CDKN2A deletion is associated with immune desertification in diffuse pleural mesothelioma.

Introduction: Diffuse Pleural Mesothelioma (DPM) is a rare and incurable cancer. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) marked some advances but only for a limited fraction of patients. Improving response prediction to ICIs is currently a clinical need in DPM.

Genomics in Lung Cancer: A Scoping Review of the Role of ctDNA in Non-Advanced Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer in the Prediction of Prognosis After Multimodality Therapeutic Approaches.

: Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), shed into bodily fluids by cancer cells through apoptosis, necrosis, or active secretion, is currently used in the field of genomic investigation in clinical settings, primarily for advanced stages of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, its potential role in guiding the multi-omic approach to early-stage NSCLC is emerging as a promising area of investigation. Efforts are being made to integrate the genomics not only in surgery, but also in the definition of long-term prognosis after surgical or radiotherapy and for the prediction of recurrence.

Short-term results of salvage surgery after immune and target therapies in non-small cell lung cancer.

Background: In the last years, the knowledge about the non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) biology led to development of target therapies and immunotherapy. However, most indication were to advanced stages, with large nodal involvement or presence of distant metastases. However, the clinical response may be unpredictable, and in some cases, it is possible to see a large clinical response with resolution of the parameter that contraindicated surgical treatment.

Eradicating Drug Tolerant Persister Cells in EGFR-Mutated Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer by Targeting TROP2 with CAR-T cellular therapy.

EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) have dramatically improved outcomes for EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients, but relapse frequently occurs due to drug tolerant persister (DTP) cells that can evolve and develop diverse mechanisms of drug resistance. In samples from patients with EGFR-mutated NSCLC treated with EGFR-TKIs in the neoadjuvant setting, we observed enriched expression of the cell surface protein TROP2, a target of clinically active antibody drug conjugates (ADCs). We confirmed these findings across multiple EGFR-mutated NSCLC cell line and patient-derived xenograft models treated with osimertinib in vivo.

Predictors and Potential Clinical Implications of Residual Postoperative Pleural Space After Uniportal-Vats Lobectomy.

Residual postoperative pleural space (RPPS) is a common event after pulmonary lobectomy. Uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) lobectomy has been associated with a higher incidence of RPPS. This study aims to evaluate the incidence, the predictors, and potential clinical implications of RPPS following Uniportal VATS lobectomy.

MRI-guided stereotactic body radiation therapy for very elderly patients with primary lung cancer: a retrospective analysis of safety and efficacy profiles.

Purpose: Non-small cell lung cancer is the most common malignancy of the lung, with over 40% of the cases in patients aged 75 years or older. Many of these patients are inoperable due to comorbidities, limiting treatment options. Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) offers a curative alternative, achieving local control (LC) rates similar to surgery with manageable toxicity.

Hyperthermic intrathoracic chemotherapy (HITHOC) in stage IVA thymomas: a narrative review.

Background And Objective: While surgery remains a cornerstone of thymoma treatment, its role as a standalone therapy is limited in ensuring adequate local disease control, particularly in cases involving serous dissemination or recurrence. For disseminated disease, various multidisciplinary approaches have been explored, including systemic chemotherapy and radiotherapy, either as standalone treatments or in combination with surgery. The efficacy is unsatisfactory, and the management is anything but standardized.

Airway epithelial stem cell renewal and differentiation: overcoming challenging steps towards clinical-grade tissue engineering.

Background: Despite their life-saving potential, tissue engineering approaches for the treatment of extensive tracheal and bronchial defects still face significant limitations. A major challenge is the inability to regenerate a functional airway epithelium containing the appropriate amount of stem cells required for long-term tissue renewal following transplantation of the bioengineered graft. In this scenario, extensive cell culture characterization, validation assays and quality controls are needed to guide each step of the regeneration process.

Robotic thymectomy for large thymomas: a multicenter study.

This study aimed to evaluate surgical and oncological outcomes of robot-assisted (RATS) thymectomy in the treatment of large (diameter >  = 5 cm) resectable thymomas. Clinical data of 301 thymectomies for thymoma, performed in 7 high-volume centers from 2010 to 2023, were retrospectively reviewed. 132 RATS thymectomies were performed: 59 (44.

BRCA1-Associated Protein 1 and Enhancer of Zeste Homolog 2: Pathway Interaction and Therapeutic Intervention in Breast Cancer, Mesothelioma, and Lymphoma.

BRCA1-associated protein 1 (BAP1) and Enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) proteins are associated with the Polycomb repressive complex (PRC), and both have key roles in cell cycle and DNA repair pathways, so variants in and/or could lead to tumorigenesis. Somatic and germline variants in these genes have been associated with uveal and cutaneous melanoma, mesothelioma, renal cell carcinoma ( loss-of-function variants), and lymphoma, leukemia, and triple-negative breast cancer ( gain-of-function variants). Loss of function in the murine model has been shown to lead to an overexpression of mRNA.

Technical Innovations and Complex Cases in Robotic Surgery for Lung Cancer: A Narrative Review.

For over two decades, robotic-assisted thoracic surgery (RATS) has revolutionized thoracic oncology. With enhanced visualization, dexterity, and precision, RATS has reduced blood loss, shortened hospital stays, and sped up recovery compared to traditional surgery or video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS). The use of 3D high-definition imaging and articulated instruments allows for complex resections and advanced lymph node assessment.

Low-Malignant-Potential Adenocarcinoma: A Histological Category with a Significantly Better Prognosis than Other Solid Adenocarcinomas at IA Stage.

