Therapeutic hyperthermia regulates complement C3 activation and suppresses tumor development through HSPA5/NFκB/CD55 pathway in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is endemic in Southern China and Southeast Asia. Hyperthermia is widely used in combination with chemotherapy and radiotherapy to enhance therapeutic efficacy in NPC treatment, but the underlying anti-tumor mechanisms of hyperthermia remain unclear. Complement C3 has been reported to participate in the activation of immune system in the tumor microenvironment, leading to tumor growth inhibition. In this study, we aimed to explore the effect and mechanisms of hyperthermia and investigate the functional role of complement C3 in NPC hyperthermia therapy (HT). The serum levels of complement C3 before and after hyperthermia therapy in patients with NPC were analyzed. NPC cell lines SUNE1 and HONE1 were used for in vitro experiment to evaluate the function of complement C3 and HT on cell proliferation and apoptosis. SUNE1 xenograft mouse model was established and tumor-bearing mice were treated in water bath at a constant temperature of 43°C. Tumor samples were collected at different time points to verify the expression of complement C3 by immunohistochemical staining and western blot. The differential expressed genes after hyperthermia were analyzed by using RNA sequencing. We found that complement could enhance hyperthermia effect on suppressing proliferation and promoting apoptosis of tumor cells in NPC. Hyperthermia decreased the mRNA expression of complement C3 in tumor cells, but promoted the aggregation and activation circulating C3 in NPC tumor tissue. By using in vitro hyperthermia-treated NPC cell lines and SUNE1 xenograft tumor-bearing mice, we found that the expression of heat shock protein 5 (HSPA5) was significantly upregulated. Knockdown of HSPA5 abrogated the anti-tumor effect of hyperthermia. Moreover, we demonstrated that hyperthermia downregulated CD55 expression via HSPA5/NFκB (P65) signaling and activated complement cascade. Our findings suggest that therapeutic hyperthermia regulates complement C3 activation and suppresses tumor development via HSPA5/NFκB/CD55 pathway in NPC.

Successful management of camrelizumab-induced immune-checkpoint-inhibitors-related myocarditis.

INTRODUCTION: Immune checkpoint inhibitors can cause immune-related toxicity in various systems, with myocarditis being the most severe and life-threatening manifestation. This report presents a case in which myocarditis developed following administration of programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) inhibitors therapy. We describe the diagnosis and treatment of this patient in detail. CASE REPORT: We present the case of a 59-year-old female diagnosed with post-operative esophageal cancer and hepatic metastases. The patient underwent second-line treatment with domestically-made PD-1 inhibitor, camrelizumab, in combination with paclitaxel (albumin-bound) and carboplatin for two cycles. During the course of treatment, an electrocardiogram (ECG) revealed ST segment elevation in leads II, III, aVF, V2, V3, and V4, along with T wave changes in leads I and aVL. Laboratory examinations showed abnormal levels of N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and cardiac troponin T (cTnT). Despite the absence of clinical symptoms, the patient was routinely hospitalized three weeks later. Based on the findings from the ECG, cardiac biomarkers, echocardiography, echocardiogram, cardiac magnetic resonance, and angiography, she was diagnosed with immune-checkpoint-inhibitors-related myocarditis. MANAGEMENT AND OUTCOME: The patient received immunoglobulin (0.5 g/kg/day) and was initially given methylprednisolone (1000 mg/day). Methylprednisolone was gradually reduced to 40 mg/day in 2 weeks. During this time, the levels of biomarkers indicative of myocardial injury also exhibited a simultaneous decline. DISCUSSION: This case highlights the importance of early detection and prompt intervention, including initiating appropriate steroid therapy and discontinuing of immune checkpoint inhibitors. Such measures can effectively prevent morbidity and mortality, ultimately leading to an improved prognosis.

