Accuracy of endoscopic ultrasound-guided needle aspiration specimens for molecular diagnosis of non-small-cell lung carcinoma

BACKGROUND Endoscopic ultrasonography-guided fine-needle aspiration(EUS-FNA)and endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration(EBUS-TBNA)are highly sensitive for diagnosing and staging lung cancer.In recent years,targeted therapy has shown great significance in the treatment of non-small cell lung carcinoma(NSCLC).Using these minimally invasive techniques to obtain specimens for molecular testing will provide patients with a more convenient diagnostic approach.AIM To evaluate the feasibility and accuracy of tissue samples obtained using EUSFNA and EBUS-TBNA for molecular diagnosis of NSCLC.METHODS A total of 83 patients with NSCLC underwent molecular testing using tissues obtained from EUS-FNA or EBUS-TBNA at the Tianjin Medical University Cancer Hospital from January 2017 to June 2019.All enrolled patients underwent chest computed tomography or positron emission tomography/computed tomography prior to puncture.We detected abnormal expression of EGFR,KRAS,MET,HER2,ROS1 and anaplastic lymphoma kinase protein.Two patients failed to complete molecular testing due to insufficient tumor tissue.The clinical features,puncture records,molecular testing results and targeted treatment in the remaining 81 patients were summarized.RESULTS In a total of 99 tissue samples obtained from 83 patients,molecular testing was successfully completed in 93 samples with a sample adequacy ratio of 93.9%(93/99).Biopsy samples from two patients failed to provide test results due to insufficient tumor tissue.In the remaining 81 patients,62 cases(76.5%)were found to have adenocarcinoma,11 cases(13.6%)had squamous cell carcinoma,3 cases(3.7%)had adenosquamous carcinoma and 5 cases(6.2%)had NSCLC-not otherwise specified.The results of molecular testing showed EGFR mutations in 21 cases(25.9%),KRAS mutations in 9 cases(11.1%),ROS-1 rearrangement in 1 case(1.2%)and anaplastic lymphoma kinase-positive in 5 cases(6.2%).Twentyfour patients with positive results received targeted therapy.The total effectiveness rate of targeted therapy was 66.7%(16/24),and the disease control rate was 83.3%(20/24).CONCLUSION Tissue samples obtained by EUS-FNA or EBUS-TBNA are feasible for the molecular diagnosis of NSCLC and can provide reliable evidence for clinical diagnosis and treatment.

Glabridin and Anti-Non-Muscle Myosin IIA Therapy Disrupts Non-Small Cell Lung Carcinoma Motility

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer related death in the United States killing over 130,000 people each year. While a combination of chemo and radiation therapy may be effective, surgery is still required for many patients. Without surgery, the disease may progress and lead to metastases. We sought to determine if treatment with anti-non-muscle myosin IIA antibody would inhibit movement of the cells in the presence and absence of glabridin (an isoflavonoid compound shown to inhibit cell migration by inhibiting myosin). We compared inhibition by glabridin to that of an anti-non-muscle myosin IIA antibody and a combination therapy of both at 12 and 24 hours post wound creation. Cells that took up the anti-non-muscle myosin IIA antibody were greatly inhibited in motility and exhibited no significant change in wound healing. Glabridin treatment resulted in a dramatic increase in wound size within 12 hours and regeneration within 24 hours. The greatest decrease in motility was observed in cells treated with the combination of both glabridin and anti-non-muscle myosin IIA antibody. By 24 hrs, cell migration had halted due to death of the cells resulting from this combination. Further testing needs to be done to determine a safe mode of delivery of the combination therapy to ensure only local distribution. Controlled release drug delivery depot systems have been used as a means to provide local release of drugs intra-tumorally or adjacent to the cancerous tissue after surgical resection and have great potential.

