Jae Il Zo

Prediction of Pathologic Grade and Prognosis in Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma of the Lung Using 18F-FDG PET/CT

Objective The maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) of pulmonary mucoepidermoid carcinoma (PMEC) in fluorine-18fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT) was evaluated as a preoperative predictor of pathologic grade and survival rate. Materials and Methods Twenty-three patients who underwent preoperative PET/CT and complete resection for PMEC were enrolled. The optimal cut-off SUVmax for tumor grade was calculated as 6.5 by receiver operating characteristic curve. The patients were divided into a high SUV group (n = 7) and a low SUV group (n = 16). Clinicopathologic features were compared between the groups by χ2 test and overall survival was determined by Kaplan-Meier analysis. Results The mean SUVmax was 15.4 ± 11.5 in the high SUV group and 3.9 ± 1.3 in the low SUV group. All patients except one from the low SUV group had low grade tumors and all had no nodal metastasis. The sensitivity and specificity of SUVmax from PET/CT for predicting tumor grade was 85.7% and 93.8%, respectively. During the follow-up period (mean, 48.6 ± 38.7 months), four patients from the high SUV group experienced cancer recurrence, and one died of cancer. In contrast, none of the low SUV group had recurrence or mortality. Five-year overall survival rate was significantly higher in the low SUV group (100% vs. 71.4%, p = 0.031). Conclusion Pulmonary mucoepidermoid carcinoma patients with high SUVmax in PET/CT had higher tumor grade, more frequent lymph node metastasis and worse long-term outcome. Therefore, PMEC patients with high uptake on PET/CT imaging might require aggressive mediastinal lymph node dissection and adjuvant therapies.

Treatment outcomes in patients with extranodal marginal zone B-cell lymphoma of the lung

Objectives: To evaluate clinical presentations, treatment modalities, and outcomes of pulmonary mucosa–associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma by stage strata. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 51 patients diagnosed with pulmonary MALT lymphoma between January 2003 and December 2015. To compare treatment modalities and outcomes, we stratified the patients into low‐stage (IE/IIE) and high‐stage (IIIE/IVE) groups using modified Ann Arbor staging. Progression‐free survival was estimated using Kaplan‐Meier curves, and differences were compared using the log‐rank test. A hazard ratio of progression by stage strata, adjusted for other clinical variables, was determined using a Cox adjusted proportional hazards model. Results: The majority of patients had stage IE disease (76.5%; 39 of 51). With advancing stage, patients were more likely to have respiratory and B symptoms and higher International Prognostic Index scores. The most common treatment modality was surgical resection in low‐stage patients (33 of 43) and chemotherapy in high‐stage patients (7 of 8). At a median follow‐up of 40.7 months, progression‐free survival was longer for low‐stage patients (median, 40.7 months vs 24.9 months; P < .001), and high‐stage patients were 9.2 times more likely to progress (hazard ratio, 9.24; 95% confidence interval, 1.93–44.36). Among 30 patients with surgically resected stage IE disease, 8 with central lesions were treated via lobectomy and 22 with peripheral lesions were treated via lobectomy (n = 8) or limited resection (n = 14). One of these patients, with a central lesion, experienced disease recurrence. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that the clinical course of low‐stage pulmonary MALT lymphoma, for which the mainstay of treatment is surgical resection, might be indolent.

Long-term survival in locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer invading the great vessels and heart: LC invasion to great vessels and heart

The aim of this study was to analyze the surgical outcomes of locally advanced lung cancer invading the great vessels or heart, according to the extension of cancer invasion.

Comparison of four models predicting the malignancy of pulmonary nodules: A single-center study of Korean adults

