Impact of Travel Distance on Surgical Outcomes of Patients Surgically Treated for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Single-Center Study in Ehime, Japan.

Travel burden is a poor prognostic factor for many cancers worldwide because it hinders optimal diagnosis and treatment planning. Currently, the impact of travel burden on survival after surgery for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in Japan is largely unexplored. We examined the impact of travel distance on the postoperative outcomes of patients with NSCLC in Ehime Prefecture, Japan. The data of 1212 patients who underwent surgical resection for NSCLC were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were divided into quartiles based on the travel distance from their home to the hospital (≤ 13 km, 13-40 km, 40-57 km, and > 57 km) in Ehime Prefecture. We found no significant differences among the quartiles in baseline clinicopathological characteristics, including sex, smoking status, histology, surgical procedure, clinical stage, and pathological stage. Overall survival (OS) and relapse-free survival (RFS) also were not significantly different among the travel distance quartiles. We conclude that travel distance did not impact OS or RFS among patients with NSCLC who underwent surgical resection at our institution.

Benign Mesothelial Cells in transbronchial biopsy specimens: A potential diagnostic pitfall for lung cancer.

Bronchoscopy is a common diagnostic procedure used to identify lung cancer. Specimens acquired through transbronchial biopsy are pivotal in the diagnosis and molecular characterization of this disease. The occurrence of benign mesothelial cells during a transbronchial biopsy (TBB) is relatively rare. Furthermore, these lesions can sometimes be erroneously identified as malignant, potentially resulting in unwarranted or inappropriate treatment for patients with and without lung cancer. In this retrospective analysis, we examined 619 TBB cases at our institute from 2019 to 2021. Benign mesothelial cells were identified via immunohistochemical studies in eight (1.3%) of 619 cases. These cells were classified into three patterns based on their cellular morphology: monolayer, lace, and cobblestone. Recognizing this phenomenon during the procedure is crucial to accurately distinguish benign mesothelial cells from their cancerous counterparts.

Mediastinal and Hilar Lymph Node Metastases from Renal Cell Carcinoma with Concomitant Lung Carcinoma: A Rare Case with Unique Diagnostic Challenges.

A 75-year-old man presented to our hospital 1 year after partial renal resection for clear cell carcinoma. A right lower lobe lung nodule noted at the time of surgery had increased to 3.0 cm in diameter and was confirmed as squamous cell lung carcinoma by bronchoscopic cytology. Computed tomography had also revealed paratracheal lymph node swelling. He underwent right lower lobectomy with lymph node dissection by video-assisted thoracic surgery. Pathological examination confirmed squamous cell carcinoma of the lung but diagnosed the right hilar and mediastinal lymph node metastases as clear cell carcinoma.

Completely Video-assisted Thoracoscopic Lobectomy for Congenital Lobar Emphysema in a Young Adult.

Congenital lobar emphysema (CLE) is defined as the hyperinflation of pulmonary lobes due to obstruction of the flow of air via a known or unknown etiology, which causes pressure symptoms in the adjacent organs. CLE is mainly diagnosed in the neonatal period, and very few adult cases have been reported. Here we report a 34-year-old male with muscular dystrophy who was diagnosed with CLE on examination. He underwent a right lower lobectomy via 3-portal completely video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery, and his symptoms improved. Thoracoscopic surgery helped preserve the respiratory muscles and led to the improvement of respiratory function in this patient.

Lung Metastasis From Thyroid Carcinoma Showing a Pure Ground-Glass Nodule.

We report a rare case of lung metastasis of thyroid carcinoma showing a pure ground-glass nodule in a 68-year-old man who underwent total thyroidectomy and lymph node dissection in 2004. We followed the nodule growth, found 5 years after the surgery in the right lower lobe, using computed tomography and observed a gradual enlargement to 8 mm in 11 years. Postoperative pathology and immunohistochemistry revealed that the tumor was a papillary carcinoma that metastasized from the thyroid. This report may help clinicians recognize pure ground-glass nodules as lung metastasis of thyroid carcinoma and avoid misdiagnosis as lung adenocarcinoma.

Three-year-old traumatic liver injury patient treated successfully using transcatheter arterial embolization.

INTRODUCTION: Liver injury is the most vulnerable to blunt abdominal trauma. Diagnostic evaluation and treatment of blunt liver trauma in children have changed essentially over the last decades. PRESENTATION OF CASE: A 3-year-old girl, weighing 10 kg was run over by a car and admitted to our hospital.　Due to the liver injury and increased intra-abdominal hemorrhage confirmed by computed tomography, emergent transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) was performed. Hemostasis was successfully obtained without complications. The patient had a good postoperative course and was discharged on the 9th day after admission. DISCUSSION: To the best of our knowledge, this case is the youngest and lowest weight emergency TAE success cases of childhood liver injury. TAE is an alternative to laparotomy and a useful procedure to accomplish nonsurgical management in adult who are hemodynamically stable and have no other associated injury requiring laparotomy. On the other hand, TAE is considered to have some complications in child cases because of the small diameter of the artery and the tendency to spasm. Our case showed that TAE can be a safe option for emergency hemostasis in pediatric trauma cases weighing 10 kg. CONCLUSION: Emergency physicians must be aware that radiological intervention is an important adjunct to management of childhood liver injury.