Chihiro Takasaki

Four Cases of Contralateral Pneumothorax After Pneumonectomy

Contralateral pneumothorax after pneumonectomy (CPAP) is a rare but potentially fatal condition. Therefore, when treating CPAP prevention of recurrence is very important. Despite a number of case reports about CPAP, its management is still controversial. We describe 4 cases of CPAP that were treated successfully by bullectomy and coverage with absorbable polyglactin mesh.

Endobronchial Granular Tumor Excision With Bronchial Resection Inclusive of Second Carinoplasty

Bronchial granular cell tumor is a rare tumor. A 39-year-old nonsmoking woman was admitted to our hospital with back pain. Chest computed tomography scan and bronchoscopy revealed a 10-mm endobronchial tumor arising from the membrane near the second carina. The tumor was excised inclusive of the right second carina that contained the extraluminally invaded endobronchial mass and was diagnosed as a granular cell tumor. The postoperative course was uneventful, and the patient was well without signs of recurrence for 3 years of follow-up.

High expression of P-cadherin is significantly associated with poor prognosis in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer

OBJECTIVES Placental (P)-cadherin expression is associated with malignant phenotype of cancer cell. The loss of E-cadherin has been thought to play a key role in tumor progression in several cancers. In this study, we aimed to clarify the role of P-cadherin expression in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). MATERIALS AND METHODS NSCLC patients (n = 172) were enrolled in this study; among them, 107 harbored adenocarcinomas, and 65 had squamous cell carcinomas. We examined P-cadherin and E-cadherin expression by immunohistochemical analysis and assessed the associations between each cadherin expression and both cadherin expression patterns with clinicopathological factors and prognosis. To investigate the pathway to acquire tumor progression associated with P-cadherin and E-cadherin, we examined p120 catenin localization by immunohistochemical analysis. RESULTS High P-cadherin expression was significantly associated with lymphatic metastasis, pathological stage, and Ki-67 proliferation index (P < .05, respectively). Low E-cadherin expression was significantly associated with maximum standardized uptake value, lymphatic metastasis, and pathological stage (P < .05, respectively). The cytoplasmic p120 catenin localization was associated with the low E-cadherin and high P-cadherin expression group (P < .001). High P-cadherin expression was associated with shorter disease-free survival (P = .044) and shorter overall survival (OS; P = .044). The low E-cadherin and high P-cadherin expression group was associated with shorter OS (P = .024). CONCLUSIONS High P-cadherin expression was associated with tumor progression and poor patient survival in NSCLC. In these patients, the low E-cadherin expression might be associated with tumor progression involving cytoplasmic p120 catenin.

Successful excision of a massive bleeding schwannoma by thoracoscopic surgery.

Massive intrathoracic bleeding caused by rupture of a benign schwannoma is extremely rare. A 73-year-old man was admitted to our emergency department because of chest pain and dyspnea. Computed tomography revealed massive pleural effusion and a posterior mediastinal tumor. Chest tube thoracostomy was performed, and the initial blood drainage was 1700 mL. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed that the tumor at the 8th costal level measured 46 × 60 mm. The tumor, located beside the 8th vertebra, had ruptured and caused the bleeding. It was successfully excised by thoracoscopic surgery and diagnosed as a benign schwannoma.