A prognostic nomogram incorporating tumor size and lymph node size for patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

PURPOSE: The goal of this study was to establish a nomogram that included pre-treatment tumor size and lymph node (LN) size to assess personalized overall survival (OS) of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results dataset was used to extract statistics for 1083 individuals with NPC (training cohort). In the validation cohort, 266 patients were included from the Affiliated Cancer Hospital & Institute of Guangzhou Medical University. Age, tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage, pre-treatment tumor size, and LN size were chosen in both the training and validation sets to build a nomogram to forecast the 3-year and 5-year OS probability using the multivariate Cox regression model. Using the C-index, calibration plot, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, the predictive model's predictive value and discriminative capacity were determined. RESULTS: Pre-treatment tumor size, LN size, age, and TNM stage were all independent prognostic factors in the multivariate analysis. After combining these characteristics, a nomogram with a C-index of 0.7367 in the training cohort and 0.795 in the validation cohort was created, suggesting strong predictive capacity. Analysis of the ROC curve revealed that the constructed nomogram was clinically applicable. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with NPC, the developed nomogram, which includes pre-treatment tumor size, LN size, age, and TNM stage, is a reliable predictive predictor of OS.

Risk of Congestive Heart Failure in Early Breast Cancer Patients Undergoing Adjuvant Treatment With Trastuzumab: A Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: The use of trastuzumab has proven to be a successful strategy in patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer; however, it is associated with an increased risk of cardiac dysfunction. We performed an up-to-date, comprehensive meta-analysis to clarify the risk of congestive heart failure (CHF) in patients with early breast cancer receiving different durations of adjuvant trastuzumab with the longest-term follow-up. METHODS: Eligible studies included randomized control trials of HER2-positive early breast cancer patients with or without trastuzumab in adjuvant chemotherapy. Adequate reporting of CHF data were required for inclusion. Statistical analyses were conducted to calculate the overall incidence, relative risk (RR), and 95% confidence interval (CI) by use of a fixed-effects model. RESULTS: Six randomized control trials including 18,111 patients were identified. The overall incidence of high-grade CHF in patients treated with trastuzumab versus placebo was 1.44% (95% CI, 0.79%-2.64%) and the RR was 3.19 (95% CI, 2.03-5.02; p < .00001). In subgroup analysis, the difference in CHF incidence failed to achieve significance. The RR for 8 mg/kg trastuzumab (high dose) was greater than that for 4 mg/kg (low dose) (RR, 6.79, 95% CI, 2.03-22.72, p = .0001; versus RR, 2.64; 95% CI, 1.61-4.32; p = .002). Additionally, higher RRs were observed for patients receiving trastuzumab for 1 year (RR, 3.29; 95% CI, 2.07-5.25) and 2 years (RR, 9.54; 95%CI, 2.19-41.43), but not 9 weeks (RR, 0.50; 95% CI, 0.05-5.49) compared with control groups. No evidence of publication bias was observed. CONCLUSION: Adjuvant trastuzumab therapy was strongly associated with an increased risk of significant CHF in patients with early breast cancer, particularly in 2-year use. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: This comprehensive meta-analysis evaluated the risk of congestive heart failure with a usage profile of adjuvant trastuzumab in patients with early breast cancer. Before initiating treatment with trastuzumab, a risk-benefit analysis for individual patients should be critically evaluated, considering that the prognosis is closely related to drug dose and duration of use. Cardiac function should be monitored throughout the treatment period and also during follow-up. Thus, early identification of trastuzumab-related cardiac dysfunction can allow effective medical intervention, elimination of symptoms, recovery of function, and continuation of trastuzumab therapy.

Comparison of detection methods and follow-up study on the tyrosine kinase inhibitors therapy in non-small cell lung cancer patients with ROS1 fusion rearrangement.

