Pulmonary carcinoid (PC) is a rare low-grade malignant neuroendocrine tumor. Unlike other neuroendocrine tumors of the digestive tract, PC seldom causes hormone-related neuroendocrine symptoms, and the diagnosis mainly depends on the biopsy of the lesion. Besides, the immunohistochemical staining technique is an important supplement and a grading standard for pathological diagnosis. Surgery is the first choice for the treatment of early PC. However, the therapy of advanced PC which is the main problem perplexing most of clinicians is controversial and still facing severe challenges. Therefore, we will discuss the current progress of the diagnosis and therapy of advanced PC.
Abstract: Objective To investigate the clinical features of solitary fibrous tumor (SFT) in the thorax and its optimal surgical approaches. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the clinical records of 16 patients with SFT in the thorax in our hospital between January 2004 and June 2010. There were 8 males and 8 females, with a median age of 49 years (1973 years). Laboratory examination showed normal results. Chest Xray and computed tomographic scan revealed lung tumor in 8 cases, mediastinal mass in 3 cases, fibrous tumor in 2 cases, pleural mass in 2 cases, and retroperitoneal mass in 1 case. Five patients underwent CT guided biopsy or thoracoscopy, and 3 of them were diagnosed to have SFT. There was no clear diagnosis for the remaining 13 cases before operation. None of them had been exposed to asbestos. Symptoms were present in 5 patients. All patients underwent surgical treatment with resection performed through routine thoracotomy in 10 cases and by means of videoassisted thoracoscopy in 6 cases. The tumors originated from the visceral pleura in 12 patients, from parietal pleura in 3 patients (from diaphragmatic pleura in 1, and costal pleura in 2), and from the lung in 1 patient. Results All tumors were totally excised. Immunohistochemical staining showed CD34 was positive in all tumors. There was no postoperative mortality and no major complications. All patients were regularly rechecked and followed up. The followup was ranged from 1 to 72 months, with a median time of 21 months. During the followup, all patients survived and no recurrence was observed by means of chest X radiography or CT. Conclusion SFT tumors in the thorax are rare neoplasms and can have giant diameters. Wide local excision is recommended as the best therapeutic option. The SFT has the possibility of recurrence, and careful longterm clinical followup is required.
Lung cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer deaths worldwide. Many options including surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, targeted therapy and immunotherapy have been applied in the treatment for lung cancer patients. However, how to develop individualized treatment plans for patients and accurately determine the prognosis of patients is still a very difficult clinical problem. In recent years, radiomics, as an emerging method for medical image analysis, has gradually received the attention from researchers. It is based on the assumption that medical images contain a vast amount of biological information about patients that is difficult to identify with naked eyes but can be accessed by computer. One of the most common uses of radiomics is the diagnosis and treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In this review, we reviewed the current researches on chest CT-based radiomics in the diagnosis and treatment of NSCLC and provided a brief summary of the current state of research in this field, covering various aspects of qualitative diagnosis, efficacy prediction, and prognostic analysis of lung cancer. We also briefly described the main current technical limitations of this technology with the aim of gaining a broader understanding of its potential role in the diagnosis and treatment of NSCLC and advancing its development as a tool for individualized management of NSCLC patients.
ObjectiveTo investigate the clinical characteristics and treatment of primary mediastinal yolk sac tumor (PMYST). MethodsWe collected the clinical data of PMYST patients who were admitted to the Department of Thoracic Surgery of Peking Union Medical College Hospital from September 2000 to September 2020. The clinical and pathological characteristics, treatment and prognosis of PMYST patients were retrospectively analyzed. Results Finally 18 patients were enrolled, including 17 males and 1 female with a median age of 22.0 (16.6, 26.2) years. Patients had increased level of alpha fetoprotein (AFP). The pathological type can be single yolk sac tumor or combined with other mediastinal germ cell tumors. Chemotherapy and radical surgery were the main treatment methods. Extensive resection was feasible for patients with tumor invasion of other organs. Seven patients developed lung or pleural metastasis after operation, and 3 of them had extrapleural metastasis. One patient recurred within 1 year after surgery. All patients were followed up by telephone or outpatient department. At the last follow-up, 5 patients survived, 9 died, and 4 were lost to follow up, with a median survival of 16.8 months. The median disease-free survival was 14.9 months. The survival rates at 1, 3 and 5 years were 73.3%, 28.6% and 11.8%, respectively. ConclusionPMYST often occurs in young-middle aged male patients. Preoperative puncture can provide an effective diagnostic basis. R0 resection, AFP returning to normal after treatment and no metastasis may be potential indicators of good prognosis. The overall prognosis of PMYST is poor, and some patients can achieve long-term survival after treatment.
We report a 50-year-old man with mediastinal tumor. The patient received the thoracoscopic resection for mediastinal tumor with the operative time of 1 h and intraoperative blood loss of 10 mL. The final diagnosis after surgical excision was an ectopic papillary thyroid carcinoma. The patient recovered well without surgery-related complications, and was discharged on the 2nd day after the operation. No recurrence was found during the follow-up. We also reviewed relevant literature to explore the clinical features, diagnosis, and treatment of ectopic thyroid carcinoma.