Objective Four commonly used clinical models for predicting the probability of malignancy in pulmonary nodules were compared. While three of the models (Mayo Clinic, Veterans Association [VA], and Brock University) are based on clinical and computed tomography (CT) characteristics, one model (Herder) additionally includes the 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake value among the positron emission tomography (PET) characteristics. This study aimed to compare the predictive power of these four models in the context of a population drawn from a single center in an endemic area for tuberculosis in Korea. Methods A retrospective analysis of 242 pathologically confirmed nodules (4–30 mm in diameter) in 242 patients from January 2015 to December 2015 was performed. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was used to assess the predictive performance with respect to malignancy. Results Of 242 nodules, 187 (77.2%) were malignant and 55 (22.8%) were benign, with tuberculosis granuloma being the most common type of benign nodule (23/55). PET was performed for 227 nodules (93.8%). The Mayo, VA, and Brock models showed similar predictive performance for malignant nodules (AUC: 0.6145, 0.6042 and 0.6820, respectively). The performance of the Herder model (AUC: 0.5567) was not significantly different from that of the Mayo (vs. Herder, p = 0.576) or VA models (vs. Herder, p = 0.999), and there were no differences among the three models in determining the probability of malignancy of pulmonary nodules. However, compared with the Brock model, the Herder model showed a significantly lower ability to predict malignancy (adjusted p = 0.0132). Conclusions In our study, the Herder model including the 18FDG uptake value did not perform better than the other models in predicting malignant nodules, suggesting the limited utility of adding PET/CT data to models predicting malignancy in populations within endemic areas for benign inflammatory nodules, such as tuberculosis.

Impact of Lymph Node Dissection on Thymic Malignancies: Multi-Institutional Propensity Score Matched Analysis

Introduction: Surgical resection is a standard treatment for thymic malignancies. However, prognostic significance of nodal metastases and lymph node dissection remains unclear. The aim of this study is to determine prognostic significance of nodal metastases and the role of lymph node dissection (LND) in thymic malignancies. Methods: Between 2000 and 2013, 1597 patients who underwent thymectomy due to thymic malignancy were included. Predictive factors for nodal metastasis and prognostic significance of LND were evaluated. Patients were divided into two groups: (1) LND+ group, with intentional LND (446 patients, 27.9%); and (2) LND‐ group, without intentional LND (1151 patients, 72.1%). Propensity score matching was performed between the two groups. Results: Lymph node metastasis was identified in 20 (6.7%) of 298 patients with thymoma and 47 (31.7%) of 148 patients with thymic carcinoma. In multivariable analysis, thymic carcinoma (hazard ratio: 19.2, p < 0.001) and tumor size (hazard ratio: 1.09, p = 0.02) were significant predictive factors for lymph node metastasis. The 10‐year freedom from recurrence rate of pN1 and pN2 was significantly worse than that of pN0 (p < 0.001). LND did not increase operative mortality or complication. There was no significant difference in 10‐year freedom from recurrence rate between LND+ and LND‐ groups (82.4% versus 80.9%, p = 0.46 in thymoma; 45.7% versus 44.0%, p = 0.42 in thymic carcinoma). Conclusions: Lymph node metastasis was a significant prognostic factor in thymic malignancies. Although LND did not improve long‐term outcomes in thymic malignancies, LND played a role in accurate staging, and improved prediction of prognosis.

Extended sleeve lobectomy for centrally located non-small-cell lung cancer: a 20-year single-centre experience

OBJECTIVES Extended sleeve lobectomy (ESL), an atypical bronchoplasty with resection of more than 1 lobe, might be technically demanding but has certain theoretical advantages, including the avoidance of pneumonectomy. However, clinical outcomes after ESL are not well known. METHODS Between March 1995 and December 2015, 540 patients with centrally located non-small-cell lung cancer underwent sleeve resection. Among them, 63 patients underwent an ESL procedure. We retrospectively analysed those patients in terms of hospital mortality, postoperative complications and local recurrence and compared clinical outcomes with patients who underwent simple sleeve lobectomy in the same period. RESULTS The 63 patients were classified into 4 groups: anastomosis between the right main and lower bronchi (n = 14), anastomosis between the right main and upper bronchi (n = 37), anastomosis between the left main and basal segmental bronchi (n = 4) and anastomosis between the left main and upper divisional bronchi (n = 8). No operative deaths occurred within 30 days, but there were 2 in-hospital deaths from postoperative acute lung injury. Ten (16%) patients had anastomosis-related complications including 3 strictures, 5 bronchopleural fistulas and 2 pulmonary vein thromboses. There were no significant differences in in-hospital mortality (3% vs 3%, P = 0.67), anastomosis-related complications (16% vs 9%, P = 0.07) and loco-regional recurrence rate (8% vs 10%, P = 0.63) between ESL and simple sleeve lobectomy. CONCLUSIONS According to our findings, ESL is a safe and feasible procedure that does not compromise oncological principles. It can be considered an appropriate alternative to pneumonectomy and should be considered in patients with centrally located tumours.