Synchrotron Radiation-Based Refraction-Contrast Tomographic Images Using X-ray Dark-Field Imaging Optics in Human Lung Adenocarcinoma and Histologic Correlations

The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical implication of synchrotron radiation imaging techniques for human lung adenocarcinoma in comparison with pathologic examination. A refraction-based tomographic imaging technique called the X-ray dark-field imaging (XDFI) method was used to obtain computed tomographic images of human lung adenocarcinoma at the beam line at Photon Factory BL 14B at the High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK) in Tsukuba, Japan. Images of normal lung tissue were also obtained using the same methods and reconstructed as 3D images. Both reconstructed images were compared with pathologic examinations from histologic slides which were made with identical samples. Pulmonary alveolar structure including terminal bronchioles, alveolar sacs, and vasculatures could be identified in synchrotron radiation images of normal lung. Hyperplasia of interstitial tissue and dysplasia of alveolar structures were noticed in images of lung adenocarcinoma. Both synchrotron radiation images were considerably correlated with images from histologic slides. Lepidic patterns of cancer tissue were distinguished from the invasive area in synchrotron radiation images of lung adenocarcinoma. Refraction-contrast tomographic techniques using synchrotron radiation could provide high-resolution images of lung adenocarcinoma which are compatible with those from pathologic examinations

TSC2 genetic variant and prognosis in non‐small cell lung cancer after curative surgery

This study was conducted to investigate the associations between polymorphisms of genes involved in the LKB1 pathway and the prognosis of patients with non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after surgical resection. Twenty‐three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the LKB1 pathway were investigated in 782 patients with NSCLC who underwent curative surgery. The association of SNPs with overall survival (OS) and disease‐free survival (DFS) were analyzed. Among the 23 SNPs investigated, TSC2 rs30259G > A was associated with significantly worse OS and DFS (adjusted hazard ratio for OS 1.88, 95% confidence interval 1.21–2.91, P = 0.005; adjusted hazard ratio for DFS 1.65, 95% confidence interval 1.15–2.38, P = 0.01, under codominant models, respectively). Subgroup analysis showed that SNPs were significantly associated with survival outcomes in squamous cell carcinoma, ever‐smokers, and stage I, but not in adenocarcinoma, never‐smokers, and stage II–IIIA. The results suggest that TSC2 rs30259G > A may be useful to predict prognosis in patients with NSCLC, especially squamous cell carcinoma, after curative surgery