Synchronous multiple lung cancers with hilar lymph node metastasis of small cell carcinoma:A case report

BACKGROUND Synchronous multiple lung cancers are rare and refer to the simultaneous presence of two or more primary lung tumors,which present significant challenges in terms of diagnosis and treatment.CASE SUMMARY We report a case of multiple synchronous lung cancers with hilar lymph node metastasis of small cell carcinoma of unknown origin in a 73-year-old man.Transbronchial lung biopsy revealed squamous cell carcinoma.Although enlargement of lymph node 12u was detected,no distant metastases were observed.The patient was preoperatively diagnosed with T1cN0M0 and underwent thoracoscopic right upper lobectomy with nodal dissection(ND2a).Based on histopathological findings,the primary lesion was squamous cell carcinoma.A microinvasive adenocarcinoma was also observed on the cranial side of the primary lesion.Tumors were detected in two resected lymph nodes(#12u and#11s).Both tumors were pathologically diagnosed as small cell carcinomas.The primary lesion of the small cell carcinoma could not be identified even by whole-body imaging;however,chemotherapy was initiated for hilar lymph node metastasis of the small cell carcinoma of unknown origin.CONCLUSION Multiple synchronous lung cancers can be accompanied by hilar lymph node metastasis of small cell carcinomas of unknown origin.

EGFR mutation identifies distant squamous cell carcinoma as metastasis from lung adenocarcinoma

Lung cancer metastasis is typically determined by histologic similarity between distant and primary lesions. Herein, we present a 70-year-old Japanese woman with an adenocarcinoma in her lung and a squamous cell carcinoma in her femur; both tumors had an identical epidermal growth factor receptor mutation, G719 S. This indicated that both tumors had a common origin, despite their histologic dissimilarity. The tumor in the femur was thus identified genetically as a lung cancer metastasis. This case suggests that genetic analysis can determine whether a distant lesion is a lung cancermetastasis, particularly when the histology differs from that of the primary lesion.

Colonic metastasis after resection of primary squamous cell carcinoma of the lung:A case report and literature review

Lung cancer is a common malignancy in the world; however symptomatic colonic metastasis from primary lung cancer is rare. A 64-year-old man was originally found poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma of right lung and received right lower lobectomy and lymph node dissection. Three years later, the patient presented to our emergency room with the symptom of upper abdominal pain and weight loss. Abdominal palpation and computed tomography scan of the abdomen revealed a large mass measuring 7.6 cm × 8.5 cm in the ascending colon. Colonoscopy and biopsy revealed poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma with similar morphological pattern to that of the previous lung cancer. Chemotherapy was given and the patient died 5 mo later. Lung cancer metastatic to the colon confers a poor prognosis: overall survival ranged from 5 wk to 1 year, with a median survival of 3 mo after the diagnosis of the colonic metastasis.

Epidemiology and prognostic nomogram for locally advanced gastric signet ring cell carcinoma:A population-based study

BACKGROUND Gastric signet ring cell carcinoma(GSRC)represents a specific subtype of gastric cancer renowned for its contentious epidemiological features,treatment principles,and prognostic factors.AIM To investigate the epidemiology of GSRC and establish an improved model for predicting the prognosis of patients with locally advanced GSRC(LAGSRC)after surgery.METHODS The annual rates of GSRC incidence and mortality,covering the years 1975 to 2019,were extracted from the Surveillance,Epidemiology,and End Results(SEER)database to explore the temporal trends in both disease incidence and mortality rates using Joinpoint software.The clinical data of 3793 postoperative LAGSRC patients were collected from the SEER database for the analysis of survival rates.The Cox regression model was used to explore the independent prognostic factors for overall survival(OS).The risk factors extracted were used to establish a prognostic nomogram.RESULTS The overall incidence of GSRC increased dramatically between 1975 and 1998,followed by a significant downward trend in incidence after 1998.In recent years,there has been a similarly optimistic trend in GSRC mortality rates.The trend in GSRC showed discrepancies based on age and sex.Receiver operating characteristic curves,calibration curves,and decision curve analysis for 1-year,3-year,and 5-year OS demonstrated the high discriminative ability and clinical utility of this nomogram.The area under the curve indicated that the performance of the new model outperformed that of the pathological staging system.CONCLUSION The model we established can aid clinicians in the early prognostication of LAGSRC patients,resulting in improved clinical outcomes by modifying management strategies and patient health care.

