 12-m stair-climbing time (SCt).

Methods: Ninety-eight patients undergoing lobectomy for suspected stage I lung cancer were prospectively enrolled.

Current trends in thoracic surgery.

Thoracic surgery has evolved drastically in recent years. Although thoracic surgeons mainly deal with tumorous lesion in the lungs, mediastinum, and pleura, they also perform lung transplantation surgery in patients with end-stage lung disease. Herein, we introduce various major current topics in thoracic surgery.

Clinical application of a surgical navigation system based on virtual thoracoscopy for lung cancer patients: real time visualization of area of lung cancer before induction therapy and optimal resection line for obtaining a safe surgical margin during surgery.

Background: We have developed a surgical navigation system that presents virtual thoracoscopic images using computed tomography (CT) image data, as if you are observing intra-thoracic cavity in synchronization with the real thoracoscopic view. Using this system, we made it possible to simultaneously visualize the 'area of lung cancer before induction therapy' and the 'optimal resection line for obtaining a safe surgical margin' as a virtual thoracoscopic view. We applied this navigation system in the clinical setting in operations for lung cancer patients with chest wall invasion after induction chemoradiotherapy.

Micro-computed tomography images of lung adenocarcinoma: detection of lepidic growth patterns.

Micro-computed tomography (µCT) provides extremely high-resolution images of samples and can be employed as a non-destructive inspection tool. Using µCT, we can obtain images comparable with microscopic images. In this work, we have attempted to take high-resolution images of the human lung using µCT.

Psoas muscle mass in patients undergoing lung cancer surgery: a prognostic difference between squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma.

Background: Psoas muscle mass is a surrogate marker for sarcopenia: a depletion of skeletal muscle mass. This study was conducted to elucidate the prognostic significance of the psoas muscle index (PMI: cross-sectional area of the bilateral psoas muscle at the umbilical level on computed tomography/height [cm/m]) in patients undergoing surgery for lung squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and lung adenocarcinoma (ADC).

Methods: One hundred and sixty-five patients with SCC and 556 patients with ADC who underwent R0 resection between 2007 and 2014 were reviewed for analysis.

Primary peritoneal carcinoma with late-phase pulmonary metastases: a case report.

Background: Primary peritoneal carcinoma (PPC) is a very rare and aggressive type of malignancy with a poor prognosis.

Case Presentation: A 66-year-old woman was referred to our hospital with two pulmonary nodules that developed after PPC resection and postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy administered 5 years earlier. Computed tomography revealed a 1.

Risk Factors for the Exacerbation of Myasthenic Symptoms After Surgical Therapy for Myasthenia Gravis and Thymoma.

Extended thymectomy is employed for patients with myasthenia gravis (MG) and/or thymoma with elevated serum antiacetylcholine receptor antibody (AchR) titers. However, MG symptoms occasionally worsen in post-thymectomy patients. We explored the risk factors for exacerbation of MG symptoms after surgical therapy for patients with MG and/or thymoma with an elevated AchR titer.

Evaluation of intra-tumoral blood feeding to predict the effect of induction therapy in patients with locally advanced lung cancer.

There is little known about predictors of the effects of induction therapy in locally advanced lung cancer, including superior sulcus tumors. We analyzed whether intra-tumoral blood feeding could predict a pathologic complete response (pCR). Patients who underwent induction therapy followed by surgery for locally advanced lung cancer were retrospectively reviewed.

The tumor doubling time is a useful parameter for predicting the histological type of thymic epithelial tumors.

Purpose: We assessed the utility of the tumor doubling time (TDT) for predicting the histological type of thymic epithelial tumors.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 130 patients with thymic epithelial tumors who underwent computed tomography two or more times before surgery. The patients were divided into low-risk thymoma (types A, AB and B1), high-risk thymoma (types B2 and B3) and thymic carcinoma (thymic carcinoma and thymic neuroendocrine tumor) groups.

Verification of T descriptor with consolidation size for sub-centimeter non-small cell lung cancer.

Purpose: In the most recent (eighth) edition of the TNM classification, the clinical T descriptor has been adapted to measure the consolidation size of sub-solid lung cancer. Sub-centimeter non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has thereby been subclassified into three groups: Tis, T1mi, and T1a; however, the revision has not been validated well. Thus, we investigated the clinicopathological characteristics and long-term oncological outcomes of sub-centimeter NSCLCs based on the solid size.

Multimodality therapy for thymoma patients with pleural dissemination.

