Donor Lungs' Procurement Implementation with Ex Vivo Lung Perfusion in a Low-Volume Lung Transplant Center.

(1) Background: Ex Vivo Lung Perfusion (EVLP) is a technique designed to assess and recondition marginal lungs, potentially expanding the donor pool and improving transplant outcomes (2) Methods: This retrospective study evaluated lung transplantation outcomes after EVLP. Donor lungs were assessed using the Toronto protocol, with data on hemodynamics, gas exchange, and perfusion parameters collected and analyzed. Post-transplant complications and survival rates were also examined.

The Rare Entity of Basaloid Thymic Carcinoma: A Multicentric Retrospective Analysis from the Italian Collaborative Group for ThYmic MalignanciEs (TYME).

Background: thymic basaloid carcinoma (BTC) is an extremely rare tumor, and very little data are available on BTC's biology, clinical behavior, drug sensitivity, and patient outcomes.

Methods: We performed a retrospective observational study on patients diagnosed with BTC in 11 referral centers of TYME. All BTC diagnoses were reviewed by the referring pathologist.

A Smartphone App for the Management of Postoperative Home Recovery After Thoracic Surgery Procedures: A Pilot Study Using the Care4Today™ App.

In recent years, the use of smartphones has significantly increased among populations of almost every age. The aim of our work is to analyze the impact of an application (app) that follows up with the progress of a patient who underwent a thoracic surgery procedure in the first 30 days after discharge. We prospectively analyzed all the patients included in the pilot study from March 2023 to September 2023.

[68Ga]Ga-FAPI-46 PET/CT for Staging Suspected/Confirmed Lung Cancer: Results on the Surgical Cohort Within a Monocentric Prospective Trial.

Background/objectives: To evaluate T&N-staging diagnostic performance of [68Ga]Ga-FAPI-46 PET/CT (FAPI) in a suspected/confirmed lung cancer surgical cohort.

Methods: Patients were enrolled in a prospective monocentric trial (EudraCT: 2021-006570-23) to perform FAPI, in addition to conventional-staging-flow-chart (including [18F]F-FDG PET/CT-FDG). For the current purpose, only surgical patients were included.

Circulating cell-free and extracellular vesicles-derived microRNA as prognostic biomarkers in patients with early-stage NSCLC: results from RESTING study.

Background: Factors to accurately stratify patients with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in different prognostic groups are still needed. This study aims to investigate 1) the prognostic potential of circulating cell-free (CF) and extracellular vesicles (EVs)-derived microRNA (miRNAs), and 2) their added value with respect to known prognostic factors (PFs).

Methods: The RESTING study is a multicentre prospective observational cohort study on resected stage IA-IIIA patients with NSCLC.

Pathological T3 Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer with satellite nodules: Number or size, what does matter?

Background: Non-small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) with intralobar satellite nodule are defined as T3 (T3SN). We investigated the main features of these tumors and analyzed their impact on Overall Survival (OS).

Methods: This was a retrospective multicentric study including all pT3SN NSCLC operated on between 2005 and 2020, excluding patients with multifocal ground-glass opacities; who received induction therapies; N3 or stage IV.

Modified surgical incision suturing technique in uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic pulmonary resection.

Background: In recent years, single-hole thoracoscopic surgery technology is widely used in major medical centers and chest-specialized hospitals for the treatment of lung diseases. However, the single-hole minimally invasive surgery method focuses on one incision, and all surgical instruments need to pass through the same hole, resulting in repeated extrusion and tissue damage of the surgical incision. Therefore, we have improved the suture method of conventional surgical incision in order to reduce the probability of wound infection and dehiscence, promote early healing, and reduce the severity of postoperative wound scar, thereby enhancing the postoperative rapid recovery of patients.

Are the Efficacy and Safety of Chest Tubes in Uniportal Video-Assisted Thoracic Surgery Related to the Level of Intercostal Space Insertion or to the Drain Type? A Prospective Multicenter Study.

Objectives: The aim of this study is to evaluate if the efficacy and safety of chest tube placement are influenced by the level of intercostal space insertion (uniportal VATS vs. biportal VATS) or by the type of drain employed (standard vs. smart coaxial drain).

National Multicenter Study on the Comparison of Robotic and Open Thymectomy for Thymic Neoplasms in Myasthenic Patients: Surgical, Neurological and Oncological Outcomes.

Thymectomy is the gold standard in the treatment of thymic neoplasm and plays a key role in the therapeutic path of myasthenia gravis. For years, sternotomy has been the traditional approach for removing anterior mediastinal lesions, although the robotic thymectomy is now widely performed. The literature is still lacking in papers comparing the two approaches and evaluating long-term oncological and neurological outcomes.

