[Thymoma Showing Elevating Anti-acetylcholine Receptor Antibody without Clinical Symptoms of Myasthenia Gravis;Report of a Case].

A 46-year-old man was referred to our hospital with a suspicion of pericardial cyst. Chest computed tomography (CT) revealed an anterior mediastinal tumor. He had no symptoms, but laboratory data showed positive titer to acetylcholine receptor antibody (Anti-AchR Ab).

[A possibility of overcoming local tumor immune tolerance by radiofrequency ablation in combination with intratumoral injection of naïve dendritic cell].

Recently we reported the systemic antitumor efficacy of intratumoral naive dendritic cell injection (IT-DC) in combination with local photodynamic therapy in Clinical Cancer Research 2006. In general, tumor cells secrete several immune suppression cytokines which could induce immune tolerance in a tumor microenvironment. The rationale and advantages of IT DC in combination with conventional antitumor therapy are as follows: (1) dying tumor cells release some tumor antigens, (2) sufficient number of DC recruiting occurs at tumor site, (3) there is naive DC capturing some tumor antigens in vivo, (4) DC activation by inflammatory cytokines are released from dying tumor cells, and (5) DC migration happens in regional lymph nodes and induces adoptive tumor immunity.

Evaluation of extratumoral lymphatic permeation in non-small cell lung cancer as a means of predicting outcome.

Background: Lymphatic permeation (ly) has been described as a potential prognostic factor for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Methods: The purpose of this study was to analyze whether evaluation of the presence or absence of ly and its location (ly 0: absent, N=464; ly 1: intratumoral, N=42; ly 2: extratumoral, N=52) provides an appropriate means of predicting the outcome of NSCLC. We investigated the clinical implications of ly in 558 consecutive patients with surgically resected NSCLC.

Eg5 expression is closely correlated with the response of advanced non-small cell lung cancer to antimitotic agents combined with platinum chemotherapy.

Background: Eg5 is a microtubule motor protein that functions in bipolar spindle assembly. We investigated the relationship between Eg5 expression and the response to chemotherapy of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Patients And Methods: Eg5 expression was investigated immunohistochemically in 122 formalin-fixed tumor samples from untreated stage IIIB or IV NSCLC patients.

Differences in clinicopathological and biological features between central-type and peripheral-type squamous cell carcinoma of the lung.

The central type and peripheral type squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the lung have different clinicopathological characteristics, but, little is known about their biological characteristics. We investigated differences between the properties and phenotypes of peripheral-type (P-type) and central-type (C-type) SCC by performing an immunohistochemical analysis of each type by tissue microarray analysis with a large panel of antibodies. To examine strictly, we selected 20 P-type SCCs that were pathological stage T1 and limited to more peripherally than the fifth bronchial bifurcation, and 21 C-type SCCs that were pathological stage T1 and limited to a lobar bronchus.

Lung cancer patients showing pure ground-glass opacity on computed tomography are good candidates for wedge resection.

Small lung cancers frequently have been detected in mass screening by computed tomography (CT) in recent years. Suitability of limited resection for these small lung cancers remains controversial. One hundred patients who underwent sublobular limited resection (wedge resection or segmentectomy) for lung cancer in our hospital from 1981 to 2002 were analyzed retrospectively.

Significance of expression of TGF-beta in pulmonary metastasis in non-small cell lung cancer tissues.

Recent studies have evaluated the cytokine network involved in the local immune response to tumors. In addition to infiltrating inflammatory cells, tumors also produce cytokines and growth factors that may alter tumor growth and tumor immunogenicity. Ninety-one samples of NSCLC were used in this study.

Peripheral leukocytes with HLA-DR+/CD8- phenotype are associated with prognosis in patients with lung cancer.

Background: We have previously reported that the most significant immunological prognostic factors in patients with lung cancer are the percentages of peripheral HLA-DR+ lymphocytes.

Patients And Methods: We performed two-color flow cytometric analyses using two combinations of double-staining to identify lymphocyte phenotypes HLA-DR/CD4 and HLA-DR/CD8, and examined the correlation between the expression of these subsets and survival in 51 patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

Results: The percentages of HLA-DR+, HLA-DR+/CD4+ (activated helper/inducer T cells) and HLA-DR+/CD8+ (activated cytotoxic/suppressor T cells) did not correlate with survival.

Comparison of immunohistochemistry and real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction to detect expression of carcinoembryonic antigen in lung cancer.

Real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) can detect mRNA of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) quantitatively. We compared the serum concentration, localization, and mRNA expression of CEA to determine the relationship between these three factors in patients with lung cancer. Tumors from ten patients who underwent surgery were analyzed.

Chromosomal instability detected by fluorescence in situ hybridization in surgical specimens of non-small cell lung cancer is associated with poor survival.

Purpose: Chromosomal instability (CIN) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has yet to be well studied. We examined the relationship between CIN detected by fluorescence in situ hybridization and survival in patients with NSCLC.

Experimental Design: Touch preparations from 50 surgical specimens of NSCLC were studied.

cDNA microarray analysis of gene expression in pathologic Stage IA nonsmall cell lung carcinomas.

Background: The relationship between altered gene expression and tumor progression in lung carcinoma has yet to be characterized. Gene expression in pathologic Stage IA nonsmall cell lung carcinoma specimens was analyzed using a cDNA microarray.

Methods: Surgical specimens were used for the current study.