This schedule of induction therapy with high-dose radiation and concurrent cisplatinum was safe and highly effective in fit patients. At this time, pathologic complete response cannot be reliably recognised preoperatively, and better tools for response assessment are critical for more tailored treatment of patients with SST.

No abstract

Compared with other European countries, this approach, as determined by the IAV and Mesothelioma Group of the DTS, is an effective and rapid way to investigate claims of patients with a possible occupationally related malignant mesothelioma.

Endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) is a new diagnostic tool, which has expanded the view of the bronchoscopist beyond the confinements of the airways. It has great potential for diagnosis of mediastinal processes and staging of lung cancer. These will be discussed and illustrated. EBUS will become a superior tool for staging of lung cancer, and several comparative studies on EBUS as compared with standard techniques in order to assess its role in the staging procedure are just on their way or already completed.

Patients who are treated within clinical trials may have a survival benefit dependent on being a trial participant. A number of factors may produce such beneficial outcome including more rigorous adherence to a peer reviewed trial protocol, management by an experienced treatment team, being treated in a specialist centre etc. The current investigation compared patients treated on and off trial with the same standard arm treatment regimen. The results could then be interpreted without the confounding factors of differing treatment regimens, treatment teams or treatment hospitals. The results demonstrated given these circumstances that survival was no different for patients participating in a randomised trial compared with a group of patients similarly treated who were not eligible for trial entry or who declined randomisation. These results were obtained by the rigorous adherence to a defined protocol with the invaluable assistance of designated lung cancer staff.