BACKGROUND: The screening of ROS proto-oncogene 1, receptor tyrosine kinase(ROS1) fusion rearrangement might be potentially beneficial for an effective therapy against non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, the three main ROS1 rearrangement detection methods have limitations, and no routine protocol for the detection of ROS1 rearrangement in NSCLC is available. In this study, our aims were to compare immunohistochemistry (IHC), fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) in their ability to detect ROS1 rearrangement in NSCLC, and discuss the clinical characteristics and histopathology of the patients with ROS1 rearrangement. Moreover, the effects of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) therapy on the patients with ROS1 rearrangement and advanced stage disease (III b-IV) were investigated. METHODS: Patients with a previously diagnosed NSCLC were recruited in this study from November 2013 to October 2015. IHC was performed using the D4D6 monoclonal antibody (mAb) in an automatic IHC instrument, while FISH and qRT-PCR were carried out to confirm the IHC results. FISH and qRT-PCR positive cases underwent direct sequencing. After detection, patients with advanced ROS1 rearranged NSCLC had received TKI therapy. RESULTS: Two hundred and thirty-eight patients were included in this study. ROS1 rearrangement was detected in 10 patients. The concordant rate of FISH and qRT-PCR results was 100 %, while in the FISH and IHC results high congruence was present when IHC showed a diffusely (≥60 % tumor cells) 2-3+ cytoplasmic reactivity pattern. Patients harboring ROS1 rearrangement were mostly young (8/10), females (7/10) and non-smokers (7/10) with adenocarcinoma (10/10) and acinar pattern. Most of their tumor were in intermediate grade (6/8). Among these 10 patients, three of them in stage IV with ROS1 rearrangement gained benefits from ROS1 TKI therapy. CONCLUSIONS: IHC, FISH and qRT-PCR can reliably detect ROS1 rearrangement in NSCLC, while IHC can be used as a preliminary screening tool. These results supported the efficacy of ROS1 TKI therapy in treating advanced NSCLC patients with ROS1 rearrangement.

Characterization of immunogenic cell death regulators predicts survival and immunotherapy response in lung adenocarcinoma.

Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is highly lethal tumor; understanding immune response is crucial for current effective treatment. Research investigated immunogenic cell death (ICD) impact on LUAD through 75 ICD-related genes which encompass cell damage, endoplasmic reticulum stress, microenvironment, and immunity. Transcriptome data and clinical info were analyzed, revealing two ICD-related clusters: B, an immune osmotic subgroup, had better prognosis, stronger immune signaling, and higher infiltration, while A represented an immune-deficient subgroup. Univariate Cox analysis identified six prognostic genes (AGER, CD69, CD83, CLEC9A, CTLA4, and NT5E), forming a validated risk score model. It was validated across datasets, showing predictive performance. High-risk group had unfavorable prognosis, lower immune infiltration, and higher chemotherapy sensitivity. Conversely, low-risk group had better prognosis, higher immune infiltration, and favorable immunotherapy response. The key gene NT5E was examined via immunohistochemistry, with higher expression linked to poorer prognosis. NT5E was predominantly expressed in B cells, fibroblasts, and endothelial cells, correlated with immune checkpoints. These outcomes suggest that NT5E can serve as a LUAD therapeutic target. The study highlights gene predictive value, offers an efficient tumor assessment tool, guides clinical treatment strategies, and identifies NT5E as therapeutic target for LUAD.

High expression of FGFR3 predicts a better prognosis for patients with non-small cell lung cancer in a Chinese population.

Background: This study sought to examine the expression and mutation status of fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 (FGFR3) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tissues and explore the prognostic potential of FGFR3 in NSCLC. Methods: Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was used to evaluate the FGFR3 protein expression of 116 NSCLC tissues. Sanger sequencing was used to examine the mutation status of exons 7, 10, and 15 in FGFR3. A Kaplan­Meier survival analysis was conducted to evaluate the association between the expression level of FGFR3 and the overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) of NSCLC patients. Univariate and multivariate Cox analyses were conducted to examine the association between the risk score and clinical features. Results: FGFR3 was immunoreactive in 26 of the 86 NSCLC cases. Further, FGFR3 was positively expressed in 84.6% of the lung adenocarcinoma (AC) cases and 15.4% of the lung squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) cases. FGFR3 mutations were detected in 2 NSCLC patients (2/72, 2.8%), who both harbored the T450M mutation, a novel mutation in exon 10 of FGFR3. In NSCLC, a high expression of FGFR3 was positively correlated with gender, smoking, histology type, T stage, and the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation (P<0.05). FGFR3 expression was also correlated with better OS and DFS. The multivariate analysis revealed that FGFR3 served as an independent prognostic factor (P=0.024) for the OS of NSCLC patients. Conclusions: This study showed that FGFR3 was highly expressed in NSCLC tissues, and the frequency rate for the FGFR3 mutation at T450 M in NSCLC tissues was low. The survival analysis suggested that FGFR3 may be a useful prognostic biomarker in NSCLC.

