[Mycobacterium avium complex disease after conservative therapy for 3 years; report of a case].

A 62-year old woman admitted to our hospital because of an abnormal shadow on chest X-ray. Chest X-ray and computed tomography (CT) scan revealed a 2 cm nodular shadow with cavity in the right upper lobe. Bronchofiberscopy was performed, and Mycobacterium avium complex was demonstrated bacteriologically.

Usefulness of sentinel lymph node biopsy for the detection of lymph node micrometastasis in early lung cancer.

The purposes of this study were to examine the usefulness of the biopsy of the sentinel lymph nodes (SNs) for the accurate and effective detection of lymph node micrometastasis in early lung cancer and to clarify the spread of lymph node micrometastasis. One hundred and thirty-three c-stage IA non-small cell lung cancer patients in whom SNs could be identified by radioisotope (RI) method were enrolled. All dissected lymph nodes were stained with cytokeratin AE1/AE3 for the examination of micrometastasis.

[Intrapulmonary and mediastinal, double bronchogenic cysts; report of a case].

A 59-year-old woman was pointed out abnormal shadows on chest film and has been followed up since 2001. In October 2006, she consulted our hospital for further examination. Computed tomography (CT) showed double cystic lesions located in the right lower lobe, and in the paraesophageal region.

[Paravertebral muscle metastasis from lung cancer; report of a case].

A 69-year-old man had undergone right S6 segmentectomy for lung cancer (poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma, pT2N0M0, stage IB). One years later, computed tomography (CT) showed abnormal shadow in the right paravertebral muscle of 7 x 5 cm in size. The patient underwent resection of the tumor.

[Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) infection needed differential diagnosis of the recurrence after surgery for double lung cancer; report of a case].

A 62-year-old woman had undergone video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) -right upper lobectomy and right S8 segmentectomy for double lung cancers (papillary adenocarcinoma and bronchioloalveoler carcinoma, stage IA). Four years later, chest computed tomography (CT) showed abnormal shadow, 20 mm in size, along the staple-suture line. The 3 months later, new lesion, 15 mm in size, was observed in right lower lobe.

[Invasive thymoma with thymic cyst; report of a case].

A 27-year-old woman was pointed out an abnormal shadow on chest X-ray in 1999. Because of the enlargement of the chest abnormal shadow, she was admitted to our hospital in 2000. Chest computed tomography (CT) revealed anterior mediastinal solid mass with cystic lesion.

[Mycobacterium avium complex infection which need to distinguish from lung cancer].

A 42 year old female was admitted to our hospital due to abnormal shadow on her chest X-ray. She had no symptoms. Chest X-ray and computed tomography (CT) scan revealed solitary nodule on left S10.

Chlamydial SET domain protein functions as a histone methyltransferase.

SET domain genes have been identified in numbers of bacterial genomes based on similarity to SET domains of eukaryotic histone methyltransferases. Herein, a Chlamydophila pneumoniae SET domain gene was clarified to be coincidently expressed with hctA and hctB genes encoding chlamydial histone H1-like proteins, Hc1 and Hc2, respectively. The SET domain protein (cpnSET) is localized in chlamydial cells and interacts with Hc1 and Hc2 through the C-terminal SET domain.

[Complete resection of Pancoast tumor while receiving preoperative concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) as an induction therapy--report of a case].

A 60-year-old man complaining of right shoulder pain and numbness of right arm was diagnosed with Pancoast tumor (invasive right apical lung cancer). Chest CT scan showed a tumor, 5 cm in diameter, in the right apex invading the right posterior chest wall. The patient received preoperative CCRT (RT: 40 Gy/20 Fr, cisplatin: CDDP and etoposide: ETP), resulting in tumor regression (PR).

[Clear cell adenocarcinoma with acomponent of well-differentiated fetal adenocareinoma; report of a case].

A 69-year-old woman complaining of a cough was admitted to our hospital. Chest X-ray showed a mass in the right lower lung field. Chest computed tomography (CT) showed a tumor with notch, 3 cm in diameter, in the right lower lobe (S9-S10).

Chronic lung abscess with Pasteurella multocida infection.

We report a patient with chronic lung abscess due to Pasteurella multocida infection that may be caused by the contact with cows in his workplace. Despite its apparent rarity, chronic abscess due to P. multocida should be considered in the differential diagnosis of solitary pulmonary masses.

[Chemotherapy for advanced non-small cell lung cancer].

It is well-known that cisplatin-based chemotherapy can prolong the survival of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This report reviews the recently published clinical trials of chemotherapy for advanced NSCLC. New agents developed in the 1990s such as paclitaxel, docetaxel, gemcitabine, vinorelbine and irinotecan prolonged the survival of patients with advanced NSCLC by single-agent chemotherapy, and combinations of platinum and one of the new agents were superior to existing platinum-based combinations.

Combined modality treatment of aromatherapy, footsoak, and reflexology relieves fatigue in patients with cancer.

Background: Fatigue is one of the most distressful symptoms experienced by patients with advanced cancer. Aromatherapy, footsoak, and reflexology are popular health care modality treatments in Japan, however, the effectiveness of each treatment for cancer-related fatigue has not been fully established.

Design And Subjects: To investigate the effectiveness of combined modality treatment consisting of aromatherapy, footsoak, and reflexology against fatigue, an open study was performed in 20 terminally ill patients with cancer.

Sedation for terminally ill patients with cancer with uncontrollable physical distress.

Background: Relief of distressful symptoms in terminally ill patients with cancer is of prime importance. Use of sedation to accomplish this has been the focus of recent medical studies in countries other than Japan. We investigated the influence on consciousness of sedative drugs in a Japanese hospice.