Programmed cell death-1 (PD-1)/programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) signaling pathway has been found capable of affecting anti-tumor immune effect in many malignancies in recent years. Patients who are diagnosed with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have considerable responses after receving inhibitors against PD-1/PD-L1. This paper reviews the clinical progress of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors in the treatment of NSCLC.
ObjectiveTo propose a path planning method for precise robot-assisted bronchial intervention. MethodsIn the MuJoCo dynamic simulation environment, a simulation model and a simulated bronchus model which could accurately represent the motion process of the robot were built. Based on the Informed RRT* algorithm, the known spatial information was used to improve the path planning method and the motion characteristics of the robot were simulated to verify the ability of the robot algorithm to reach the target position. ResultsIn the dynamic simulation environment, the robot could move as required, and could explore the target point of the planning task in a short time, and the position accuracy was improved by more than 50% compared with the existing electromagnetic navigation and other methods. ConclusionThe established simulation model can restore the motion of the robot, and the robot has the ability to move in the bronchial environment. The proposed method can precisely control the simulated robot to enter the more peripheral airway position. It has the advantages of accuracy and faster speed than traditional manual interventional surgery, and can be used for the human-machine coordinated control task of robot-assisted bronchoscopy.
ObjectiveTo investigate clinical characteristics and surgical treatment of patients with non-malignant esophageal-tracheal/bronchial fistula.?Methods?We retrospectively analyzed clinical data of 12 patients with non-malignant esophageal-tracheal/bronchial fistula who underwent surgical repair in Peking Union Medical College Hospital from January 2002 to October 2011. There were 6 males and 6 females with a mean age of 49.8 years (ranging from 32 to 72 years). There were 7 patients with esophagotracheal fistula，1 patient with esophagobronchial fistula，2 patients with gastro-bronchial fistula after esophagectomy for esophageal cancer，and 2 patients with esophageal diverticulum bronchial fistula. Nine patients underwent surgical repair via right thoracotomy approach，and 3 patients via left thoracotomy approach. Seven patients underwent esophageal fistula and tracheal fistula repair，1 patient underwent esophageal fistula and bronchial fistula repair，2 patients underwent gastric fistula and bronchial fistula repair，1 patient underwent esophagectomy, gastroesophageal anastomosis and left lower lobectomy, and 1 patient underwent esophageal diverticulum repair and left lower lobectomy.?Results?All the patients recovered well from surgery with no perioperative complication or in-hospital death，and resumed oral intake 7-10 days after surgery. Three months to 1 year postoperatively, regular examinations including upper gastroenterography and fibrobronchoscopy found no sign of tracheal/bronchial stenosis or esophageal stenosis，and no patients needed stent implantation or dilatation treatment. All the patients were followed up from 3 months to 10 years and had a good quality of life during follow-up.?Conclusion?Excluding malignant etiology and determining the exact fistula location are key points of clinical diagnosis for esophageal-tracheal/bronchial fistula. Adequate preoperative nutritional support and 1-stage surgical repair can lead to satisfactory clinical outcomes.
Objective To evaluate the influence of resection status, pathological type, pathological stage and postoperative adjuvant therapy on prognosis of surgically treated thymic carcinoma. Methods In this retrospective study, 56 patients with surgically treated thymic carcinoma in the Department of Thoracic Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital from January 2005 to December 2015 were enrolled. There were 30 males and 26 females aged 52.1±11.5 years ranging from 22 to 81 years. The survival curve was performed by Kaplan-Meier method. The prognostic factors affecting overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results R0 resection was performed in 37 patients (67.9%), and other resections in 19 (32.1%); 13 patients suffered thymic carcinoma with Masaoka stage Ⅰ-Ⅱ, 26 Ⅲ, and 17 Ⅳ. Low-grade thymic carcinoma was found in 42 patients, and high-grade in 14. Postoperative radiotherapy, chemotherapy and chemoradiotherapy were performed on 17, 12 and 18 patients respectively and 9 patients were untreated. Forty-one patients was followed up for 1 to 10 years, and the follow-up rate was 73%. The 1-, 3- and 5-year OS rates were 93%, 74% and 61%, respectively. Resection status and pathological stage affected OS. Postoperative radiotherapy after R0 resection affected DFS, but did not affect OS. Conclusion Most patients with thymic carcinoma after surgery can survive for a long period, and R0 resection is the most important prognostic factor of thymic carcinoma. Postoperative radiotherapy after R0 resection in patients with Masaoka stage Ⅱ-Ⅲ is recommended.
Thymic neuroendocrine tumors (TNETs) are a series of rare diseases with aggressive biology and poor prognosis. Clinical manifestations of TNETs are atypical, and ectopic secretion of adrenocorticotropic hormone can be found in some cases, resulting in associated endocrine symptoms. Due to the low morbidity and strong heterogeneity, it’s difficult to diagnose, treat and obtain new treatment regimen. Early complete surgical resection is an effective treatment. For advanced cancer, clinical trials of new drugs are expected to improve the survival of patients.