[Effectiveness of cultured Cordyceps sinensis combined with glucocorticosteroid on pulmonary fibrosis induced by bleomycin in rats].

OBJECTIVE: To study the treatment effects of cultured Cordyceps sinensis combined with glucocorticosteroid on experimental pulmonary fibrosis in rats induced by bleomycin. METHOD: Fifty rats were randomly divided into five groups, including control group, model group, cultured C. sinensis groups, prednisone group, cultured C. sinensis combined with prednisone group. On experimental day 0, the rats were respectively intratracheally instilled with bleomycin, and rats in the control group and model group with the same volume of normal saline. One day after the injection, cultured C. sinensis and glucocorticosteroid was respectively given to rats daily by gastric gavage, while the same volume of normal saline was given to those in the control group and model group. On 28th d, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and lung tissue were collected. Histological changes of the lungs were evaluated by HE stain, Masson's trichrome stain. Collagen content of the lung tissue was assessed by hydroxyprolin concentration. Lung expression of CTGF protein was assessed by immunohistochemistry. The level of TGF-beta1 protein was measured by ELISA. RESULT: Compared to model group, pulmonary fibrosis were alleviated in cultured C. sinensis and prednisone group, and CTGF expression, Hydroxyproline concentrations and protein TGF-beta1 were decreased. The combination effect of C. sinensis and prednisone group is augmented compared with using C. sinensis or prednisone group alone. CONCLUSION: The cultured C. sinensis and prednisone alleviates pulmonary fibrosis, and the combination use of both drugs has synergia effects in anti-fibrous degeneration.

PACE4 Expression is a Novel Independent Prognostic Factor in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Paired basic amino acid-cleaving enzyme 4 (PACE4) belongs to the family of proprotein convertase and is essential for tumor progression, whereas its role in cancer remains controversial and little is known about its role in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). The aim of this study was to examine if the expression of PACE4 is a prognostic biomarker for patients with NPC. METHODS: Immunofluorescence (IF) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) were used to analyze PACE4 expression in NPC cell line CNE1 and 172 clinicopathologically characterized NPC tissues. The data were analyzed by Chi-square test, Kaplan-Meier plots, and Cox proportional hazards regression model. RESULTS: IF and IHC staining results showed that PACE4 was mainly located in the cytoplasm of NPC cell line (CNE1) and NPC tissues. Expression of PACE4 was observed in 46/172 (26.7%) of NPC tissues. Further analysis showed that expression of PACE4 was positively associated with late N stage, distant metastasis, and late clinical stage (P<0.05). High expression of PACE4 predicted shorter 5-year overall survival of patients with NPC, especially for the patients in advanced stage (32.7% vs 77.3%, P<0.001). Furthermore, multivariate analysis showed that PACE4 expression may serve as a potential prognostic factor for NPC. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that PACE4 may play a crucial role in tumor progression and may serve as a valuable prognostic biomarker for patients with NPC.

Diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma in situ and minimally invasive adenocarcinoma from intraoperative frozen sections: an analysis of 136 cases.

