PS and smoking status are independent prognostic factors for OS in NSCLC.

Japanese ethnicity when compared with Caucasian ethnicity and never-smoker status are independent favorable prognostic factors for OS in NSCLC.

Background Pulmonary arteriovenous malformations (PAVMs) are rarely encountered in clinical practice. The prevalence of PAVMs associated with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) has been estimated based on the rate in the family members of HHT patients, but the prevalence of PAVMs in the general population remains unknown. Methods We retrospectively examined the prevalence and clinical characteristics of PAVMs as detected by a low-dose thoracic CT screening program for lung cancer at the Hitachi Medical Center and the Hitachi General Health Care Center in the northern part of Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan.Results From 2001 to 2007, we identified eight patients (seven females and one male) with PAVMs among 21,235 initial screening participants (the mean age of the patients with PAVMs and that of the screening participants was 60.6 years). The prevalence of PAVMs was estimated at 38 per 100,000 individuals [95% confidence interval (CI)=18-76]. The diameter of the PAVMs was a mean of 6.6 mm, and none of the lesions could be detected by chest X-ray. Females older than 60 years tended to have larger PAVMs than younger women did (p=0.06). Two patients (25%) were diagnosed with HHT. One patient had previously undergone surgery for a brain abscess. Conclusion PAVMs are more prevalent than previously reported, especially among females.

Never-smokers with non-small cell lung cancer lived longer than ever-smokers. Gender, histology, and time of diagnosis are important factors for prognosis in these patients.

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BACKGROUND Stepwise progression of peripheral‐type lung adenocarcinoma was characterized morphologically and was related to prognosis. Expression of the tumor suppressor gene p16 in pulmonary adenocarcinoma decreased, mainly as a result of aberrant methylation of the CpG islands of the promoter region. METHODS Aberrant methylation status of the p16 promoter region, the expression of its product, and loss of heterozygosity (LOH) on 9p21 were examined in surgically resected lung specimens from 57 patients (28 males and 29 females) with peripheral‐type lung adenocarcinoma measuring ≤ 2 cm in diameter. RESULTS Aberrant methylation of the p16 promoter region, negative p16 protein expression, and LOH of the 9p21 region were detected in 40.4%, 50.9%, and 40.4% of tumor samples, respectively. The alterations of the p16 gene were associated with poor prognosis, and in particular the prognosis of patients with aberrant p16 methylation was significantly worse than that of patients without aberrant methylation. These alterations also were associated with morphologic classification into bronchioloalveolar carcinoma (BAC) and non‐BAC adenocarcinoma. Both aberrant methylation and LOH of 9p21 were associated with negative protein expression, but the former was correlated more closely with loss of function than was the latter. Cases with both alterations were completely negative for expression of the p16 gene product. CONCLUSIONS Aberrant methylation of the promoter region of the p16 gene and loss of expression of its product were in accord with the multistep progression of peripheral‐type lung adenocarcinoma, and these alterations were associated closely with poor prognosis of the disease. Cancer 2005. © 2004 American Cancer Society.

Twenty-four thyroid carcinoma patients with infiltration of the trachea were treated surgically. The histological diagnosis in these cases included papillary adenocarcinoma in 22 different patients, medullary carcinoma in one patient, and undifferentiated carcinoma in one patient. In 19 of the patients hemoptysis was noted, and dyspnea was present in ten patients. In 14 of the 24 patients the carcinoma was diagnosed by radiographs of the neck, while in seven patients it was demonstrated bronchoscopically. In three patients tracheal infiltration by thyroid carcinoma was diagnosed by biopsy of the tracheal wall at operation. When the tracheal wall was infiltrated by thyroid carcinoma, treatment consisted of circumferential resection of the involved segment of the trachea followed by an end-to-end anastomosis. Of the 24 patients, 17 survived and six died. In the 17 patients who survived, 13 were disease free. Of this number, six survived more than five years after the initial tracheal resection.

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