Abstract. The present retrospective study was performed to evaluate the clinicopathological characteristics associated with distant metastasis from non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The records of NSCLC patients with metastasis at the time of diagnosis between 1999 and 2012 were reviewed. Of the consecutive 1,542 NSCLC patients diagnosed during the study period, 729 (47.3%) patients presented with distant metastasis. Among those 729 metastatic NSCLC patients, 250 (34.3%), 234 (32.1%), 207 (28.4%), 122 (16.7%), 98 (13.4%) and 69 (9.5%) had bone, lung, brain, adrenal gland, liver and extrathoracic lymph node metastasis, respectively. In a multivariate analysis using the Cox proportional hazards model, liver and adrenal gland metastases were unfavorable prognostic factors. However, brain and bone metastases were not statistically significant prognostic factors. Using a logistic regression analysis, metastasis to the adrenal glands and the presence of pleural and̸or pericardial fluid effusion were correlated with a poor performance status. Therefore, when planning the treatment of NSCLC patients, particularly those with liver and adrenal gland metastases, we should take into consideration information regarding these unfavorable organ metastases.

Abstract. The aim of our retrospective study was to evaluate the clinicopathological features associated with distant metastasis from small cell lung cancer (SCLC). We reviewed patients diagnosed with SCLC metastasis at the time of presentation between 1999 and 2010. Among the consecutive 251 SCLC patients diagnosed, 152 (60.6%) patients had distant metastasis, of which 20.3, 18.3, 15.5, 10.0 and 6.0% of patients had liver, bone, brain, lung and adrenal gland metastasis, respectively. In a multivariate analysis using Cox's proportional hazards model, we identified that liver, bone and brain metastasis as well as the presence of pleural and/ or pericardial fluids were unfavorable prognostic factors. However, lung, adrenal gland and extrathoracic lymph node metastasis were not statistically significant prognostic factors. With regard to the treatment of SCLC patients, particularly those with liver, bone and brain metastasis or pleural and/or pericardial fluids, we should take the metastasizing organs into consideration.

In order to evaluate clinicopathological features associated with liver metastases from lung cancer, we reviewed our experience of lung cancer patients seen in our division. Of the 1073 lung cancer patients diagnosed between October 1976 and May 2002, 62 (5.8%) patients had liver metastasis. The incidence of liver metastasis was 17.5% in small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) patients, whereas the incidence in non-small-cell lung cancer patients was 3.8%. Of the 62 patients, 17 had sole liver metastasis, and the remaining 45 had synchronous spread to the liver and one or more other organs. Six of 12 squamous cell carcinoma patients and 10 of 28 SCLC patients had sole liver metastasis. However, 19 of 20 adenocarcinoma patients showed liver metastasis with one or more other organs. In morphological liver metastasis, 26 of the 28 SCLC patients had multiple nodules, whereas 16 of the 34 non-small-cell lung cancer patients had a solitary liver nodule (p = 0.0006). Liver is a possible site of extrathoracic spread of disease for some patients with lung cancer, especially with SCLC. When the histological types are squamous cell carcinoma or SCLC, it would also be considered likely that an isolated liver mass represents a metastasis even though there is no metastatic disease elsewhere.

Abstract. The aim of this study was to reveal whether there was non-randomness in the occurrence of metastasis and, if the nonrandomness was denied, whether there were specific metastatic patterns in lung cancer patients. Patients who presented with pathologically diagnosed lung cancer between January 1986 and March 2009 at our hospitals were included. A statistical method and conditional probability analysis were used to analyze the data. Under the condition of one metastatic organ A (lung, bone, brain, liver or adrenal gland; the 5 most common metastatic organs), we determined the conditional probability of distant metastasis to a specific organ B, which was written as P(B⎪A), and compared it with the probability of distant metastasis P(B). The study group consisted of 1,994 patients. Of the 1,994 patients, 839 (42.1%) had distant metastases at the time of the initial diagnosis of lung cancer. With the exception of the comparisons between P(lung) and P(lung⎪adrenal gland) and between P(adrenal gland) and P(adrenal gland⎪lung), there were statistically significant differences between P(B⎪A) and P(B) in the 5 metastatic organs. In addition, P(B⎪A) and P(C⎪B⎪A) varied according to each organ and P(confined to A), P(confined to A and B) and P(confined to A, B and C) were different in each metastatic organ. In lung cancer patients, distant metastasis occurred non-randomly and there may be certain specific patterns of distant metastasis. The accumulation of knowledge of specific patterns of metastasis may aid the approach to individualized treatments.

Elevated serum KL-6 levels can be observed in lung cancer patients both with and without ILD. Having ILD has strong prognostic impact in patients with lung cancer. In those without ILD, however, elevated KL-6 levels may be related to poor prognosis.

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Interstitial lung disease (ILD) and lung cancer are two of the most common respiratory diseases. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the prognostic significance of the presence of ILD in patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC). All the patients with SCLC who were admitted to our hospitals over a 23-year period up to 2008 were retrospectively analyzed. During the study period, 332 SCLC patients were consecutively admitted to our hospitals. Among them, 15 (4.5%) were diagnosed as having both SCLC and ILD. In univariate and multivariate analysis, female sex, early stage, good performance status, and chemotherapy were favorable prognostic factors. The presence of ILD was confirmed as an unfavorable prognostic factor. Existing ILD adversely affects the outcome of SCLC. When deciding whether to offer a standard therapy that may increase treatment-related mortality, the patient's medical condition, including ILD, should be taken into consideration.

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