Prognostic Impact of Histopathologic Response after Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Stage Ⅲ_A Non-small Cell Lung Cancer

Objective： To investigate prognostic impact of histopathologic response induced by neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with stage ⅢA non-small cell lung cancer （NSCLC）. Methods： Forty patients with stage ⅢA NSCLC underwent two cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy with mitomycin, vindosine, and cisplatin followed by surgery. Histopathologic response in resection of the tumor was examined after surgery. Tumor regression was classified as grade Ⅳ, grade Ⅲ, grade Ⅱ, and grade Ⅰ according to the extent of tumor necrosis and the extent of the vital tumor tissues. The tumor regression grading was correlated with the survival time of the patients. Results： After two cycles of chemotherapy, 19 （47.5%） of 40 patients had objective response （2 complete and 17 partial response）. In 40 resected tumor specimens, 2 （5%） were classified as regression grade Ⅳ, 16 （40%） as regression grade Ⅲ, 18 （45%） as regression gradeⅡ, and 4 （10%） as regression grade Ⅰ. The rate of complete surgical resection was significantly higher in patients with tumor regression grade Ⅲ-Ⅳ （〈10% vital tumor tissue）（P〈0.05）. The median survival time in patients classified as having tumor regression grade Ⅲ-Ⅳ was significantly longer than that in patients who had regression grade Ⅰ-Ⅱ （P〈0.05）. The 3-year survival rate in patients with regression grade Ⅲ-Ⅳ was markedly higher than that in patients who had regression grade Ⅰ-Ⅱ （P〈0.05）. Conclusion： The extent of tumor regression induced by neoadjuvant chemotherapy is a critical issue for successful therapeutic approach in patients with stage ⅢA NSCLC. In resected specimens of tumors after chemotherapy, the presence of marked tumor regression （regression grade Ⅲ-Ⅳ） is predictive for superior survival time.

ADJUVANT CHEMOTHERAPY FOLLOWING RADICAL SURGERYFOR NON-SMALL CELL LUNG CANCER:A RANDOMIZED STUDY

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of adjuvant chemotherapy after radical surgery for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods: Seventy patients with NSCLC (stage I–III) undergone radical surgery were randomized into two groups: 35 patients received adjuvant chemotherapy with cyclophosphamide (CTX) 300 mg/m2, vincristine (VCR) 1.4% mg/m2, adriamycin (ADM) 50 mg/m2, lomustine (CCNU) 50 mg/m2 dl, cisplatin (DDP) 20 mg/m2, d1–5, for 4 cycles, and followed by oral Ftorafur (FT-207) 600–900 mg/d for 1 year (adjuvant chemotherapy group). The other 35 patients received surgical treatment only (surgery group). Results: The overall 5-year survival rate was 48.6% in the adjuvant chemotherapy group, and 31.4% in the surgery group, respectively. The difference between the two groups was not statistically significant (P>0.05). The 5-year survival rate of patients in stage III was 44.0% and 20.8% received surgery with and without adjuvant chemotherapy, respectively. The difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P<0.025). The 5-year survival rate of patients in stage I–II in the two groups was 60.0% and 54.5%, respectively (P>0.75). Conclusion: Postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy in NSCLC can improve survival, for those patients in stage III, it suggests significantly 5-year survival rate in the adjuvant chemotherapy group was higher than that in the surgery alone group.

Predictors of disease recurrence after radical resection and adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with stage IIb-IIIa squamous cell lung cancer:A retrospective analysis