Validation of Inflammatory Prognostic Biomarkers in Pleural Mesothelioma.

Evoked from asbestos-induced inflammation, pleural mesothelioma represents a fatal diagnosis. Therapy ranges from nihilism to aggressive multimodality regimens. However, it is still unclear who ultimately benefits from which treatment.

Giant lung bulla as a late-onset complication of mild SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia.

A 49-year-old Caucasian man was admitted to the Emergency Department for shortness of breath and cough. Computed tomography (CT) imaging showed bilateral mild COVID-19-related pneumonia. He was hospitalized in the low-intensity COVID-19 unit, where he received O2 therapy and oral corticosteroids.

International expert consensus on diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer complicated by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Background: Lung cancer combined by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (LC-COPD) is a common comorbidity and their interaction with each other poses significant clinical challenges. However, there is a lack of well-established consensus on the diagnosis and treatment of LC-COPD.

Methods: A panel of experts, comprising specialists in oncology, respiratory medicine, radiology, interventional medicine, and thoracic surgery, was convened.

Surgery for Solitary Fibrous Tumors of the Pleura: A Review of the Available Evidence.

Solitary fibrous tumors of the pleura (pSFT) are a relatively rare neoplasms that can arise from either visceral or parietal pleura and may have different aggressive biological behaviors. Surgery is well known to be the cornerstone of the treatment for pSFT. We reviewed the existing literature, focusing on the role of surgery in the management and treatment of pSFT.

Clinical score for colorectal cancer patients with lung-limited metastases undergoing surgical resection: Meta-Lung Score.

Background: Radical resection of isolated lung metastases (LM) from colorectal cancer (CRC) is debated. Like Fong's criteria in liver metastases, our study was meant to assign a clinical prognostic score in patients with LM from CRC, aiming for better surgery selection.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed data from 260 CRC patients who underwent curative LM resection from December 2002 to January 2022, verifying the impact of different clinicopathological features on the overall survival (OS).

Lung Transplant Recipients and COVID-19: Report of Two Cases.

Although the WHO has declared the end of the pandemic emergency, COVID-19 still poses a threat to immunocompromised patients. The COVID-19 pandemic has spread throughout the world over the last two years, causing a significant number of deaths. After three years, SARS-CoV-2 has lost its initial lethality but has shown a significantly worse prognosis for immunocompromised patients, especially those who have undergone lung transplantation, compared with the general population.

Early Postoperative Results after Thymectomy for Thymic Cancer: A Single-Institution Experience.

Background: Surgery for thymic cancers is considered the key of curative treatment. Preoperative patients' characteristics and intraoperative features might influence postoperative outcome. We aim to verify short-term outcomes and possible risk factors for complications after thymectomy.

A prognostic score from a multicentric retrospective analysis of patients affected by sarcoma with metachronous lung metastases undergoing metastasectomy.

Background: Despite the lack of evidence-based on prospective randomized studies, surgery has become the cornerstone of the treatment in patients with pulmonary oligometastatic sarcomas. Our study aimed to construct a composite prognostic score for metachronous oligometastatic sarcoma patients.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on data patients who underwent radical surgery for metachronous metastases in six research institutes from January 2010 to December 2018.

Safety and efficacy of immunotherapy rechallenge following checkpoint inhibitor-related pneumonitis in advanced lung cancer patients: a retrospective multi-center cohort study.

Background: Checkpoint inhibitor-related pneumonitis (CIP) induced by immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) is one of the most fatal immune-related adverse events (irAE). However, only limited data are available on rechallenge with ICIs after CIP. We evaluated the efficacy and safety of rechallenge after CIP in patients with advanced lung cancer to identify the potential populations that would benefit.

Innovative use of Protek Duo during bilateral lung transplant with Veno-Arterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation assistance.

V-A ECMO during bilateral lung transplantation is routinely used when extracorporeal support is needed, in particular in case of patients affected by pulmonary hypertension. We report the case of a patient successfully transplanted with V-A ECMO assistance using a percutaneous double lumen cannula as venous drainage (Protek Duo, CardiacAssist Inc., Pittsburgh, PA) and central aortic cannulation.

Impact of High-Grade Patterns in Early-Stage Lung Adenocarcinoma: A Multicentric Analysis.

Objective: The presence of micropapillary and solid adenocarcinoma patterns leads to a worse survival and a significantly higher tendency to recur. This study aims to assess the impact of pT descriptor combined with the presence of high-grade components on long-term outcomes in early-stage lung adenocarcinomas.

Methods: We retrospectively collected data of consecutive resected pT1-T3N0 lung adenocarcinoma from nine European Thoracic Centers.