Background: Although multidisciplinary treatment is recommended for patients with advanced stage and recurrent thymoma, a detailed treatment strategy remains controversial. We have performed a multimodality therapy of induction chemotherapy (CAMP therapy: cisplatin, doxorubicin, and methylprednisolone) combined with surgery for those patients. We now conducted a retrospective study for investigating the results of this multimodality therapy for thymoma patients with pleural dissemination.

Verification of the diagnostic strategy for anterior mediastinal tumors.

Background: For thymic epithelial tumors (TETs), the National Comprehensive Cancer Network guideline has suggested that complete excision of the tumor should be performed without a preoperative biopsy when resectable. However, little evidence has been provided to support this strategy. The purpose of this study was to review our diagnostic process and to evaluate the validity of radical resection of anterior mediastinal masses (AMMs) without pathological confirmation.

Clinicopathologic Features of Thymoma With the Expression of Programmed Death Ligand 1.

Background: Programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) is reportedly expressed in various malignancies and is considered a prognostic factor. We attempted to reveal the usefulness of the PD-L1 expression as a prognostic factor in patients with thymoma.

Methods: Eighty-one patients with thymoma who underwent surgical resection between 2004 and 2015 were retrospectively reviewed.

A survival analysis using physique-adjusted tumor size of non-small cell lung cancer.

Background: Differences in individual body sizes have not been well considered when analyzing the survival of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We hypothesized that physique-adjusted tumor size is superior to actual tumor size in predicting the prognosis.

Methods: Eight hundred and forty-two patients who underwent R0 resection of NSCLC between 2005 and 2012 were retrospectively reviewed, and overall survival (OS) was evaluated.

Predictors for hilar/intrapulmonary lymph node metastasis in discrete type of clinical N1 non-small cell lung cancer.

Objective: Accurate preoperative evaluation of lymph nodes can provide optimal treatment for patients. However, in patients with clinical N1 disease (cN1) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), no suitable predictor has been identified for hilar/intrapulmonary lymph node metastasis (pathological N1 disease; pN1). The purpose of this study was to identify pN1 in cN1 NSCLC patients.

Collaborative operation with cardiovascular surgeons in general thoracic surgery.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility and safety of our surgical experiences conducted in collaboration with cardiovascular surgeons at our institution.

Methods: From May 2002 to December 2015, among 3595 general thoracic surgeries, 75 (2.1%) operations were carried out collaboratively with cardiovascular surgeons at Nagoya University Hospital.

Metachronous Germ Cell Tumors of the Mediastinum.

We report a rare case of mediastinal nonseminomatous germ cell tumor arising after 2 complete resections of mediastinal mature teratomas 18 and 10 years prior. After three cycles of chemotherapy for the mediastinal nonseminomatous germ cell tumor, the serum α-fetoprotein and β-human chorionic gonadotropin levels were normalized. However, chest radiography revealed that the mediastinal tumor had remarkably increased in size, and thus growing teratoma syndrome was diagnosed.

The diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide is associated with the histopathological aggressiveness of lung adenocarcinoma.

Objectives: The diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide (DLCO) is an indicator of lung damage. We sought to determine whether DLCO is associated with the aggressiveness of lung adenocarcinoma using histopathological indexes, such as tumour differentiation, scar grade, nuclear atypia and the mitotic index.

Methods: Fifty-seven patients with low DLCO (≤80% of predicted) and 466 patients with normal DLCO (>80% of predicted) who underwent R0 resection of lung adenocarcinoma between 2005 and 2012 were retrospectively reviewed.

Marginal pulmonary function is associated with poor short- and long-term outcomes in lung cancer surgery.

We sought to determine the short- and long-term prognoses among 'marginal-risk' non-small cell lung cancer patients who have a predicted postoperative- (ppo) forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV) of 30-60% and/or a ppo-diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide (DL) of 30-60%. The present study included 73 'marginal-risk' and 318 'normal-risk' patients who underwent anatomical resection for clinical stage I lung cancer between 2008 and 2012. The rates of postoperative morbidity, prolonged hospital stay, and overall survival were assessed.

The Role of F-fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography-Computed Tomography for Predicting Pathologic Response After Induction Therapy for Thymic Epithelial Tumors.

Background: We investigated the role of F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) in predicting the effect of induction therapy in patients with thymic epithelial tumors.

Methods: Fourteen patients with thymic epithelial tumors who underwent PET-CT before and after induction therapy were retrospectively analyzed. The relationship between the change in the maximum standardized uptake value (SUV) in PET-CT, the response evaluation criteria in solid tumors and the pathologic response (Ef0, no necrosis of tumor cells; Ef1, some necrosis of tumor cells with more than one-third of viable tumor cells; Ef2, less than one-third of tumor cells were viable; and Ef3, no tumor cells were viable) was analyzed.