Safety and Efficacy of Single-Fraction Carbon-Ion Radiotherapy for Early-Stage Lung Cancer with Interstitial Pneumonia.

Patients with lung cancer complicated by interstitial pneumonia (IP) often lose treatment options early owing to acute exacerbation of IP concerns. Carbon-ion radiotherapy (CIRT) can provide superior tumor control and low toxicity at high dose concentrations. We conducted a retrospective analysis of the efficacy and tolerability of a single-fraction CIRT using 50 Gy for IP-complicated lung cancer.

Outcomes of carbon ion radiotherapy compared with segmentectomy for ground glass opacity-dominant early-stage lung cancer.

Purpose: This study aimed to compare the outcomes of patients with ground-grass opacity (GGO)-dominant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who were treated with carbon ion radiotherapy (CIRT) versus segmentectomy.

Methods: A retrospective review of medical records was conducted. The study included 123 cases of clinical stage 0/IA peripheral NSCLC treated with single-fraction CIRT from 2003 to 2012, 14 of which were determined to be GGO-dominant and were assigned to CIRT group.

Giant cell carcinoma of the lung with hypertrophic pulmonary osteoarthropathy as a paraneoplastic syndrome: a case report.

Background: Hypertrophic pulmonary osteoarthropathy is a rare syndrome characterized by a triad that includes periostitis, digital clubbing, and painful arthropathy of the large joints, especially large joints in the lower limbs with lung cancer. Herein we describe a case of a giant cell carcinoma of the lung with hypertrophic pulmonary osteoarthropathy as a paraneoplastic syndrome. The tumor was successfully resected, and complete remission of the syndrome was achieved after surgery.

A successful trimodality therapy for difficult-to-diagnose primary mediastinal dedifferentiated liposarcoma, which originated from the perihilar fat and invaded the right lungs.

A 40-year-old man with high fever, hemoptysis, and fatigue showed a 10-cm mass in the middle and lower lobes of the right lung on computed tomography. Histological examination of transbronchial biopsy specimens showed sheets of small round tumor cells and mild staining for CD99. Primary Ewing sarcoma was suspected, and a trimodality therapy consisting of chemotherapy, intensity-modulated radiation therapy, and right pneumonectomy with surrounding tissue resection was performed.

Uniportal video-assisted thoracic surgery and perioperative pirfenidone for lung cancer and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: a case report.

Patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) occasionally experience acute exacerbations after surgery for lung cancer. Several recent studies have revealed a prophylactic effect of perioperative pirfenidone treatment on postoperative acute exacerbations of IPF in patients with lung cancer. A 75-year-old woman consulted with her pulmonologist because of an IPF shadow detected by follow-up chest computed tomography 2 months after surgical treatment of biliary cancer.

A phase I study of loco-regional immunotherapy by transbronchial injection of α-galactosylceramide-pulsed antigen presenting cells in patients with lung cancer.

We conducted a phase I study of the trans-bronchial injection of α-galactosylceramide (αGalCer)-pulsed antigen presenting cells (APCs) to evaluate their safety, immune responses, and anti-tumor activities. Patients with advanced or recurrent non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) refractory to standard treatments were eligible. αGalCer-pulsed APCs were administered intratumorally or intranodally by bronchoscopy.

A total pleural covering of absorbable cellulose mesh prevents pneumothorax recurrence in patients with Birt-Hogg-Dubé syndrome.

Background: Birt-Hogg-Dubé syndrome (BHDS) is a recently recognized inherited multiple cystic lung disease causing recurrent pneumothoraces. Similarly to the lesions in patients with lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM), the pulmonary cysts are innumerable and widely dispersed and cannot all be removed. We recently described a total pleural covering (TPC) that covers the entire visceral pleura with oxidized regenerated cellulose (ORC) mesh.

Skin lesions of Birt-Hogg-Dubé syndrome: Clinical and histopathological findings in 31 Japanese patients who presented with pneumothorax and/or multiple lung cysts.

