Stage-based treatment for thymoma in due consideration of thymectomy: a single-center experience and comparison with the literature

BACKGROUND: Thymomas represent an uncommon and heterogeneous group of intrathoracic malignancies which require different treatments corresponding to their individual tumor stage. The objective of this study was to review the efficacy of our applied stage-based treatment for thymoma in due consideration of thymectomy. METHODS: This is a single-center, institutional review board-approved retrospective study of 50 consecutive patients with thymoma treated at our division within 10 years. RESULTS: There were 29 women (58 %) and 21 men (42 %), mean age 58.3 years. Twenty nine (58 %) had clinical symptoms and 14 (28 %) had myasthenia gravis. Forty-five patients (90 %) underwent thymectomy and complete resection was done in 42 cases (93.3 %). Histologic results were 6 subtype A, 5 AB, 8 B1, 12 B2, 12 B3, and 7 C. The Masaoka staging system revealed 20 stage I, 18 stage II, 6 stage III, and 6 stage IV. Two patients had neoadjuvant therapy and 25 received postoperative treatment. Five (11.1 %) had tumor recurrence, treated with re-resection. The 5-year disease-free survival was 91.5 %. Two patients died of tumor progression and three died of other causes (10 %). The 5-year overall survival was 82.3 % and the median survival time was 92.1 months. The 5-year survival rate after thymectomy was 87.2 % and the median survival was 92.1 months. CONCLUSIONS: Complete resection still remains the mainstay in the treatment of non-metastatic thymoma and should be performed whenever feasible. Close multidisciplinary teamwork is mandatory to optimize the neurologic outcome and to prolong postoperative survival

The prognostic long-term impact of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and postoperative mucostasis in patients with curatively resected non-small cell lung cancer

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) serves as risk factor for the development of lung cancer and seems to have a prognostic impact after surgery for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The aim was to investigate the impact of COPD and postoperative mucostasis on the long-term survival after resected NSCLC. We retrospectively reviewed the data from 342 patients with curatively resected NSCLC. The prognostic long-term impact of COPD and postoperative mucostasis on overall survival (OS), recurrence free survival (RFS) and cancer specific survival (CSS) was calculated using univariable and multivariable Cox regression analyses. We found that 52.3% suffered from COPD and 25.4% had postoperative mucostasis. COPD was significantly more common among smokers (59.9%) compared with non-smokers (21.3%), (p p = 0.006) and between smoking and mucostasis (p = 0.023). Patients with postoperative mucostasis had a significantly worse OS (p p = 0.009) and CSS (p = 0.008). The present analysis demonstrated that postoperative mucostasis, but not COPD, was associated with both worse short- and long-term outcomes for OS, RFS and CSS in curatively resected NSCLC

Stage-based treatment for thymoma in due consideration of thymectomy: a single-center experience and comparison with the literature

BACKGROUND: Thymomas represent an uncommon and heterogeneous group of intrathoracic malignancies which require different treatments corresponding to their individual tumor stage. The objective of this study was to review the efficacy of our applied stage-based treatment for thymoma in due consideration of thymectomy. METHODS: This is a single-center, institutional review board-approved retrospective study of 50 consecutive patients with thymoma treated at our division within 10 years. RESULTS: There were 29 women (58 %) and 21 men (42 %), mean age 58.3 years. Twenty nine (58 %) had clinical symptoms and 14 (28 %) had myasthenia gravis. Forty-five patients (90 %) underwent thymectomy and complete resection was done in 42 cases (93.3 %). Histologic results were 6 subtype A, 5 AB, 8 B1, 12 B2, 12 B3, and 7 C. The Masaoka staging system revealed 20 stage I, 18 stage II, 6 stage III, and 6 stage IV. Two patients had neoadjuvant therapy and 25 received postoperative treatment. Five (11.1 %) had tumor recurrence, treated with re-resection. The 5-year disease-free survival was 91.5 %. Two patients died of tumor progression and three died of other causes (10 %). The 5-year overall survival was 82.3 % and the median survival time was 92.1 months. The 5-year survival rate after thymectomy was 87.2 % and the median survival was 92.1 months. CONCLUSIONS: Complete resection still remains the mainstay in the treatment of non-metastatic thymoma and should be performed whenever feasible. Close multidisciplinary teamwork is mandatory to optimize the neurologic outcome and to prolong postoperative survival

The Biological and Clinical Relevance of Inhibitor of Growth (ING) Genes in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Carcinogenic mutations allow cells to escape governing mechanisms that commonly inhibit uncontrolled cell proliferation and maintain tightly regulated homeostasis between cell death and survival. Members of the inhibition of growth (ING) family act as tumor suppressors, governing cell cycle, apoptosis and cellular senescence. The molecular mechanism of action of ING genes, as well as their anchor points in pathways commonly linked to malignant transformation of cells, have been studied with respect to a variety of cancer specimens. This review of the current literature focuses specifically on the action mode of ING family members in lung cancer. We have summarized data from in vitro and in vivo studies, highlighting the effects of varying levels of ING expression in cancer cells. Based on the increasing insight into the function of these proteins, the use of ING family members as clinically useful biomarkers for lung cancer detection and prognosis will probably become routine in everyday clinical practice

Role of Tumor-Associated Neutrophils in the Molecular Carcinogenesis of the Lung

Tumorigenesis is largely influenced by accompanying inflammation. Myeloid cells account for a significant proportion of pro-inflammatory cells within the tumor microenvironment. All steps of tumor formation and progression, such as the suppression of adaptive immune response, angio- and lymphangiogenesis, and the remodeling of the tumor stroma, are to some degree influenced by tumor-associated immune cells. Tumor-associated neutrophils (TANs), together with tumor-associated macrophages and myeloid-derived suppressor cells, count among tumor-associated myeloid cells. Still, the exact molecular mechanisms underlying the tumorigenic effects of TANs have not been investigated in detail. With this review of the literature, we aim to give an overview of the current data on TANs, with a special focus on lung cancer

The Prognostic Long-Term Impact of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Postoperative Mucostasis in Patients with Curatively Resected Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) serves as risk factor for the development of lung cancer and seems to have a prognostic impact after surgery for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The aim was to investigate the impact of COPD and postoperative mucostasis on the long-term survival after resected NSCLC. We retrospectively reviewed the data from 342 patients with curatively resected NSCLC. The prognostic long-term impact of COPD and postoperative mucostasis on overall survival (OS), recurrence free survival (RFS) and cancer specific survival (CSS) was calculated using univariable and multivariable Cox regression analyses. We found that 52.3% suffered from COPD and 25.4% had postoperative mucostasis. COPD was significantly more common among smokers (59.9%) compared with non-smokers (21.3%), (p < 0.001). There was a significant relationship between COPD and postoperative mucostasis (p = 0.006) and between smoking and mucostasis (p = 0.023). Patients with postoperative mucostasis had a significantly worse OS (p < 0.001), RFS (p = 0.009) and CSS (p = 0.008). The present analysis demonstrated that postoperative mucostasis, but not COPD, was associated with both worse short- and long-term outcomes for OS, RFS and CSS in curatively resected NSCLC