BACKGROUND Lung cancer(LC)is a global medical,social and economic problem and is one of the most common cancers and the leading cause of mortality from malignant neoplasms.LC is characterized by an aggressive course,and in the presence of disease recurrence risk factors,patients,even at an early stage,may be indicated for adjuvant therapy to improve survival.However,combined treatment does not always guarantee a favorable prognosis.In this regard,establishing predictors of LC recurrence is highly important both for determining the optimal treatment plan for the patients and for evaluating its effectiveness.AIM To establish predictors of disease recurrence after radical resection and adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with stage IIb-IIIa lung squamous cell carcinoma(LSCC).METHODS A retrospective case-control cohort study included 69 patients with LSCC who underwent radical surgery at the Orenburg Regional Clinical Oncology Center from 2009 to 2018.Postoperatively,all patients received adjuvant chemotherapy.Histological samples of the resected lung were stained with Mayer's hematoxylin and eosin and examined under a light microscope.Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to identify predictors associated with the risk of disease recurrence.Receiver operating characteristic curves were constructed to discriminate between patients with a high risk of disease recurrence and those with a low risk of disease recurrence.Survival was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method.The log-rank test was used to compare survival curves between patient subgroups.Differences were considered to be significant at P<0.05.RESULTS The following predictors of a high risk of disease recurrence in patients with stage IIb-IIa LSCC were established:a low degree of tumor differentiation[odds ratio(OR)=7.94,95%CI=1.08-135.81,P=0.049];metastases in regional lymph nodes(OR=5.67,95%CI=1.09-36.54,P=0.048);the presence of loose,fine-fiber connective tissue in the tumor stroma(OR=21.70,95%CI=4.27-110.38,P=0.0002);and fragmentation of the tumor solid component(OR=2.53,95%CI=1.01-12.23,P=0.049).The area under the curve of the predictive model was 0.846(95%CI=0.73-0.96,P<0.0001).The sensitivity,accuracy and specificity of the method were 91.8%,86.9%and 75.0%,respectively.In the group of patients with a low risk of LSCC recurrence,the 1-,2-and 5-year disease-free survival(DFS)rates were 84.2%,84.2%and 75.8%,respectively,while in the group with a high risk of LSCC recurrence the DFS rates were 71.7%,40.1%and 8.2%,respectively(P<0.00001).Accordingly,in the first group of patients,the 1-,2-and 5-year overall survival(OS)rates were 94.7%,82.5%and 82.5%,respectively,while in the second group of patients,the OS rates were 89.8%,80.1%and 10.3%,respectively(P<0.00001).CONCLUSION The developed method allows us to identify a group of patients at high risk of disease recurrence and to adjust to ongoing treatment.

Primary Ovarian Small Cell Carcinoma of Pulmonary Type: Analysis of 6 Cases and Review of 31 Cases in the Literatures

Objective Primary ovarian small cell carcinoma of pulmonary type(SCCOPT)is a rare ovarian tumor with a poor prognosis.The platinum-based chemotherapy is the standard treatment.However,there is little research on the clinical characteristics of SCCOPT and the potential benefits of other treatments due to its low incidence.The study aims to investigate clinicopathological characteristics and treatment of SCCOPT.Methods We summarized the clinical,imaging,laboratorical and pathological characteristics of 37 SCCOPT cases,in which 6 cases were admitted to the Gansu Provincial Hospital from the year of 2008 to 2022 and 31 cases reported in 17 English and 3 Chinese literatures.Results The median age of the studied SCCOPT cases(n=37)was 56.00(range,22-80)years.Almost 80%of them had a stageⅢorⅣtumor.All patients underwent an operation and postoperative chemotherapy.Nevertheless,all cases had a poor prognosis,with a median overall survival time of 12 months.Immunohistochemical y,the SCCOPT of all patients showed positive expressions of epithelial markers,such as CD56 and sex-determining region of Y chromosome-related high-mobility-group box 2(SOX-2),and negative expressions of estrogen receptor,progesterone receptor,vimentin,Leu-7,and somatostatin receptor 2.The tumor of above 80%cases expressed synaptophysin.Only a few cases expressed neuron-specific enolase,chromogranin A,and thyroid transcription factor-1.Conclusions SCCOPT had a poor prognosis.SOX-2 could be a biomarker to be used to diagnose SCCOPT.

Is there an optimal time to initiate adjuvant chemotherapy to predict benefit of survival in non-small cell lung cancer?