Background: Birt-Hogg-Dubé syndrome (BHDS) (OMIM #135150) is an autosomal dominant disease, characterized by fibrofolliculomas (FFs) of the skin, pulmonary cysts with/without pneumothorax, and renal tumors. The prevalence of skin manifestations reported for Japanese BHDS patients is lower (<30%) compared with that of Western countries (75∼90%), which appear to be underestimated.

Objective: To precisely examine the prevalence of skin lesions with dermoscopy and histopathology with reference to genetic analyses.

Oxidized regenerated cellulose induces pleural thickening in patients with pneumothorax: possible involvement of the mesothelial-mesenchymal transition.

Purpose: The pleural covering technique, i.e., wrapping a part of or the entire surface of the lung with oxidized regenerative cellulose (ORC), reinforces visceral pleura through pleural thickening for patients with pneumothorax and cystic lung diseases.

Novel clinical scoring system to identify patients with pneumothorax with suspicion for Birt-Hogg-Dubé syndrome.

Background And Objective: Birt-Hogg-Dubé syndrome (BHDS) is a rare hereditary disease that presents with multiple lung cysts and pneumothorax (PTX). Although some reports propose that findings from chest computed tomography enable one to distinguish BHDS from primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP), it is still unclear whether clinical features are useful for identifying patients with suspicion of BHDS from those with PTX.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients with PTX who underwent video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery at Nissan Tamagawa Hospital from January 2012 to December 2015.

The Outcomes of a Limited Resection for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Based on Differences in Pathology.

Objective: A precise preoperative diagnosis of in situ or minimally invasive carcinoma may identify patients who can be treated by limited resection. Although some clinical trials of limited resection for lung cancer have started, it will take a long time before the results will be published. We have already reported a large-scale study of limited resection.

A Total Pleural Covering for Lymphangioleiomyomatosis Prevents Pneumothorax Recurrence.

Background: Spontaneous pneumothorax is a major and frequently recurrent complication of lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM). Despite the customary use of pleurodesis to manage pnenumothorax, the recurrence rate remains high, and accompanying pleural adhesions cause serious bleeding during subsequent lung transplantation. Therefore, we have developed a technique of total pleural covering (TPC) for LAM to wrap the entire visceral pleura with sheets of oxidized regenerated cellulose (ORC) mesh, thereby reinforcing the affected visceral pleura and preventing recurrence.

Left-Sided Catamenial Pneumothorax with Thoracic Endometriosis and Bullae in the Alveolar Wall.

Catamenial pneumothorax (CP) is generally caused by intraperitoneal air leaking from the uterus into the thoracic cavity via a defect in the endometrial tissue of the diaphragm and is usually detected in the right thorax. We report a case of left-sided CP caused by endometriosis in the visceral pleura and with no abnormal findings in the diaphragm. A 33-year-old female patient presented at the end of a course of low-dose contraceptive pills for pelvic endometriosis, with spontaneous pneumothorax in the left chest.

Does segmentectomy really preserve the pulmonary function better than lobectomy for patients with early-stage lung cancer?

Purpose: Recently, segmentectomy has been considered as an alternative to lobectomy in early peripheral non-small lung cancer (NSCLC); however, controversy has remained regarding the long-term functional advantage after segmentectomy. The aim of this study was to analyze the postoperative lung function after segmentectomy and lobectomy for non-small cell lung cancer.

Methods: Patients with p-T1aN0M0 NSCLC who had undergone segmentectomy (n = 37) or lobectomy (n = 33) were retrospectively analyzed.

Two Kinds of Cystic Lung Lesions with Pulmonary Lymphangioleiomyomatosis in a Male.

A 34-year-old male with frequent recurrence of right pneumothorax was admitted to our hospital. He was a current smoker and outwardly male without genital aplasia. He was diagnosed as tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) at 2 year-old and underwent transcatheter arterial embolization for right renal hemorrhage due to renal tumor 2 years ago.

Early and late recurrence after intentional limited resection for cT1aN0M0, non-small cell lung cancer: from a multi-institutional, retrospective analysis in Japan.

