The latest medical research on Lung Cancer

The research magnet gathers the latest research from around the web, based on your specialty area. Below you will find a sample of some of the most recent articles from reputable medical journals about lung cancer gathered by our medical AI research bot.

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Association Between Antibiotic and Outcomes of Chemoimmunotherapy for Extensive-Stage Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Multicenter Retrospective Study of 132 Patients.

Thoracic Cancer

To evaluate the impact of antibiotic (ATB) exposure on the outcome of chemoimmunotherapy in patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC).

In this multicenter retrospective study, 132 patients with ES-SCLC who received chemoimmunotherapy were included from three hospitals in China. Patients receiving ATB within 30 days prior to initiating ICI therapy (p-ATB) and those receiving concurrent ICI therapy until cessation (c-ATB)were compared to those who did not (n-ATB). Progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), objective response rate (ORR), and immune-related adverse events (irAEs) were assessed. To avoid immortal time bias, c-ATB was analyzed as a time-dependent covariate in the Cox proportional hazards model.

Among the 132 patients, 25 were included in the p-ATB group and 26 in the c-ATB group, while 81 patients were categorized in the n-ATB group. Multivariate analysis revealed no significant differences in PFS (aHR = 1.028, 95% CI: 0.666-1.589, p = 0.900) and OS (aHR = 0.957, 95% CI: 0.549-1.668, p = 0.877) between the p-ATB and n-ATB groups. Similarly, p-ATB had no significant impact on ORR (p = 0.510) or irAEs (p = 0.516). The use of c-ATB had no significant effect on either PFS (aHR: 1.165, 95% CI: 0.907-1.497; p = 0.232) or OS (aHR: 1.221, 95% CI: 0.918-1.624; p = 0.171) by multivariate analysis.

p-ATB has no significant impact on PFS, OS, ORR, or the incidence of irAEs in ES-SCLC patients receiving chemoimmunotherapy. Similarly, c-ATB does not seem to affect PFS or OS.

Clinicopathological features and outcomes of rare lung adenocarcinoma metastasis to the thyroid gland: A single-center, 11-year experience.

Thoracic Cancer

Metastasis to the thyroid gland from lung adenocarcinoma is rare and challenging to diagnose due to similar histopathological features. This study aimed to analyze the clinicopathological characteristics of and treatment strategies for lung adenocarcinoma metastasis to the thyroid based on 11 years of institutional experience.

A retrospective study included patients with lung adenocarcinoma metastasis to the thyroid at our center from 2010 to 2023. Clinicopathological features and clinical outcomes were analyzed.

Among 9714 lung adenocarcinoma patients, nine patients (five females, 55.6%) were diagnosed with thyroid metastasis, presenting primarily with cough symptoms. Most patients (88.9%) had synchronous tumors, whereas a minority (11.1%) had metachronous tumors. The median time from primary tumor diagnosis to metastasis was 4.8 months. Most patients developed bilateral thyroid metastases (88.9%). Diagnosis of thyroid metastasis was primarily through fine-needle aspiration (FNA), with one case misdiagnosed as papillary thyroid carcinoma. Immunohistochemical staining revealed thyroid transcription factor-1 (TTF-1) and novel aspartic proteinase of pepsin family A (Napsin-A) positivity and paired box 8 (PAX8) negativity. Genetic testing found epidermal growth factor receptor mutations in 71.4% of patients. The individualized comprehensive therapy included surgery, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and targeted and supportive therapy. The median overall survival was 56.0 months, with a progression-free survival of 12.7 months. Kaplan-Meier (K-M) analysis suggested improved survival with no advanced symptoms (p = 0.03) and targeted therapies (p = 0.05).

Lung adenocarcinoma metastasis to the thyroid is a rare disease, with an incidence of 0.1% among lung adenocarcinoma patients. Early treatment after symptom onset and personalized targeted therapies may improve prognosis. Despite rapid disease progression, favorable outcomes can be achieved with comprehensive treatment.

Optical sensor for fast and accurate lung cancer detection with tissue autofluorescence and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy.

Thoracic Cancer

Cancer is a severe threat to human health, and surgery is a major method of cancer treatment. This study aimed to develop an optical sensor for fast cancer tissue.

The tissue autofluorescence spectrum and diffuse reflectance spectrum were obtained by using a laboratory-developed optical sensor system. A total of 151 lung tissue samples were used in this ex vivo study.

Experimental results demonstrate that tissue autofluorescence spectroscopy with a 365-nm excitation has better performance than diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, and 63 of 64 test samples (98.4% accuracy) were correctly classified with tissue autofluorescence spectroscopy and our developed data analysis method.

Our promising ex vivo study results show that the developed optical sensor system has great promise for future clinical translation for intraoperative lung cancer detection and other applications.

