Lung Volume Reduction Surgery: Reinterpreted With Longitudinal Data Analyses Methodology.

Background: The largest randomised controlled trial evaluating results of lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS) was conducted by the National Emphysema Treatment Trial (NETT) that published a series of reports for outcomes up to 24 months. However, patient outcomes were difficult to interpret due to limitations in and the presentation of conventional statistical analyses applied to longitudinal data. We reevaluated the NETT results using longitudinal data methodology to report longer-term outcomes to facilitate interpretation by clinicians and patients who are considering LVRS for emphysema management.

A diagnostic cohort study on the accuracy of 18-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET)-CT for evaluation of malignancy in anterior mediastinal lesions: the DECiMaL study.

Objectives: The aim of this study is to collate multi-institutional data to determine the value by defining the diagnostic performance of fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG PET)/CT for malignancy in patients undergoing surgery with an anterior mediastinal mass in order to ascertain the clinical utility of PET/CT to differentiate malignant from benign aetiologies in patients presenting with an anterior mediastinal mass SETTING: DECiMaL Study is a multicentre, retrospective, collaborative cohort study in seven UK surgical sites.

Participants: Between January 2002 and June 2015, a total of 134 patients were submitted with a mean age (SD) of 55 years (16) of which 69 (51%) were men. We included all patients undergoing surgery who presented with an anterior mediastinal mass and underwent PET/CT.

Modern Techniques to Insert Chest Drains.

Both physicians and surgeons insert chest drains by various techniques-including Seldinger and "wide-bore" methods. The indications include hemothorax, pneumothorax, pleural effusion, and postoperative care in thoracic surgery. Given their invasive nature, there is significant potential for complications; however, this can be minimized by following a meticulous technique, which is herein described for both Seldinger and "wide-bore" drain insertion.

Pulmonary neuroendocrine (carcinoid) tumors: European Neuroendocrine Tumor Society expert consensus and recommendations for best practice for typical and atypical pulmonary carcinoids.

Background: Pulmonary carcinoids (PCs) are rare tumors. As there is a paucity of randomized studies, this expert consensus document represents an initiative by the European Neuroendocrine Tumor Society to provide guidance on their management.

Patients And Methods: Bibliographical searches were carried out in PubMed for the terms 'pulmonary neuroendocrine tumors', 'bronchial neuroendocrine tumors', 'bronchial carcinoid tumors', 'pulmonary carcinoid', 'pulmonary typical/atypical carcinoid', and 'pulmonary carcinoid and diagnosis/treatment/epidemiology/prognosis'.

Basic statistics (the fundamental concepts).

An appreciation and understanding of statistics is import to all practising clinicians, not simply researchers. This is because mathematics is the fundamental basis to which we base clinical decisions, usually with reference to the benefit in relation to risk. Unless a clinician has a basic understanding of statistics, he or she will never be in a position to question healthcare management decisions that have been handed down from generation to generation, will not be able to conduct research effectively nor evaluate the validity of published evidence (usually making an assumption that most published work is either all good or all bad).

Biomolecular and clinical practice in malignant pleural mesothelioma and lung cancer: what thoracic surgeons should know.

Today, molecular-profile-directed therapy is a guiding principle of modern thoracic oncology. The knowledge of new biomolecular technology applied to the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of lung cancer and mesothelioma should be part of the 21st century thoracic surgeons' professional competence. The European Society of Thoracic Surgeons (ESTS) Biology Club aims at providing a comprehensive insight into the basic biology of the diseases we are treating.

2nd ESMO Consensus Conference on Lung Cancer: early-stage non-small-cell lung cancer consensus on diagnosis, treatment and follow-up.

To complement the existing treatment guidelines for all tumour types, ESMO organises consensus conferences to focus on specific issues in each type of tumour. The 2nd ESMO Consensus Conference on Lung Cancer was held on 11-12 May 2013 in Lugano. A total of 35 experts met to address several questions on non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in each of four areas: pathology and molecular biomarkers, first-line/second and further lines in advanced disease, early-stage disease and locally advanced disease.

Proceedings of the IASLC International Workshop on Advances in Pulmonary Neuroendocrine Tumors 2007.

The International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer, (IASLC) International Congress on Advances in Pulmonary Neuroendocrine Tumors was a two-day meeting held at the Royal Brompton Hospital in London, United Kingdom on the thirteenth and forteenth of December 2007. The meeting was led by 14 member international faculty-in the disciplines of pathology, surgery, medicine, oncology, endocrinology, nuclear medicine, diagnostic imaging, and biostatistics. The aims were twofold, as an educational meeting, and to develop the IASLC International Pulmonary Neuroendocrine Tumors Registry.