Objectives: In 2015, we reported the outcomes of patients undergoing intentional limited resection (ILR) for non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) from a retrospective, multi-institutional large database in Japan. Here, we analyse the clinicopathological characteristics of the patients extracted from this database with late recurrence and compare them with those with early recurrence.

Methods: Of 1538 patients in the database with cT1aN0M0 NSCLC, 92 (6%) had recurrence.

Isolation of individual cellular components from lung tissues of patients with lymphangioleiomyomatosis.

Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) is a rare neoplastic disease entailing cystic destruction of the lungs and progressive respiratory failure. LAM lungs are histologically characterized by the proliferation of smooth muscle-like cells (LAM cells) and an abundance of lymphatic vessels. To elucidate the pathophysiological processes of LAM, cell-type-specific analyses are required.

Surgical treatment of mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the lung: 20 years' experience.

Background: Pulmonary mucoepidermoid carcinoma is a rare salivary gland-type neoplasm. We aimed to elucidate the optimal management of this rare condition by reviewing the treatment outcomes of patients at our institution with mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the lung.

Methods: We performed a retrospective review of all patients with pulmonary mucoepidermoid carcinoma who underwent surgical treatment between January 1993 and December 2012.

Salvage surgery for local recurrence after carbon ion radiotherapy for patients with lung cancer.

Objectives: Carbon ion radiotherapy (CIRT) has been expected to be an alternative for surgery for early-stage non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and adopted as the second-best choice even in operable patients although local recurrence after CIRT is sometimes experienced. The purpose of this study was to investigate the demographic data, perioperative courses and therapeutic outcomes of patients who underwent salvage resection for local recurrence after CIRT.

Methods: From November 1994 to February 2012, CIRT was applied for 602 c-T1/T2/T3N0M0 NSCLC lesions of 599 patients at the National Institute of Radiological Science.

Pleural Covering Application for Recurrent Pneumothorax in a Patient with Birt-Hogg-Dubé Syndrome.

Birt-Hogg-Dubé syndrome (BHDS) is a rare hereditary disease that presents with multiple lung cysts and recurrent pneumothorax. These cysts occupy predominantly the lower-medial zone of the lung field adjacent to the interlobar fissure, and some of them abut peripheral pulmonary vessels. For the surgical management of pneumothorax with BHDS, the conventional approach of resecting all subpleural cysts and bullae is not feasible.

Late recurrence of a tumor of Ewing's sarcoma family of tumors: report of a case.

A 27-year-old female presented with a history of a right chest wall tumor at 3 years of age. At that time, the tumor was surgically resected and diagnosed as Ewing's sarcoma (EWS), and postoperative chemoradiotherapy was administered. The patient remained disease-free for 25 years.

Clinical characteristics of catamenial and non-catamenial thoracic endometriosis-related pneumothorax.

Background And Objective: A major pathogenic factor for catamenial pneumothorax is thoracic endometriosis. However, thoracic endometriosis-related pneumothorax (TERP) can develop as either catamenial or non-catamenial pneumothorax (CP). Therefore, the aim of this study was to elucidate the clinical differences between catamenial and non-catamenial TERP.

Risk factors for developing postthymectomy myasthenia gravis in thymoma patients.

Background: Thymoma patients with no prior history of myasthenia gravis (MG) occasionally have MG after thymectomy. This study aimed to identify risk factors for developing postthymectomy MG.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the characteristics and clinical outcomes of thymoma patients without preoperative MG who underwent a thymectomy at our institute.

Long-term outcomes of surgery for thymic carcinoma: experience of 25 cases at a single institution.

Background: Thymic carcinoma, a relatively rare entity, often presents as locally advanced disease, and sometimes as distant metastatic disease. The treatment strategy, long-term surgical outcomes and clinical prognostic factors have yet to be fully elucidated.

Methods: Clinical charts of 25 patients who underwent surgery for thymic carcinoma at our institution from 1991 to 2014 were retrospectively reviewed.