Comparing Needle and Surgical Biopsy in Small Peripheral Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer With Suspected Pleural Invasion: A Propensity Score-Matched Study.

Thoracic Cancer

This study aimed to compare long-term clinical outcomes of percutaneous needle biopsy (PCNB) versus surgical biopsy in patients with peripheral, small-sized clinical stage 1 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with computed tomography (CT)-defined visceral pleural invasion (VPI).

We retrospectively analyzed patients who underwent surgery for NSCLC with CT-defined VPI between 2010 and 2017. We excluded patients with non-peripheral NSCLC, or cancers > 3 cm. Propensity score matching was carried out to adjust for confounding variables. The primary endpoint was ipsilateral pleural recurrence-free survival, while secondary endpoints included overall survival and recurrence-free survival.

Of the 1671 patients with peripheral, small-sized clinical stage 1 NSCLC with CT-defined VPI, 805 underwent PCNB, and 866 had a surgical biopsy. Propensity score matching assigned 562 patients to each group. Before matching, the PCNB group demonstrated worse baseline characteristics, including older age, higher smoking history, and more adverse pathological findings. After matching, the 5-year recurrence-free survival for ipsilateral pleural recurrence (98.6% vs. 96.0%, p = 0.002) and overall survival (93.8% vs. 90.2%, p = 0.003) were significantly higher in the surgical biopsy group compared with the PCNB group. Multivariable analysis revealed that PCNB significantly increased the risks of all-cause mortality and various recurrences before and after matching.

Compared with surgery biopsy, PCNB was associated with higher risks of all-cause mortality and recurrences, including ipsilateral pleural recurrence. PCNB should be considered with caution in cases of peripheral stage 1 NSCLC where CT-defined VPI is suspected.

USP8-mediated PTK7 promotes PIK3CB-related pathway to accelerate the malignant progression of non-small cell lung cancer.

Thoracic Cancer

Protein tyrosine kinase 7 (PTK7) has been found to be highly expressed in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but its specific molecular mechanism needs to be further explored.

PTK7 mRNA expression in NSCLC tumor tissues was examined by quantitative real-time PCR. The protein levels of PTK7, ubiquitin-specific peptidase 8 (USP8), PIK3CB, and PI3K/AKT were determined by western blot. Human monocytes (THP-1) were induced into macrophages and then co-cultured with the conditioned medium of NSCLC cells. Macrophage M2 polarization was assessed by detecting CD206+ cells using flow cytometry. The interaction between PTK7 and USP8 or PIK3CB was assessed by Co-IP assay. Animal study was performed to evaluate the effects of PTK7 knockdown and PIK3CB on NSCLC tumorigenesis in vivo.

PTK7 expression was higher in NSCLC tumor tissues and cells. After silencing of PTK7, NSCLC cell proliferation, invasion, and macrophage M2 polarization were inhibited, while cell apoptosis was promoted. USP8 enhanced PTK7 protein expression by deubiquitination, and the repressing effects of USP8 knockdown on NSCLC cell growth, invasion, and macrophage M2 polarization were reversed by PTK7 overexpression. PTK7 interacted with PIK3CB, and PIK3CB overexpression could abolish the regulation of PTK7 silencing on NSCLC cell progression. USP8 positively regulated PIK3CB expression by PTK7, thus activating PI3K/AKT pathway. Downregulation of PTK7 reduced NSCLC tumorigenesis by decreasing PIK3CB expression.

USP8-deubiquitinated PTK7 facilitated NSCLC malignant behavior via activating the PIK3CB/PI3K/AKT pathway, providing new idea for NSCLC treatment.

Establishing a new human lung squamous cell carcinoma cell line, OMUL-1, expressing insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor and programmed cell death ligand 1.

Thoracic Cancer

Squamous cell carcinoma is the second most prevalent type of non-small cell lung cancer. Analyzing the molecular mechanisms underlying lung carcinoma requires useful tools, such as squamous lung cancer cell lines.

A novel new lung squamous cell carcinoma cell line, OMUL-1, was developed from the primary lung cancer of a 74-year-old man. We assessed the characteristics and behavior of OMUL-1 cells were examined, including their growth kinetics, tumorigenicity in mice, histological properties, gene expression profiles using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and RNA sequencing and invasion assays.

OMUL-1-an adherent cell line-resulted in 100% tumor formation when subcutaneously injected into mice. Histological analysis of the subcutaneous tumor using hematoxylin and eosin staining revealed squamous cell carcinoma with characteristics similar to those of the primary tumor (p40 and p63 were positive, and TTF-1 was negative). An invasion assay demonstrated that OMUL-1 had a lower invasion ability compared to that of other developed cell lines. RT-PCR analysis and RNA sequencing indicated that OMUL-1 cells expressed FGFR1, FGFR2, FGFR3, FGFR4, EGFR, HER2, ErbB3, ErbB4, VEGFR3, IGF1R, c-MET, PDGFRa, and PDGFRb. Additionally, picropodophyllin (an IGF1R inhibitor) significantly inhibited the growth of OMUL-1 cells. Immunohistochemistry revealed that IGF1R and PD-L1 were expressed in both the primary and subcutaneous tumors.

