Bilateral multiple inflammatory myofibroblastic tumors of the lung successfully treated with corticosteroids.

Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor (IMT) is a rare tumorous lesion that presents as a solitary nodule. Complete surgical resection is the standard treatment. However, due to its rarity, the optimal therapeutic strategy for multiple IMTs has not been defined.

Comparison between surgery and radiofrequency ablation for stage I non-small cell lung cancer.

Surgical resection remains as the treatment of choice for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and provides the best opportunity for cure and long-term survival. Minimally invasive percutaneous ablative therapies, such as radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for treating lung cancers, are currently being studied as treatment alternatives. But, to date, there is little information on comparison of therapeutic effects between surgery and RFA in patients with early stage lung malignancy.

HIF-1α inhibition ameliorates an allergic airway disease via VEGF suppression in bronchial epithelium.

Hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) plays a critical role in immune and inflammatory responses. One of the HIF-1α target genes is vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which is a potent stimulator of inflammation, airway remodeling, and physiologic dysregulation in allergic airway diseases. Using OVA-treated mice and murine tracheal epithelial cells, the signaling networks involved in HIF-1α activation and the role of HIF-1α in the pathogenesis of allergic airway disease were investigated.

Pulmonary crystal-storing histiocytoma in a patient without a lymphoproliferative disorder.

Pulmonary crystal-storing histiocytoma is a very rare disorder and is characterized by infiltration of histiocytes with intracytoplasmic accumulation of crystallized immunoglobulins. It is usually associated with lymphoproliferative diseases or plasma cell dyscrasia. Here, we report a case of pulmonary crystal-storing histiocytoma in a 64-year-old man, presenting as a chronic pulmonary consolidation in the lung exposed to asbestos.

Pulmonary cryptococcosis in asymptomatic immunocompetent hosts.

Pulmonary cryptococcosis tends to occur commonly in immunocompromized patients. However, as more individuals are undergoing regular medical examinations, the number of cases of pulmonary cryptococcosis detected incidentally in immunocompetent individuals is increasing. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the radiologic manifestations of pulmonary cryptococcosis in immunocompetent patients with no significant symptoms.

Pulmonary benign metastasizing leiomyoma in a postmenopausal woman.

Pulmonary benign metastasizing leiomyoma (BML) is a rare disease occurring predominantly in women of reproductive age and usually develops several years after the resection of a uterine leiomyoma. A 52-year-old postmenopausal woman was admitted to our hospital because of a right-sided empyema. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography showed a multiloculated pleural effusion on the right side and multiple small nodules in the left lung.

The use of PTC and RFA as treatment alternatives with low procedural morbidity in non-small cell lung cancer.

Minimally invasive percutaneous ablative therapies for treating lung cancers are currently being studied as treatment alternatives. This present study investigated the efficacies of percutaneous thoracic cryotherapy (PTC) and radiofrequency ablation (RFA) on clinical courses of pulmonary malignant tumours, especially in the setting of non-surgical candidates. Sixty-five patients with lung malignancy underwent sixty-seven sessions of RFA and nine sessions of PTC.