A Prospective Observational Study Analyzing the Diversity and Specific Composition of the Oral and Gut Microbiota in Lung Cancer Patients.

Background/aim: Host microbiota dysbiosis has been recognized as a key factor in lung cancer. However, the specific diversity and composition of microbiota in lung cancer patients remain unknown. This single-center prospective observational study analyzed both saliva and fecal samples from 74 participants [lung cancer (LC) patients: n=53; lung inflammation (LI) patients: n=11; healthy control (HC): n=10].

Induction immunotherapy followed by surgery for hilar unicentric Castleman disease.

Castleman disease is a rare disease borne of a B cell lymphoproliferative disorder of uncertain cause. Standard therapy for the unicentric type of Castleman disease localized as a single mass or single lymph-node station is surgical extirpation. Nevertheless, in the thoracic cavity, unresectable cases or cases of incomplete extirpation of the tumor without lung scarring owing to tumor size/location have been noted.

Robot-assisted thoracic surgery for intercostal cavernous hemangioma.

Intercostal cavernous hemangioma is extremely rare among benign vascular tumors. Achieving a definitive diagnosis preoperatively by radiographic examination alone is difficult; surgical resection is usually needed. Occasional cases are found as giant tumors, and some grow substantially during observation without treatment.

Impact of Preoperative Immunonutritional Support in Patients Undergoing Elective Thoracic Surgery.

Introduction: Several immunonutritional supplements have recently been developed. However, improvements in preoperative immunonutritional conditions using these supplements have not been analyzed in patients undergoing thoracic surgery.

Methods: This prospective, single-arm, single-institution pilot study involved patients planning to undergo thoracic surgery.

Cumulative experience of the anterior approach in robot-assisted thoracic surgery for lung cancer patients.

Background: Robot-assisted thoracic surgery (RATS) lobectomy for lung cancer is now performed all around the world. The camera and robotic devices are generally inserted from a low position via the thorax. We previously reported our original anterior approach (AA) for performing RATS lobectomy with a camera and robotic devices inserted via the anterior chest wall.

Dramatic response to pembrolizumab with chemotherapy followed by salvage surgery in a lung cancer patient.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors with chemotherapy have been shown to exhibit remarkable efficacy for advanced non-small-cell lung carcinoma and are under investigation as an induction therapy. However, the significance of preoperative therapy with pembrolizumab + chemotherapy for surgically resectable non-small-cell lung carcinoma still remains unclear. Here, we report a case of stage IIIB non-small-cell lung carcinoma that underwent salvage surgery after three cycles of pembrolizumab + carboplatin + nab-paclitaxel.

ALK-positive lung cancer in a patient with recurrent brain metastases and meningeal dissemination who achieved long-term survival of more than seven years with sequential treatment of five ALK-inhibitors: A case report.

The incidence of central nervous system (CNS) metastases in patients with anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) fusion gene-positive (ALK+) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is high, ranging from approximately 20%-70%. Although ALK inhibitors (ALKis) are generally effective for CNS metastases in patients with ALK+ NSCLC, relapse with CNS metastases is frequently observed. A 37-year-old woman with a high level of carcinoembryonic antigen was diagnosed with right lung adenocarcinoma (pathological stage IIIA) and underwent right lower lobectomy.

Resection of Pulmonary Metastases 12 Years after Initial Surgery for a Benign Pheochromocytoma.

We describe a rare case of newly discovered pulmonary metastases and surgical confirmation 12 years after initial surgery for a pheochromocytoma. A 61-year-old asymptomatic man was referred because of an abnormal shadow in the right lung field upon chest radiography. Computed tomography (CT) showed two well-demarcated tumors in the basal segment of the right lung.

Weakly-supervised learning for lung carcinoma classification using deep learning.

Lung cancer is one of the major causes of cancer-related deaths in many countries around the world, and its histopathological diagnosis is crucial for deciding on optimum treatment strategies. Recently, Artificial Intelligence (AI) deep learning models have been widely shown to be useful in various medical fields, particularly image and pathological diagnoses; however, AI models for the pathological diagnosis of pulmonary lesions that have been validated on large-scale test sets are yet to be seen. We trained a Convolution Neural Network (CNN) based on the EfficientNet-B3 architecture, using transfer learning and weakly-supervised learning, to predict carcinoma in Whole Slide Images (WSIs) using a training dataset of 3,554 WSIs.

Complete Blood Cell Count-Derived Inflammatory Biomarkers in Early-Stage Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer.

Background: Complete blood cell count (CBC)-derived inflammatory biomarkers are widely used as prognostic parameters for various malignancies, but the best predictive biomarker for early-stage non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is unclear. We retrospectively analyzed early-stage NSCLC patients to investigate predictive effects of preoperative CBC-derived inflammatory biomarkers.

Patients And Methods: We selected 311 consecutive patients with pathological stage IA NSCLC surgically resected from April 2006 to December 2012.

Preoperative Immune-Nutritional Abnormality Predicts Poor Outcome in Elderly Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer Patients with Comorbidities.

Background: Elderly non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients are increasing. In general, elderly patients often have more comorbidities and worse immune-nutritional condition.

Patients And Methods: In total, 122 NSCLC patients aged 75 years or older, underwent thoracic surgery between January 2007 and December 2010.