We developed a novel new squamous cell lung carcinoma cell line, OMUL-1, that expresses IGF1R and PD-L1.

Impact of Antibiotic on Efficacy and Adverse Reactions of Chemoimmunotherapy in Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Patients: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Thoracic Cancer

This study aimed to evaluate the impact of antibiotic exposure on efficacy and adverse reactions in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients receiving chemoimmunotherapy, and to explore any specific associations on the basis of antibiotic class.

A retrospective study was conducted on NSCLC patients who received chemoimmunotherapy in two Shandong hospitals between January 2018 and October 2023. The association between antibiotic exposure and progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), objective response rate (ORR) and incidence of immune related adverse reactions (irAE) of patients were evaluated.

Of the 316 patients, 134 (42.41%) received antibiotics (ATB group), and 182 (57.59%) did not (N-ATB group). There was no significant difference in PFS (aHR = 1.009, 95% CI: 0.770-1.323; p = 0.946) or OS (aHR = 1.420, 95% CI: 0.986-2.047; p = 0.060) between ATB and N-ATB groups. The impact on efficacy was related to the type of antibiotic. β-Lactams (aHR = 1.737, 95% CI: 1.148-2.629; p = 0.009), in particular β-lactam/β-lactamase inhibitor combinations (BLBLIs) (aHR = 1.885, 95% CI: 1.207-2.944, p = 0.005) were associated with poorer OS. However, quinolones (aHR = 1.192, 95% CI: 0.861-1.650; p = 0.291) were not associated with OS. The incidence of irAEs was not significantly different between ATB and N-ATB groups (p = 0.073), but was higher with BLBLIs (p = 0.013).

In NSCLC patients receiving chemoimmunotherapy, no significant difference was observed in efficacy and incidence of irAEs between the ATB and the n-ATB groups. In antibiotic class analysis, β-lactams and specifically BLBLIs were observed to be associated with worse OS.

Enhancing positioning accuracy in adjuvant radiotherapy for left breast cancer using cervical-thoracic integrated bracket combined with deep inspiration breath holding.

Thoracic Cancer

This study aimed to investigate the accuracy of three fixation methods in patients with left breast cancer receiving whole breast radiotherapy: conventional breast bracket (BB), breast bracket combined with deep inspiration breath holding (DIBH), and cervical-thoracic integrated bracket (CTIB) combined with DIBH.

From January 2023 to September 2023, 84 patients who underwent left breast cancer radiotherapy with supraclavicular radiation after conservative surgery were included in this study, of which 25 patients were fixed by conventional BB, 34 patients by BB & DIBH, and 25 patients by CTIB & DIBH. Image registration was conducted around the treatment area, using the sternoclavicular joint and acromioclavicular joint as landmarks. Systematic and random errors were calculated to assess the accuracy of these fixation methods.

Compared to the conventional BB group, the CTIB & DIBH group demonstrated significant improvements in accuracy across multiple dimensions, including left-right, superior-posterior, and anterior-posterior directions, as well as rotational errors in the sagittal and coronal planes. The CTIB & DIBH group showed a significant reduction of setup error in the anterior-posterior direction compared to the BB & DIBH group. The displacement of the acromioclavicular joint varied, with the CTIB & DIBH method showing more favorable outcomes.

DIBH method exhibited lower setup errors and more effective fixation of the acromioclavicular joint, especially when combined with CTIB, making it a recommended fixation method in adjuvant radiotherapy following breast-conserving surgery.

Clinicopathological features and prognosis of mucinous breast carcinoma with a micropapillary structure.

Thoracic Cancer

To conduct a comparative analysis of clinicopathological data between mucinous micropapillary breast carcinoma (MUMPC) and pure mucinous carcinoma (PMC) without a micropapillary structure to elucidate the distinctive clinicopathological characteristics of MUMPC and their impact on prognosis.

This retrospective analysis included 325 patients diagnosed with mammary mucinous carcinoma admitted to Tianjin Cancer Hospital between July 2014 and December 2019, including 197 patients with MUMPC and 128 patients with PMC without a micropapillary structure. Clinicopathological features were compared, and factors influencing the prognosis of MUMPC were analyzed. Survival analysis was conducted using the Kaplan-Meier method, and univariate and multivariate prognostic analyses for MUMPC were performed using the Cox proportional hazard regression model.