Objective: Adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) after curative resection is known to improve the survival of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC); however, few studies have reported the correlation between the time to initiation of AC (TTAC) and survival in NSCLC patients. Methods: The clinical data of 925 NSCLC patients who received curative resection and post-operative AC at the Cancer Hospital of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences between 2003 and 2013 were retrospectively analyzed. TTAC was measured from the date of surgery to the initiation of AC. Disease-free survival (DFS) was defined as the duration from surgery to the time of tumor recurrence or last follow-up evaluation. The optimal cut-off value of TTAC was determined by maximally selected log-rank statistics. The DFS curve was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method, and the Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to identify risk factors independently associated with DFS. Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed for survival analysis using the match data. Results: The optimal discriminating cut-off value of TTAC was set at d 35 after curative resection based on which the patients were assigned into two groups: group A (<= 35 d) and group B (> 35 d). There was no significant difference in the DFS between the two groups (P=0.246), indicating that the TTAC is not an independent prognostic factor for DFS. A further comparison continued to show no significant difference in the DFS among 258 PSM pairs (P=0.283). Conclusions: There was no significant correlation between the TTAC and DFS in NSCLC patients. Studies with larger samples are needed to further verify this conclusion.

Adjuvant Chemotherapy of Gemcitabine plus Carboplatin versus Paclitaxel plus Carboplatin in Patients with Resected Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Background: This retrospective study was to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of gemcitabine plus carboplatin (GC regimen) and paclitaxel plus carboplatin (PC regimen) combination chemotherapy administered as an adjuvant therapy after complete resection of non-small cell lung cancer. Methods: Forty-four patients (GC regimen, n = 29;PC regimen, n = 15) received gemcitabine at a dose of 1000 mg/m2 on days 1 and 8, and carboplatin with the target dose of area under the curve (AUC) of 4 on day 8 every 28 days and paclitaxel at a dose of 70 mg/m2 on days 1, 8 and 15, and carboplatin with the target dose of AUC of 5 on day 1 every 28 days. Results: A total of 130 cycles of the treatment were administered (averaged, 3.1 in GC arm and 2.7 cycles in PC arm). Forty-three patients (97.7%) completed the scheduled cycles. One patient (2.3%) was discontinued due to grade 4 pneumonia. The dose was reduced in 2 patients (4.5%) due to grade 4 thrombocytopenia. Grade 3/4 neutropenia was significantly observed in the PC group (GC: 12/29, 41.4%;PC: 11/15, 73.3%, p = 0.0443). The nonhematological toxicities were mild. Grade 1/2 alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase in the GC group was significantly observed higher compared to those of the PC group (GC: 20/29, 69.0%;PC: 4/15, 26.7%, p = 0.0076). Grade 1/2 alopecia was significantly observed in the PC group (GC: 0/25, 0.0%;PC: 13/15, 86.7%, p 0.0001). There was no treatment-related death. The median survival time (MST) of the entire GC group was 784 days, the 3-year overall survival (OS) was 75.9%, and 3-year recurrence-free survival (RFS) was 65.5%. The MST of the entire PC group was 963 days, the 3-year OS was 80.0%, and the 3-year RFS was 60.0%. Conclusion: These results demonstrate that the GC and PC combination chemotherapies are efficacious and feasible regimens, which should be considered as one of the standard therapies for adjuvant therapy.

Advances in adjuvant systemic therapy for non-small-cell lung cancer

Non-small-cell lung cancer remains a leading cause of death around the world. For most cases, the only chance of cure comes from resection for localised disease, however relapse rates remain high following surgery. Data has emerged over recent years regarding the utility of adjuvant chemotherapy for improving disease-free and overall survival of patients following curative resection. This paper reviews the clinical trials that have been conducted in this area along with the studies integrating radiation therapy in the adjuvant setting. The role of prognostic gene signatures are reviewed as well as ongoing clinical trials including those incorporating biological or targeted therapies.

Successful treatment of basaloid squamous cell carcinoma in the rectosigmoid colon: A case report and review of literature