AIMS: To determine the diagnostic accuracy and contraindications for intraoperative diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma in situ (AIS) and minimally invasive adenocarcinoma (MIA) from frozen sections. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of data from 136 patients pathologically diagnosed with early-stage (T1N0M0) AIS or MIA from paraffin-embedded sections. The rate of concordance between the diagnoses from intraoperative frozen sections and paraffin-embedded sections was determined, and the interpretive features that contributed to errors and deferrals in frozen-section diagnoses were identified. RESULTS: Of the 136 patients, diagnoses from frozen sections and paraffin-embedded sections were concordant in 86 (63.24%) cases intraoperatively diagnosed with AIS or MIA, and 44 (32.35%) cases were intraoperatively diagnosed with adenocarcinoma as the range of infiltration could not be determined from the frozen sections. From the remaining six (4.41%) cases, the frozen section and paraffin-embedded section diagnoses were discordant. The reasons for frozen section errors and deferrals included larger tumour volume, tumour located close to the visceral pleura, interstitial inflammation or fibrosis, absence of prominent atypia and differential morphology in the deeper levels of the paraffin block. CONCLUSIONS: Diagnosis of AIS and MIA from intraoperative frozen sections is feasible. We provide several modifications that may improve the diagnostic accuracy of intraoperative frozen sections for early-stage lung adenocarcinoma.

Expression of paired basic amino acid-cleaving enzyme 4 (PACE4) correlated with prognosis in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients.

BACKGROUND: Paired basic amino acid-cleaving enzyme 4 (PACE4) was shown to enhance tumor cells proliferation and invasive. This study provides the first investigation of PACE4 expression in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and the correlation with clinicopathologic features, prognostic indicators of 172 cases. METHODS: Quantitative real-time PCR (RT-PCR) and immunofluorescence (IF) were applied to detect PACE4 expression in NSCLC and 16HBE cell lines, then 172 consecutive NSCLC and 15 normal lung tissues were studied through immunohistochemistry (IHC). The association between PACE4 expression and clinicopathological parameters was evaluated. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate the effect of PACE4 expression on survival. RESULTS: PACE4 expression in NSCLC were significantly higher than normal lung cell and tissues (P<0.05). PACE4 had cytoplasmic expression and was observed in 111 of the 172 (64.5%) NSCLC patients. Clinicopathologically, PACE4 expression was significantly associated with lymph node metastasis (N stage) (P=0.007), and clinical stage (P=0.024). Multivariable analysis confirmed that PACE4 expression increased the hazard of death after adjusting for other clinicopathological factors [hazards ratio (HR): 1.584; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.167-2.151; P<0.001]. Overall survival (OS) was significantly prolonged in PACE4 negative group when compared with PACE4 positive group (5-year survival rates, 23.1% vs. 54.5%, log-rank test, χ(2)=17.717, P<0.001), as was disease-free survival (DFS) (5-year survival rates, 23.4% vs. 55.4%, log-rank test, χ(2)=20.486, P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that positive expression of PACE4 is an independent factor for NSCLC patients and it might serve as a potential prognostic biomarker for patients with NSCLC.

[Manual immunohistochemistry for detecting ALK gene fusion antibody in 519 cases of non-small lung cancer].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) gene fusion antibody in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and explore the clinicopathological significance. METHODS: Using manual immunohistochemistry (IHC) with D5F3 rabbit monoclonal antibody, we detected the expression of ALK gene fusion protein in 519 cases of NSCLC. The relations of ALK fusion protein with the clinical characteristics of the patients and the histological classification of the tumors were analyzed. The expressions of ALK fusion protein were compared between surgical specimens and biopsy samples, and the consistency of manual IHC results was evaluated with the results of a fully automated IHC instrument and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). RESULTS: The positivity rate of ALK fusion protein was 11.37% (59/519) among the cases detected by manual IHC. The patients tended to have a young age of onset (P=0.048) and most of the tumors were adenocarcinoma. In the surgical specimens, ALK fusion protein was expressed mostly in invasive mucinous adenocarcinoma (P<0.01), and it was a high risk factor of lymph node metastasis [OR=2.188(95%C.I:1.161-4.122)]. No statistical difference was found in the test results of manual IHC between surgical specimens and biopsy samples. The results by manual IHC suggesting a strong expression were consistent with the results by automated IHC and FISH. CONCLUSION: Manual IHC can be reliable for screening ALK fusion arrangement in patients with NSCLC.

Prognostic value of ERCC1 mRNA expression in non-small cell lung cancer, breast cancer, and gastric cancer in patients from Southern China.