The median follow-up period was 76 months. In the MUMPC and PMC groups, the disease-free survival (DFS) rates at 3, 5, and 7 years were 95.4%, 90.4%, 89.8%, and 100%, 98.4%, and 96.9%, respectively, with a statistically significant difference between the two groups (p = 0.009). Tumor, node, and metastasis (TNM) stage, lymph node metastasis, and endocrine treatment were significant factors influencing the prognosis of the MUMPC group (p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis revealed that lymph node metastasis and endocrine therapy were independent prognostic factors in patients with MUMPC (p < 0.001). Compared with PMC, the MUMPC group exhibited a higher prevalence of HER2 (11.2% vs. 3.1%, p = 0.009) and Ki-67 overexpression (79.7% vs. 60.2%, p < 0.001).

The lymph node stage is the most crucial clinicopathological feature of MUMPC. Endocrine treatment strategy is an independent risk factor affecting the prognosis of MUMPC.

Exploration of the pattern of lymph node metastasis in esophageal cancer based on membrane anatomy theory.

Thoracic Cancer

To analyze the pattern of lymph node metastasis in esophageal cancer based on the theory of membrane anatomy.

A retrospective analysis was conducted on 143 patients who underwent esophageal surgery at the Cancer Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences from March 2021 to March 2022. Lymph node metastasis was observed and categorized according to postoperative T staging. The characteristics and patterns of lymph node metastasis in different regions were observed, and the lymph node metastasis patterns in patients with clinical T3 esophageal cancer were analyzed using membrane anatomy theory.

Among the 143 patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, 21 were treated with surgery alone, while the rest received preoperative adjuvant therapy. A total of 5456 lymph nodes were cleared from the 143 patients, with 204 positive lymph nodes, resulting in a positive rate of 3.74%. In the thoracic lymph node dissection, the metastatic rates exceeded 5% for the following regions: 106recR (17.36%), 106recL (12.5%), 107 (10.42%), and 108 (5.56%) station. When analyzing the abdominal lymph node metastasis, the metastatic rates exceeded 5% for regions 7 (13.19%), 3a (7.64%), 2 (6.94%), and 1 (6.25%) station. Group analysis of patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma before postoperative pathological T3 stage revealed an increasing trend in tumor lymph node metastasis rate with later T staging. Lymph node metastasis in region 106recR can occur early, with a metastasis rate of 18.37% in T1 tumors. Analysis of lymph node metastasis characteristics in 103 patients clinically staged as T3 showed that 3966 lymph nodes were cleared, with 186 positive nodes, resulting in a positive rate of 4.69%. Lymph node metastasis rates were higher in regions 106recL, 106recR, 107, 108, 110, 1, 2, 3a, and 7, all exceeding 5%.

The theory of membrane anatomy can effectively explain the pattern of lymph node metastasis in esophageal cancer.

Lorlatinib overcomes alectinib-induced hemolytic anemia in an ALK fusion positive non-small-cell lung cancer patient with severe tumor-associated liver failure: A case report.

Thoracic Cancer

Hemolytic anemia is a rare and unique complication of alectinib, not observed with other anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) inhibitors. Here, we pres...

What do we know about the role of neoadjuvant targeted therapy in early-stage EGFR-mutant and ALK-fused non-small cell lung cancer?-a narrative review of the current literature.

Translational Lung Cancer Research

The standard first-line treatment for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harbouring epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations or anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) fusions is targeted therapy using tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). However, data are still lacking on the use of TKIs as a neoadjuvant or induction approach. Therefore, this narrative review aims to summarize the current knowledge on resectable EGFR-mutant and ALK-fused NSCLC regarding available perioperative treatment regimens and off-label neoadjuvant use of targeted therapy.

The relevant literature was identified by using PubMed and ClinicalTrials.gov (last search phase June 2024) and was restricted to English language. Peer-reviewed manuscripts but also conference abstracts that did not undergo peer-review were included.

Patients with EGFR-mutations and ALK-fusions have typically been excluded from available phase III perioperative immunotherapy trials due to lower efficacy and higher toxicity of immunotherapy in those patients. In the adjuvant setting, recent evidence from the phase III ALINA and ADAURA trials demonstrated efficacy and safety of targeted therapy in resected ALK-fused and EGFR-mutant NSCLC. However, to date there is no approval for the use of TKIs as neoadjuvant or induction therapy in those patients. We have therefore identified a number of case series and phase II trials using targeted therapy in resectable EGFR-mutant and ALK-fused NSCLC.

Current evidence suggests that targeted therapies might be effective in patients with resectable EGFR-mutant and ALK-positive NSCLC, but ongoing trials will need to provide further evidence on the safety and efficacy of perioperative TKI therapy.