Prognostic Impact of Postoperative Skeletal Muscle Decrease in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Background: Preoperative skeletal muscle loss was reported to be associated with a postoperative poor prognosis in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. The aim of this study was to elucidate the relationship between the change in skeletal muscle mass after surgery and the postoperative outcomes in NSCLC patients.

Methods: The data were analyzed for 204 NSCLC patients who had undergone curative lung resection and whose preoperative and postoperative (1-year) computed tomographic images were available.

Pretreatment prognostic nutritional index as a novel biomarker in non-small cell lung cancer patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors.

Objectives: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have been established as a novel strategy for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) therapy. However, a definitive biomarker that can predict response to ICI therapy remains unestablished. The prognostic nutritional index (PNI) is used to assess immune-nutritional conditions and is a prognostic factor in patients with various malignancies; however, its usefulness as a biomarker of response to ICI therapy and survival outcomes in NSCLC patients is unknown.

Clinical and Prognostic Significance of the Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition in Stage IA Lung Adenocarcinoma: A Propensity Score-Matched Analysis.

Background: The epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) describes the process through which cells lose epithelial characteristics and gain a mesenchymal phenotype. The EMT contributes to tumor invasion and cancer progression, and is associated with metastasis and poor survival of patients with non-small-cell lung cancer. However, little is known about the relationships between the EMT and the clinicopathologic characteristics of patients with stage IA lung adenocarcinoma.

Prognosis of Early-stage Part-solid and Pure-solid Lung Adenocarcinomas.

Background/aim: In the new TNM classification (8th edition) of lung cancer, T category is defined based on the solid component size; therefore, part solid type (PST) with and solid type (ST) without ground glass opacity (GGO) are categorized as same T value according to their solid component sizes. However, differences between these tumors have not been clarified. Patients and Methods The study included 274 pStage I lung adenocarcinoma patients who had undergone surgery at our Institution from 2003 to 2012.

The association and prognostic impact of enhancer of zeste homologue 2 expression and epithelial-mesenchymal transition in resected lung adenocarcinoma.

Objectives: Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and the histone methyltransferase Enhancer of Zeste Homologue 2 (EZH2) are important regulators of lung cancer progression and metastasis. Although recent studies support the correlation between EZH2 expression and EMT, no reports have investigated their association using immunohistochemistry or explored their prognostic impact on lung adenocarcinoma. The aim of this study was to elucidate the association between EZH2 and EMT, and their prognostic significance.

A novel prognostic marker in patients with non-small cell lung cancer: musculo-immuno-nutritional score calculated by controlling nutritional status and creatine kinase.

Background: Controlling nutritional status (CONUT) and skeletal muscle area (SMA) are both useful prognostic factors in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We hypothesized that low serum creatine kinase (CK) would be a surrogate of decreased SMA, and defined a novel prognostic factor, CONUT/CK score (CNKS). The aim of this study was to elucidate the clinical significance of CNKS in NSCLC patients.

The prognostic impact of obstructive lung disease on survival of never smokers with resected non-small-cell lung cancer: a comparison with smokers.

Objectives: The proportion of never smokers among non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients has steadily increased in recent decades, suggesting an urgent need to identify the major underlying causes of disease in this cohort. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is a risk factor for lung cancer in both smokers and never smokers. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between obstructive lung disease and survival in never smokers and smokers with NSCLC after complete resection.

ALK testing methods: is there a winner or loser?

Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) is one of the most attractive molecular targets for the treatment of patients with non-small-cell lung cancer. Treatment with ALK inhibitors is recognized as the standard-of-care for patients with ALK gene rearrangements, but it is important to appropriately select patients who will benefit from such treatment. Areas covered: In this article, we review the evidence regarding ALK testing.

HMGB1 blockade significantly improves luminal fibrous obliteration in a murine model of bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome.

Background: Although high-mobility group box-1 (HMGB1), which is a nuclear protein, was reported to enhance the allogeneic responses in transplantation, the effect of HMGB1 on bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS) is unknown.

Methods: A murine heterotopic tracheal transplantation model was used. Protein concentrations of HMGB1, interferon-γ (IFN-γ), interleukin (IL)-10, and IL-17 were analyzed in the isografts, allografts, controls, and HMGB1-neutralizing antibody administered allografts (n = 6; Days 1, 3, 5, 7, 14, 21, and 28).

Prognostic Impact of PD-L2 Expression and Association with PD-L1 in Patients with Small-cell Lung Cancer.

Background/aim: Although some previous studies suggested that programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression was significantly associated with a favorable postoperative prognosis in patients with small-cell lung cancer (SCLC), the prognostic significance of PD-L2 expression remains unknown. The aim of the current study was to investigate the prognostic significance of PD-L2 expression in patients with SCLC.

Patients And Methods: Thirty-eight patients who underwent resection of SCLC were analyzed.

Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 and programmed cell death-ligand 1 co-expression correlates with aggressive features in lung adenocarcinoma.

Background: Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1) is an immunosuppressive effector, and its expression is associated with prognosis in several cancer types. Here, we investigated the relationship between IDO1 expression in lung adenocarcinoma and patient prognosis and clinicopathological features, including programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression.

Materials And Methods: In this study, surgically resected primary lung adenocarcinoma specimens from 427 patients were evaluated for IDO1 and PD-L1 expression by immunohistochemistry, and lung adenocarcinoma cell lines were evaluated for IDO1 and PD-L1 protein expression by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and flow cytometry and for messenger RNA levels by real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction analysis.