BACKGROUND Compared with colorectal adenocarcinoma,basaloid squamous cell carcinomas(BSCCs)arising in the colorectum are rare and have very poor prognosis.To date,only nine cases have been reported.Most BSCCs are extensively involved in metastasis to the lymph node,liver,and lung at diagnosis.Despite many clinicians attempting to effectively treat BSCCs,therapeutic consensus has not been established due to lack of information.CASE SUMMARY A 58-year-old woman presented with abdominal pain,diarrhea,fever,and hematochezia.She was referred from a department of gynecology and was diagnosed with a suspicious leiomyosarcoma of the rectum or a pedunculated myoma of the uterus.An exophytic growing mass at the right lateral wall of the rectum with an internal cystic portion and hemorrhage was observed on magnetic resonance imaging.The patient underwent low anterior resection and total hysterectomy with bilateral salphingo-oophorectomy.Histopathological findings revealed a cellular mass with a solid growth pattern and few glandular structures,many foci of intratumoral necrosis,and a palisading pattern.The pathologist diagnosed tumor as a BSCC,and the patient received chemotherapy with fluorouracil/leucovorin without radiotherapy.The patient is currently alive 8 years after the surgery with no manifestations of metastatic colon cancer.CONCLUSION Our case suggest that curative resection and chemotherapy play important roles in improving survival,and radiotherapy may be an option to avoid radiationassociated enteritis.

Clinical Effect of Tislelizumab Combined with Chemotherapy in the Treatment of Stage IIIb-IV Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Objective:To analyze the therapeutic effect of tislelizumab combined with chemotherapy in patients with stage IIIb-IV non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC).Methods:A total of 50 patients with stage IIIb-IV NSCLC admitted between January 2022 and January 2024 were randomly divided into two groups using a random number table.The observation group included 25 cases treated with tislelizumab combined with chemotherapy,while the reference group included 25 cases treated with conventional chemotherapy.The clinical control rate,adverse reaction rate,tumor markers,immune function indicators,and quality of life scores were compared between the two groups.Results:The observation group had a higher clinical control rate and a lower adverse reaction rate compared to the reference group(P<0.05).Before treatment,there were no significant differences in tumor markers,immune function indicators,and quality of life scores between the two groups(P>0.05).Three months after treatment,the tumor marker levels in the observation group were lower than those in the reference group.Except for CD8^(+),all immune function indicators in the observation group were higher than those in the reference group,and the quality-of-life scores in the observation group were higher than those in the reference group(P<0.05).Conclusion:Implementing tislelizumab combined with chemotherapy in patients with stage IIIb-IV NSCLC can improve the clinical control rate,reduce the adverse reaction rate,lower tumor marker levels,protect immune function,and improve quality of life.

Favorable response of primary pulmonary lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma to sintilimab combined with chemotherapy: A case report

BACKGROUND There is no established treatment for primary pulmonary lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma(LELC)until now.CASE SUMMARY In this study,the patient responded well to sintilimab combined with paclitaxel and carboplatin,showing no obvious side effects.Meantime,the values of carbohydrate antigen 15-3(CA15-3)and carbohydrate antigen 72-4(CA72-4)gradually returned to normal.CONCLUSION Immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy in advanced-stage LELC may be more effective than immunotherapy or chemotherapy alone.CA15-3 and CA72-4 are biomarkers for evaluating therapeutic effects for LELC.

Gli1 promotes epithelial-mesenchymal transition and metastasis of non-small cell lung carcinoma by regulating snail transcriptional activity and stability

Metastasis is crucial for the mortality of non-small cell lung carcinoma(NSCLC) patients.The epithelial-mesenchymal transition(EMT) plays a critical role in regulating tumor metastasis.Glioma-associated oncogene 1(Gli1) is aberrantly active in a series of tumor tissues. However, the molecular regulatory relationships between Gli1 and NSCLC metastasis have not yet been identified. Herein,we reported Gli1 promoted NSCLC metastasis. High Gli1 expression was associated with poor survival of NSCLC patients. Ectopic expression of Gli1 in low metastatic A549 and NCI-H460 cells enhanced their migration, invasion abilities and facilitated EMT process, whereas knock-down of Gli1 in high metastatic NCI-H1299 and NCI-H1703 cells showed an opposite effect. Notably, Gli1 overexpression accelerated the lung and liver metastasis of NSCLC in the intravenously injected metastasis model. Further research showed that Gli1 positively regulated Snail expression by binding to its promoter and enhancing its protein stability, thereby facilitating the migration, invasion and EMT of NSCLC. In addition, administration of GANT-61, a Gli1 inhibitor, obviously suppressed the metastasis of NSCLC. Collectively, our study reveals that Gli1 is a critical regulator for NSCLC metastasis and suggests that targeting Gli1 is a prospective therapy strategy for metastatic NSCLC.

