Reury- Perng

Interrelationships between Cellular Nucleotide Excision Repair, Cisplatin Cytotoxicity, HER-2/neu Gene Expression, and Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Level in Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Cells

Nucleotide excision repair (NER) is a major repair mechanism for DNA lesions induced by cisplatin. Overexpressions of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and HER‐2/neu have been reported to affect the sensitivity of certain human cancer cells to cisplatin, presumably by modification of DNA repair activity through interference with NER. Using an in vitro repair assay, we investigated NER activity of cisplatin‐induced DNA lesions in a panel of 16 non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines. The interrelationships between NER activity, cisplatin sensitivity, HER‐2/neu expression and EGFR level, were also analyzed. The results showed that high NER activity was closely correlated with cisplatin resistance and high levels of HER‐2/neu expression (P < 0.05). Analysis of the relationships between EGFR level and each of the other three parameters revealed no statistically significant correlations (all P values were > 0.05 by Spearman rank correlation), but a trend of association (all the values of proportion of accordance were ≥62.5% by using a 2x2 contingency table). These results suggest that NER activity may play an important role in the cisplatin resistance of NSCLC cells and there may be an association between enhanced NER activity and high levels of p185neu and probably EGFR in NSCLC cells. The finding that high levels of EGFR showed very little influence on the relationship between p185neu and cisplatin resistance suggests that EGFR may be a less crucial factor in modulating the chemoresistance of NSCLC cells when compared with HER‐2/neu.

Usefulness of pig-tail catheter for palliative drainage of malignant pleural effusions in cancer patients

Abstractu2002We retrospectively collected data from patients enrolled between 1996 and 1997, to evaluate the efficacy of sono-guided pig-tail-catheter drainage in cancer patients with large, symptomatic, amounts of malignant effusion and to evaluate the hemodynamic change after effusion drainage. A total of 477 pig-tail catheter drainage procedures were performed on 342 cancer patients. Sonographic findings, volume drained within 36u2009h after pig-tail insertion, heart rate and respiratory rate 24u2009h before and after drainage, and dyspnea sensations were recorded. We found that unilateral right-side effusion was the most frequent presentation. The mean amount of effusion drained within 36u2009h was 1747u2009ml in cancer patients. The decreases in heart rate (from 97/min to 91/min) and in respiratory rate (from 23/min to 21/min) were both statistically significant. There was no significant correlation between the amount of effusion before drainage and the heart rate or respiratory rate. The amount drained within 36u2009h was correlated significantly with the changes in heart and respiratory rates. Dyspnea sensations decreased or subsided in 91% of the patients within this time period. There were few complications with the pig-tail drainage procedure. Sono-guided pig-tail drainage is a safe and convenient method of effusion drainage in cancer patients. It not only provides temporary relief of symptoms from massive pleural effusions, but can also be used for pleurodesis if needed.

Lung Cancer Associated with Rheumatoid Arthritis Does Not Shorten Life Expectancy

Background: The incidence of lung cancer (LC) is reported to be higher in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The present study investigated whether or not RA altered the clinical manifestation of LC. Methods: In this retrospective, cohort study, a total of 23 patients with both RA and LC (RA + LC group), and 6,570 patients with primary LC alone (LCA group), were identified from records at Taipei Veterans General Hospital between 1993 and 2002. Data about clinical characteristics, smoking habit, tumor location, LC histology, staging, and survival, were compared between the 2 groups. Results: There was no significant difference in mean age at LC diagnosis between the RA + LC and LCA groups (70.2 vs 67.6 years; p = 0.154). Adenocarcinoma was the major histologic type in both groups, especially among women. There was no significant difference in histology, location, or staging of LC between the RA + LC and LCA groups. In the RA + LC group, all patients had RA before LC was diagnosed; pulmonary fibrosis was noted in 3 patients, 1 of whom had secondary Sjogrens syndrome. Median survival in the LCA group was not significantly different from that in the RA + LC group (10 [95% confidence interval, CI, 9.6, 10.4] vs 11 [95% CI, 3.7, 18.3] months; p = 0.69); the relative risk of LCA compared with RA + LC for survival was 0.938 (95% CI, 0.555, 1.585). The incidence of LC in RA patients in our hospital was 1.32% (23 of 1,740 patients). Conclusion: RA has no influence on LC stage and does not shorten the survival of LC patients.

Usefulness of AgNOR score in differentiating benign from malignant pulmonary aspiration cytology.

OBJECTIVEnMalignant cells are known to display greater argyrophil staining for nucleolar organizer regions (AgNORs) than for benign cells due to their active proliferation. In this study we assessed the diagnostic value of AgNOR staining on 47 fine needle aspiration cytologic specimens of lung previously stained with the May-Grünwald-Giemsa (MGG) method.nnnMETHODSnCytologic specimens obtained from fine needle aspiration of the lung in 47 proven cases prestained with the MGG technique were destained and restained with the AgNOR method. Seventeen of them were benign and 30 malignant. To differentiate malignant from benign entities, the highest median value for AgNOR number (AgNOR score) obtained from the benign cases was chosen as a cutoff point (test specificity, 100%).nnnRESULTSnAgNOR scores of malignant cases were significantly higher than those of benign cases (P < .001). There was no significant difference between two subgroups of benign diseases or among four subgroups of malignant diseases. The sensitivity of the AgNOR score was 93% (28/30) in providing a diagnosis of malignancy when the cutoff value was set at 6.nnnCONCLUSIONnThe AgNOR technique may be of considerable value in aiding a diagnosis of malignancy, especially when the score is > 6.