Prediction of Pleural Lavage Cytology According to Thin-Section Computed Tomography in Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Although the positive rate of preresection pleural lavage cytology (PLC) is low, it is an important indicator of poor prognosis for non-small-cell lung cancer patients with frequent pleural dissemination (PD) recurrence. Thin-section computed tomography (TSCT) can reveal relationships between a primary tumor and the pleura at 1 to 2 mm intervals, and this is associated with visceral pleural invasion (VPI). However, its association with PLC remains unclear. Therefore, we aimed to improve PLC efficiency and predict PD recurrence by understanding the relationship between PLC and preoperative TSCT findings. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between January 2014 and December 2018, we reviewed 978 patients with non-small-cell lung cancer who underwent PLC tests during complete resection surgery. Preoperative TSCT findings were evaluated, and factors with the highest specificity (proportion of patients with radiologically to pathologically diagnosed positive PLC) were investigated. We also evaluated their relationships with VPI and PD recurrence. RESULTS: PLC positive was identified in 55 (5.6%) of the 978 patients. The two TSCT findings predicting PLC results, "the absence of pleural findings," ie, tumor not attached to pleura or without pleural tag, and "consolidation-to-tumor ratio ≤0.5", had a specificity of 100% (95% confidence interval: 90.4%-100%); additionally, all cases with these findings were VPI negative and had no PD recurrence. And 24% of the cohort had either of these findings. CONCLUSION: The absence of pleural findings and/or consolidation-to-tumor ratio ≤0.5 of primary tumor on preoperative TSCT can predict PLC negativity with very high probability; therefore, PLC can be omitted for such patients.

Fulminant myocarditis during postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy for lung cancer with atezolizumab: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative adjuvant systemic therapy with atezolizumab for lung cancer has been reported to be effective. Although myocarditis is a rare immune adverse event associated with atezolizumab, it can have a serious course and should be treated with caution. We herein report a case of fulminant myocarditis during adjuvant systemic therapy with atezolizumab. CASE PRESENTATION: The patient was a 49-year-old Asian woman. She was diagnosed with pT2aN1M0 stage IIB (Programmed Death Ligand 1(PD-L1), 50%) after surgery for right upper lobe lung adenocarcinoma. Atezolizumab was administered following platinum-based adjuvant chemotherapy. On day 14, the patient was hospitalized because of deterioration in her general condition caused by fever. On day 16, she developed dyspnea, which worsened, and on day 17, she experienced shock. Blood tests, echocardiography, and cardiac catheterization were performed, and the patient was diagnosed with cardiogenic shock due to myocarditis. Initial measures did not improve the patient's shock state. The patient was transferred to hospital for the use of an assistive circulatory system. Pulse steroid therapy was administered, and myocarditis showed a tendency toward improvement. A retrospective review of the patient's history revealed a decreased lymphocyte count and an increase in the neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio, which may be useful for detecting severe immune-related adverse events. The troponin levels were elevated, but creatine phosphokinase level remained within the normal range. CONCLUSION: Myocarditis can be fatal due to the rapid progression of symptoms. Close follow-up, a prompt diagnosis, and therapeutic intervention are important. Decreased lymphocyte counts, increased neutrophil/lymphocyte ratios, and the measurement of multiple myocardial biomarkers are considered useful for the early diagnosis of myocarditis.

Dynamics of thoracic endometriosis in the pleural cavity.

BACKGROUND: Thoracic endometriosis-related pneumothorax is a secondary spontaneous pneumothorax caused by thoracic endometriosis. Diaphragmatic endometriosis is well-studied, but visceral and/or parietal pleural lesions are not. Although surgery is an effective treatment, postoperative recurrence rates are unsatisfactory probably due to inadequate understanding of underlying pathophysiology. We aimed to clarify the clinicopathological features of thoracic endometriosis. METHODS: In total, 160 patients who underwent thoracoscopic surgery from a single institution with histopathologically proven thoracic endometriosis from January 2015 to December 2019 were included. Clinicopathological characteristics and surgical outcomes were assessed retrospectively. RESULTS: The cohort median age was 41 (range 22-53) years. Pneumothorax was right-sided in 159 (99.4%) and left-sided in only 1 (0.6%) case. Visceral and parietal pleural lesions were diagnosed in 79 (49.4%) and 71 (44.4%) patients, respectively. In total, 104 visceral pleural lesions and 101 parietal pleural lesions were detected. The S4 region and the dorsal 6th intercostal space contained the largest number of visceral pleural (66 lesions) and parietal pleural lesions (25 lesions), respectively. Histopathological evaluation revealed endometriotic tissues, existing in the outer external elastic layer in all lesions, were localized or invaded deeply. The median follow-up period was 370 (range, 6-1824) days. The Kaplan-Meier method revealed that the 1- and 2-year postoperative recurrence rates were 13.8% and 19.3%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Visceral pleural endometriotic lesions may be disseminated from the visceral pleural surface and infiltrate into the pleura. Intraoperatively, careful observation of the specific sites, such as the visceral pleura of S4 and the parietal pleura of 6th intercostal space, is important to reduce postoperative recurrence.

