High TMB in NSCLC is a poor prognostic factor. If high TMB is a predictor of the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors, postoperative adjuvant therapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors may contribute to improvement of recurrence and OS.

Several reports have described subsequent pulmonary surgery after pneumonectomy. We herein report the case of an 82-year-old woman with metachronous multiple lung cancer who had undergone surgery for adenocarcinoma of the right upper lobe 17 years earlier. Completion pneumonectomy had been performed for residual lung adenocarcinoma 11 years before the presentation in question. The patient was elderly and had a poor pulmonary function, although her performance status and her cardiac function were good. Therefore, we decided to improve the safety of surgery with venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV-ECMO). Segmentectomy of S6 + S10a was performed under VV-ECMO support. The 30 months after surgery, the patient has had no complications but continues home oxygen therapy. Imaging has shown no evidence of recurrence.

The identification of novel biomarkers is of great importance for improving the outcome of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Therefore, the aim of the present study was to determine whether the serum transthyretin (TTR) level could be used as a novel prognostic biomarker for patients with NSCLC. Serum TTR levels, and nutritional and inflammatory parameters were examined prior to treatment in 42 patients with NSCLC. Candidates for independent predictors of prognostic factors were subjected to univariate and multivariate analyses using a Cox proportional hazard model. IL-12-productivity, serum retinol binding protein, albumin and transferrin levels, and lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio were significantly lower in the patients with TTR <22 mg/dl than those in the patients with TTR ≥22 mg/dl. Patients with serum TTR levels of <22 mg/dl exhibited a poorer overall (P=0.008) and recurrence-free survival (P=0.027) when compared with those with serum TTR levels of ≥22 mg/dl. The parameters, ≥T2 and age ≥75 years were independent prognostic factors for overall survival, and TTR <22 mg/dl and ≥T2 were independent prognostic factors for recurrence-free survival. In conclusion, anthropometric measurement of serum TTR, as well as T category, can be useful for predicting the 5-year recurrence-free survival of patients with NSCLC.

Cite this article as: Matsumura Y, Owada-Ozaki Y, Suzuki H. Significance of testing for TP53 gene mutations in lung adenocarcinoma using targeted gene sequencing.