Soluble receptor-binding cancer antigen expressed on SiSo cells in pleural fluid: a potential diagnostic marker for malignant pleural effusion.

Background: We sought a marker to differentiate malignant from nonmalignant pleural effusions.

Methods: We studied 41 patients presenting with pleural effusions to the National Sanyo Hospital between April 2000 and January 2002 (33 men and 8 women; mean age, 68 years). Twenty patients (49%) were proven to have malignant pleural effusions, while 21 patients (51%) had nonmalignant pleural effusions.

[A review and development of sentinel node navigation surgery for lung cancer].

Sentinel node navigation surgery (SNNS) for lung caner has not yet been established. Sentinel node (SN) identification using dye or radioisotope has been developed; however, the SN identification rate was less than 50% in the dye method and use of radioisotopes is strongly restricted in Japan. The novel method using a CT or MRI contrast medium are expected.

Primary choriocarcinoma of the lung.

Primary choriocarcinoma (PCC) of the lung is extremely rare, with about 25 cases previously reported. We describe here a patient with PCC of the lung and review previously described cases to establish the clinical characteristics and most appropriate management of this disease. Survival for patients treated with both surgery and chemotherapy was longer than for patients treated with surgery alone, chemotherapy alone, or optional supportive care.

High frequency of allele-specific down-regulation of HLA class I expression in lung cancer cell lines.

Loss or down-regulation of HLA expression has been demonstrated in various types of solid tumors and is considered to be one of the mechanisms of tumor immunoescape. The effectiveness of immunotherapy using tumor-specific antigens (TSA) largely depends on the expression of the appropriate HLA class I alleles on the tumor cells. We analyzed the allele-specific HLA class I surface expression of six lung cancer cell lines using a broad panel of allele-specific monoclonal antibodies, as well as the effect of IFN-gamma on HLA expression.

[Diagnosis and treatment of tuberculous pleurisy--with special reference to the significance of measurement of pleural fluid cytokines].

Tuberculous pleurisy as well as malignant pleuritis is a representative disease presenting pleural effusion. The diagnosis of tuberculous pleurisy is made from examination of pleural effusion, but the sensitivity of smear or culture of Mycobacterium tuberculosis from pleural fluid is generally low. Although the pleural fluid concentration of adenosine deaminase (ADA) is useful in terms of sensitivity or specificity, the value could be high in empyema or rheumatoid pleuritis.

Stevens-Johnson syndrome induced by paclitaxel in a patient with squamous cell carcinoma of the lung: a case report.

We treated a 53-year-old man with advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the lung who had developed Stevens-Johnson syndrome, a life-threatening cutaneous reaction, after systemic chemotherapy consisting of carboplatin and paclitaxel. A critical assessment disclosed circumstantial evidence pointing to paclitaxel as the likely cause of this complication. As far as we are aware, this account is the first description of a paclitaxel-induced Stevens-Johnson syndrome.

Comparison of six biological markers for the diagnosis of tuberculous pleuritis.

Study Objective: We sought a marker to differentiate tuberculous pleural effusions from nontuberculous pleural effusions, which otherwise can be difficult.

Patients: We studied 55 patients with pleural effusions, 20 (36%) with tuberculous pleuritis and 35 (64%) with a nontuberculous etiology.

Measurements And Results: Pleural fluid levels of adenosine deaminase, interferon (INF)-gamma, interleukin (IL)-12p40, IL-18, immunosuppressive acidic protein, and soluble IL-2 receptors were measured and were subjected to receiver operating characteristic analysis.

[Sentinel node biopsy for staging of small peripheral lung cancer].

Unlabelled: Is it possible to choose between limited lymph node sampling and systematic lymphadenectomy from the distribution of sentinel lymph nodes in patients with small lung cancer less than 2 cm in diameter?

Methods: Twenty-four patients with cN0M0 lung cancer less than 2 cm in diameter were enrolled. A radioisotope tracer (Tc-99 m tin colloid or phyphate) was injected in the vicinity of the tumor before surgery under computed tomography (CT) guidance. The radioactivity of each resected lymph node was measured separately with a hand-held gamma probe after complete tumor resection.

Simultaneous measurement of T-helper 1 cytokines in tuberculous pleural effusion.

Objective: Tuberculosis, the leading cause of death among infectious diseases worldwide, is a major cause of lymphocytic exudative pleural effusion. T-helper 1 cytokines, including interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), interleukin (IL)-12p40 and IL-18 are predominantly associated with cell-mediated immune responses, and play an important role in immunity to Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Design: We studied 55 patients presenting with pleural effusion at the National Sanyo Hospital between April 2000 and September 2001 (42 men and 13 women; mean age 67 years).

Gingival metastasis as initial presentation of small cell carcinoma of the lung.

We describe an 84-year-old man with small cell carcinoma of the lung (SCLC) initially manifesting as gingival metastasis. Although SCLC is well known for early and widespread dissemination, metastasis to the gingiva is extremely rare. We know of only two case reports describing gingival metastasis from SCLC and in these cases gingival metastasis was not the presenting occurrence.

[Intrathoracic bleeding during video-assisted thoracoscopic lobectomy and segmentectomy].

We have reviewed our experience from January 2001 through January 2003 in 33 video-assisted thoracoscopic lobectomy and segmentectomy (VATS) in patients with cT1N0M0 lung cancer to look at intraoperative bleeding from pulmonary vessels. Intraoperative bleeding occurred in 15 cases, 45.5% of 33 VATS procedures, and 2 cases, 6.