Is conventional management of primary spontaneous pneumothorax appropriate?

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the recurrence rate after primary and secondary conservative treatments and to clarify the validity of current primary spontaneous pneumothorax management by comparing secondary conservative treatment and surgical outcomes. METHODS: Data from 166 patients with primary spontaneous pneumothorax treated at a single site between September 2015 and March 2019 were retrospectively evaluated. Patient characteristics of those who received primary conservative therapy (n = 166) and secondary conservative therapy (n = 28) were summarized. The outcomes from patients who experienced recurrence (n = 64) were compared based on those who underwent surgery (n = 24) and those who underwent secondary conservative therapy (n = 28). RESULTS: The post-treatment day 60 recurrence rate was 27.1 and 49.5% cases in the primary and secondary treatment groups, respectively, which was significantly higher after secondary treatment than after primary treatment with conservative therapy (p = 0.032). The post-treatment one-year recurrence rate was 13.5 and 57.9% in patients who underwent surgery and secondary conservative treatment, respectively; secondary conservative treatment resulted in a significantly higher recurrence rate than surgery (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: There is evidence for guidelines that recommend surgery for recurrent primary spontaneous pneumothorax after primary conservative therapy based on its lower and more delayed post-treatment recurrence rate than secondary treatment with conservative therapy.

Targeted Therapy Followed by Cytotoxic Chemotherapy in Preoperative Patients With Locally Advanced Lung Adenocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Although oncogene-targeted therapy is a first-line treatment for advanced, unresectable lung adenocarcinoma harboring a target gene mutation, its effect on potentially resectable, locally advanced lung adenocarcinoma remains unclear. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Ten patients with clinically diagnosed stage III lung adenocarcinoma harboring a target gene mutation were enrolled in the current feasibility study of targeted therapy followed by cytotoxic chemotherapy (platinum and pemetrexed) before radical surgery. RESULTS: Complete resection was accomplished in all nine patients who went on to surgery (one patient refused surgery), and all of these patients recovered without major postoperative complications. Overall, almost all of the patients who underwent surgery remain disease-free after a median follow-up of 22 months since the initial treatment, with only one patient dying of recurrence. CONCLUSION: Radical surgery after the sequential use of cytostatic and cytotoxic drugs resulted in a favorable short-term outcome.

Expression of Bone Morphogenetic Protein-7 Significantly Correlates With Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Progression and Prognosis: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Bone morphogenetic protein-7 (BMP-7) is a signaling molecule belonging to the transforming growth factor-ß superfamily. Recent studies have demonstrated that BMP-7 is expressed in various human cancers and plays an important role in the progression of their cancers. The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinicopathologic and prognostic impact of BMP-7 expression in clinical samples of non-small cell lung cancer. METHODS: This study enrolled 160 patients with non-small cell lung cancer who underwent complete resection. Expression of BMP-7 in cancer tissue was evaluated by immunohistochemistry. Correlations between expression of BMP-7 and clinicopathologic factors and prognosis were analyzed. RESULTS: In non-small cell lung cancer, BMP-7 expression was identified not only in cell membranes but also in the cytoplasm of cancer cells. Expression of BMP-7 correlated with p-T (P = .047), N factor (P = .013), and p-stage (P = .046). Overall survival rate was significantly lower in the BMP-7-positive group than in the BMP-7-negative group (P = .004). Multivariate analysis indicated that BMP-7 expression was one of the independent prognosis factors of overall survival (P = .021). Furthermore, among patients with postoperative recurrence (n = 58), the BMP-7-positive group (n = 29) had a significantly poorer prognosis than the BMP-7-negative group (n = 29) (P = .012). CONCLUSIONS: Expression of BMP-7 in non-small cell lung cancer was correlated with clinicopathologic factors and poorer prognosis. BMP-7 expression may be a useful predictor of aggressive activity of tumor behavior and postoperative outcome of patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

Crucial role of angiography in the surgical planning of a pulmonary artery aneurysm.

A 46-year-old woman was found to have an aneurysm of the superior segmental pulmonary artery in the right lower lung lobe on computed tomography images. Moreover, angiography revealed dilated bronchial arteries flowing into the aneurysm with neovascularization, and the contrast medium was partially pooled in the basal segment of the same lobe. The patient's hemoptysis could not be controlled by an interventional radiology procedure. Therefore, lobectomy was carried out instead of aneurysmectomy. There has been no recurrence for 4 years after surgery. We considered that that angiographic information allowed for the most appropriate operation in this case.