TNM staging is recommended for SCLC, and stratification by stage I-III should be incorporated in clinical trials of early-stage disease. Further studies are needed to clarify the impact of pleural effusion and the extent of N3 disease.

This analysis further strengthens our previous recommendation to use TNM staging for all SCLC cases.

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

A large number of polycrystalline materials, both manmade and natural, display preferred orientation of crystallites. Such alignment has a profound effect on anisotropy of physical properties. Preferred orientation or texture forms during growth or deformation and is modified during recrystallization or phase transformations and theories exist to predict its origin. Different methods are applied to characterize orientation patterns and determine the orientation distribution, most of them relying on diffraction. Conventionally x-ray polefigure goniometers are used. More recently single orientation measurements are performed with electron microscopes, both SEM and TEM. For special applications, particularly texture analysis at non-ambient conditions, neutron diffraction and synchrotron x-rays have distinct advantages. The review emphasizes such new possibilities.A second section surveys important texture types in a variety of materials with emphasis on technologically important systems and in rocks that contribute to anisotropy in the earth. In the former group are metals, structural ceramics and thin films. Seismic anisotropy is present in the crust (mainly due to phyllosilicate alignment), the upper mantle (olivine), the lower mantle (perovskite and magnesiowuestite) and the inner core (ε-iron) and due to alignment by plastic deformation. There is new interest in the texturing of biological materials such as bones and shells. Preferred orientation is not restricted to inorganic substances but is also present in polymers that are not discussed in this review.

No abstract

Thymomas are rare intrathoracic malignant tumors. Commonly used staging system is the Masaoka classification, based on peroperative and histopathological findings. Surgery is the cornerstone of the management of thymomas, initially being useful for precise histopathological diagnosis and staging, and in most cases ensuring the first step of the therapeutics simultaneously. After tumor stage, complete resection is the most constant and significant prognostic factor for progression-free and overall survival. Postoperative radiotherapy is recommended in incompletely resected thymomas. Completely resected stage II and III tumors may also benefit from adjuvant radiotherapy to reduce local recurrence rates but without impact on survival. In primary unresectable thymomas, multimodal strategy nowadays includes neoadjuvant chemotherapy, extensive surgery, adjuvant radiotherapy, and in some cases, adjuvant chemotherapy. The most popular chemotherapy regimens combine cisplatin, adriamycin, etoposide, cyclophophamide, or ifosfamide.The management of thymomas is a paradigm of cooperation between clinicians, surgeons, and pathologists from establishing the diagnosis to organizing the therapeutic strategy and evaluating the prognosis. As a consequence of their rarity, no prospective randomized trials are available and collaborative studies are warranted to evaluate and improve current therapeutic standards, taking into account recent improvements in techniques, such as robotic surgery, radiotherapy, and supportive treatments.