A Prospective Randomized Study of Adjuvant Chemotherapy in Completely Resected Stage III-N2 Non Small Cell Lung Cancer

To evaluate the effect of postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy on survival after complete resection of stage III-N2 non-small-cell lung cancer. Methods： From Jan. 1999 to Dec. 2003, one-hundred and fifty patients, who were diagnosed as stage III-N2 non-small cell lung cancer after operation, were randomly devided into chemotherapy group and control group. The former received four cycles of chemotherapy with NVB （25 mg/m^2, D1, D5）/paclitaxel （175 mg/m^2, D1） and Carboplatin （AUC=5, D1）. Results： In chemotherapy group, 75.8% （68/79） of patients had finished the 4 cycles of chemotherapy and no one died of toxic effects of chemotherapy. Twenty-five percent of the patients had grade 3-4 neutropenia and 2% had febrile neutropenia. The median survival for the entire 150 patients was 879 d, with 1-year survival rate of 81%, 2-year survival rate of 59% and 3-year survival rate of 43%. There was no significant difference in median survival between chemotherapy and control group （897 d vs 821 d, P=0.0527）, but there was significant difference in the 1-year and 2-year overall survival （94.71%, 76.28% vs 512 d, P=0.122）, but there was significant difference in the 2-year survival rate between two groups with brain metastases （66.7% vs 37.6% P〈0.05）. The median survival after brain metastasis appeared was 190 days. Conclusion： Postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy does not significantly improve median survival among patients with completely resected stage II-N2 non-small-cell lung cancer, but significantly improves the 1-year and 2-year overall survival. It neither decreases the incidence of brain metastasis but put off the time of brain metastasis.

Adenocarcinoma transformed into squamous cell carcinoma in non-small cell lung cancer

Non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC)is the most common form of lung cancer which remains the deadliest malignancy worldwide(Siegel et al.,2019).In general,NSCLC can be divided into several subtypes,including adenocarcinoma(ADC),squamous cell carcinoma(SCC),adeno-squamous cell carcinoma(AD-SCC)and large cell carcinoma(LCC).

Initial outcome of induction chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy and concurrent weekly paclitaxel for stage Ⅲ non-small cell lung cancer

Objective： The aim of our study was to evaluate the toxicity and efficacy of induction chemotherapy （ICT） followed by three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy （3D CRT） and concurrent weekly paclitaxel on unresectable non-small cell lung cancer （NSCLC）. Methods： Stage III NSCLC patients with favorable conditions were treated with 2 to 4 cycles of carboplatin （AUC = 5-6, dl） combined with paclitaxel （175 mg/m〈 dl）, then followed by weekly paclitaxel （40 mg/m2） and concurrent 3D CRT within 3-4 weeks. The prescription dose was given as high as possible under the condition that V20 〈 31% and spinal cord dose 〈 50 Gy. Results： Thirty-one patients were enrolled. ICT was well tolerated. During the concurrent chemoradiotherapy, the treatment of 3 patients was ended ahead of the schedule because of severe pulmonary and heart toxicities; the treatment of 2 patients was delayed for 7 and 12 days because of fatigue. Myelosuppression was mild （16/31）： all were grade 1-2 except 1 was grade 3. Lymphocytopenia was more obvious （29/31, grade 3 in 21）. Three patients developed grade 3 radiation-induced esophagitis, and 2 developed grades 3-4 radiation-induced pneumonitis. Two developed grade 3 esophageal stricture. No grades 3-4 pulmonary fibrosis was observed. The overall response rate was 74.1%. The 1-, 2-, 3-year overall survival rates were 74.2%, 41.9%, and 34.6%, respectively, with the median survival time of 18.5 months. The 1-, 2-, 3-year local progression-freely survival rates were 64.5%, 32.3%, and 20.5%, respectively, with the median local progression-freely survival time of 14.3 months. Conclusion： The program of ICT followed by weekly paclitaxel and 3D CRT is accomplished in most of the favorable stage III NSCLC patients. The toxicity is tolerable, and the response rate is inspiriting.