BACKGROUND: Excision repair cross complementation group 1 (ERCC1) is a nucleotide excision repair pathway gene which provides protection against platinum-based chemotherapy-induced DNA damage. METHODS: ERCC1 mRNA expression was quantified by quantitative real-time reverse-transcription PCR in paraffin-embedded non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC; n = 357), gastric cancer (n = 106), and breast cancer (n = 363) tissues. Survival curves were generated by Kaplan-Meier analysis; Cox proportional multivariate regression analysis was applied. RESULTS: ERCC1 mRNA expression was significantly higher in breast cancer than gastric cancer or NSCLC (both P < 0.0001), but not significantly different in NSCLC and gastric cancer (P = 0.119). In NSCLC, the low ERCC1 group had significantly longer disease free survival (DFS) than the high ERCC1 group (29.1 vs. 21.0 months, P < 0.0001); in the surgery alone and postoperative platinum-containing chemotherapy subgroups, DFS was significantly longer for the low ERCC1 groups than high ERCC1 groups (30.2 vs. 25.1 months, P = 0.018; 27.0 vs. 19.4 months, P < 0.0001, respectively). In gastric cancer patients receiving surgery alone, the low ERCC1 group had significantly longer overall survival than the high ERCC1 group (47.54 vs. 27.47 months, P = 0.018). CONCLUSIONS: High ERCC1 mRNA expression of the NSCLC tumor tissues was associated with poor disease-free survival (DFS), in both the surgery alone and postoperative platinum-containing chemotherapy subgroups. Meanwhile, low ERCC1 mRNA expression had significantly longer overall survival in gastric cancer patients receiving surgery alone. Therefore, ERCC1 expression was a prognostic factor and predictive marker in NSCLC, and gastric cancer after surgery alone, but was not a prognostic factor in breast cancer.

High expression levels of class III ß-tubulin in resected non-small cell lung cancer patients are predictive of improved patient survival after vinorelbine-based adjuvant chemotherapy.

The aim of the present study was to determine the frequency and predictive value of the expression of tumor microtubule components in patients with resected non-small cell lung cancer (R-NSCLC) subsequently treated with vinorelbine-based adjuvant chemotherapy. The expression of the microtubule components was evaluated in 85 R-NSCLC tumor samples using immunohistochemistry. All patients received vinorelbine-based chemotherapy. The predictive value of microtubule protein expression for disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) was assessed. The expression of the microtubule components was not associated with any baseline clinicopathological factors in the R-NSCLC patients. High tumor expression levels of class III ß-tubulin were correlated with an improved DFS (P=0.033) and a trend towards a longer OS (P=0.226). Class II and IV ß-tubulins were not correlated with patient outcome. Multivariate analysis of factors, including gender, age, histology, stage and class II, III and IV ß-tubulin expression demonstrated that high levels of class III ß-tubulin expression were correlated independently with DFS (P= 0.031). These findings suggest that high class III ß-tubulin expression levels in resected tumors are predictive of improved DFS in R-NSCLC patients receiving vinorelbine-based chemotherapy.

Pulmonary carcinoid tumorlet without underlying lung disease: analysis of its relationship to fibrosis.

Pulmonary carcinoid tumorlet is a rare pathology and appears to be always associated with other lesions such as bronchiectasis and fibrosis. While the caus e-effect relationship between tumorlet and the accompanying pathological changes in the surrounding mesenchymal tissue remains to be defined, it has been postulated that pulmonary fibrosis may be the primary pathology underlying the development of tumorlet. In this paper, we present a case where a tumor (<0.5 cm) was detected in the right upper lobe of a 71-year old woman. Cells of the tumor displayed markers characterizing for their neuroendocrine origin. No histological evidence for inflammation, interstitial fibrosis and remodeling of vascular structure was observed. However, immunohistochemistry assay demonstrated a strong production of the profibrotic factors VEGF and TGF-ß1 by tumor cells. These findings suggest that carcinoid tumorlet can be an isolated lesion and pulmonary fibrosis that "often co-exists" with tumorlet may be secondary to the paracrine effects of fibrotic growth factors produced by tumorlet.