A case of synchronous multiple primary lung adenocarcinomas harboring epidermal growth factor receptor mutation and anaplastic lymphoma kinase rearrangement successfully treated with combination of osimertinib and alectinib.

Synchronous multiple primary lung cancers (SMPLC) should be distinguished from intrapulmonary metastasis to define the optimal treatment approach. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations and anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) rearrangements are typically mutually exclusive and the co-existence of both mutations is relatively rare. Herein, we report a case of SMPLC harboring each EGFR mutation and ALK rearrangement successfully treated with combination of osimertinib and alectinib.

[A case of Churg-Strauss syndrome with subarachnoid hemorrhage and left phrenic nerve paralysis].

A 60-year-old woman was given a diagnosis of Churg-Strauss syndrome (CSS) in 2000 because of peripheral blood eosinophilia, eosinophilic pneumonia, asthma, polyarticular pain, and limb numbness. She was treated with prednisolone (PSL), and the above symptoms improved but then relapsed on tapering of PSL. In September 2009, after 7 days of tapering of PSL to 5mg/day, the patient developed a subarachnoid hemorrhage and was admitted.

Connexin 43, E-cadherin, beta-catenin and ZO-1 expression, and aberrant methylation of the connexin 43 gene in NSCLC.

Background: The relationships between connexin 43 (Cx43) expression and clinicopathological factors, epithelial markers, and CpG island methylation in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are controversial. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the Cx43 expression related with clinicopathological factors, epithelial markers and methylation status of the Cx43 gene.

Patients And Methods: Correlations between the degree of immunohistochemical staining for Cx43 and epithelial markers (E-cadherin, beta-catenin, ZO-1), clinicopathological factors, and CpG island methylation status of the Cx43 gene, as assessed by pyrosequencing, were studied in 33 specimens of surgically treated NSCLC.

[An autopsy case of invasive thymoma extending to the right atrium with superior vena cava syndrome as the initial manifestation].

We report a case of invasive thymoma presenting with superior vena caval obstruction and intracardiac extension. A 74-year-old man was admitted in July 2002 with swelling of the face and right upper extremity. Computed tomography of the chest revealed a small anterior mediastinal mass, which infiltrated the lumen of the superior vena cava extending into the right atrium.

The characterization of gefitinib sensitivity and adverse events in patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

Background: Factors predicting gefitinib sensitivity and adverse events in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remain controversial.

Patients And Methods: Correlations among clinicopathological characteristics, gefitinib sensitivity and adverse events were studied in 154 patients with NSCLC, whereas epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations were analyzed in 44 patients.

Results: Female, non-smoker, adenocarcinoma of stage I-II, and gefitinib effectiveness correlated with longer time to progression (TTP) and overall survival (OS), while the rate of interstitial lung disease in patients undergoing thoracic radiotherapy and stomatitis in females or those who never smoked were significantly higher.