Introduction: Low-malignant-potential adenocarcinoma has been defined as a type of non-mucinous tumor, which has a total tumor size measuring ≤ 3 cm, exhibits ≥ 15% lepidic growth, lacks non-predominant high-grade patterns (≥10% cribriform, ≥5% micropapillary, ≥5% solid), has an absence of angiolymphatic or visceral pleural invasion, spread through air spaces (STAS), necrosis and >1 mitosis per 2 mm. The aim of this study is to validate, with regard to cancer-specific survival (CSS) and disease-free survival (DFS), the proposed definition of LMP adenocarcinoma in an independent external cohort of lung adenocarcinoma patients having undergone surgical resection, and having presented with a long follow-up period.

Methods: Clinicopathological characteristics of patients who underwent lung resection for adenocarcinoma from 1 January 2005 to 31 December 2014 were retrospectively analyzed.

Tumour dimension is a prognostic factor in thymic epithelial tumours: An update analysis from the ESTS thymic database: Tumour dimension in thymic tumours.

Objective: The 9TNM proposal for thymic epithelial tumours (TETs) introduced size as category in stage I, confirming tumour infiltration type as descriptor for the other stages. Aim of this study is to evaluate the role of tumour size in TETs considering different possible cut-offs also among different subgroups.

Material And Methods: Clinical and pathological data of patients from ESTS thymic database who underwent surgery for TETs from1/2000 to 12/2022 were reviewed and analysed.

The Role of ctDNA for Diagnosis and Histological Prediction in Early Stage Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer: A Narrative Review.

Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) may be released from neoplastic cells into biological fluids through apoptosis, necrosis, or active release. In patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), ctDNA analysis is being introduced in clinical practice only for advanced disease management. Nevertheless, an interesting and promising field of application is the analysis of ctDNA in the management of early stage non-small-cell lung cancer, both for evaluation before treatment, such as diagnosis and screening, and for prediction of histology or pathological features.

Overcoming amplification-mediated resistance to sotorasib by dose re-escalation in KRAS G12C mutant NSCLC: a case report.

Precision oncology has transformed non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treatment by tailoring therapies to the genomic profile of the disease, significantly improving clinical outcomes. However, acquired resistance to molecularly targeted therapies remains a major challenge. This report details a 69-year-old woman with KRAS G12C-mutant metastatic NSCLC who developed resistance to sotorasib, a KRAS G12C inhibitor.

The outcomes of salvage surgery for non-small cell lung cancer after immune checkpoint inhibitor or targeted therapy treatment. A multi-center international real-life study.

Objectives: In recent years, targeted therapy and immunotherapy have been demonstrated to improve survival in non-operable, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. The results of salvage lung resection in patients with initially unresectable advanced NSCLC after immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) or Target Therapy (TT) treatment remain unclear. This study aimed to define the outcomes of patients undergoing salvage surgery in a multi-center real-life setting.

Rapid growing mass of the mandible due to an oral metastasis of thymoma: Case report of an extremely rare localization and review of published cases.

Background: Cancer metastases in the oral cavity are relatively uncommon, occurring in approximately 1-3% of malignant cases. Thymomas and thymic carcinomas are the two main tumors that can affect the thymus, a lymphatic gland that plays an important role in regulating the immune system. The aims of this paper are (i) to describe an extremely rare case of thymoma metastasis to the oral cavity (ii) report all published cases of thymic tumor metastases to the oral cavity.

The Impact of a Multidisciplinary Tumor Board (MDTB) in the Management of Colorectal Cancer (CRC).

Background: The management of colorectal cancer (CRC) is a complex process. Defining the disease burden, assessing the radiological response and identifying the right time for surgery or other locoregional treatments are crucial factors which can require the involvement of a multidisciplinary tumor board (MDTB) comprising several specialists. This study investigates the impact of MDTB on management of CRC in our institution.

The Rare Entity of Basaloid Thymic Carcinoma: A Multicentric Retrospective Analysis from the Italian Collaborative Group for ThYmic MalignanciEs (TYME).

Background: thymic basaloid carcinoma (BTC) is an extremely rare tumor, and very little data are available on BTC's biology, clinical behavior, drug sensitivity, and patient outcomes.

Methods: We performed a retrospective observational study on patients diagnosed with BTC in 11 referral centers of TYME. All BTC diagnoses were reviewed by the referring pathologist.

Uniportal video-assisted thoracic surgery resection of subsolid or millimetric nodules using an innovative micro-coil technique: our experience.

Background: Sometimes, the identification of ground-glass opacities (GGOs), small or deep pulmonary nodules can be difficult also in expert hands. Usually for these lesions pulmonary lobectomy is an overtreatment, so we developed a technique to identify easily these nodules. The objective of this research is to assess the effectiveness and safety of using preoperative cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) to guide the placement of micro-coils in the lung parenchyma near GGO and small lesions.

The Role of [F]F-FDG PET/CT for Predicting Histology and Prognosis in Patients with Thymic Lesions.

Objectives: To investigate whether 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-computed tomography ([F]F-FDG PET/CT) metabolic parameters were associated with histology and to assess their prognostic role in patients with thymic lesions.

Patients And Methods: In total, 116 patients (49/67 M/F; mean age 59.5 years) who underwent preoperative [F]F-FDG PET/CT and thymectomy from 2012 to 2022 were retrospectively analyzed.

How to preserve the native or reconstructed esophagus after perforations or postoperative leaks: A multidisciplinary 15-year experience.

Background: Esophageal perforation or postoperative leak after esophageal surgery remain a life-threatening condition. The optimal management strategy is still unclear.

Aim: To determine clinical outcomes and complications of our 15-year experience in the multidisciplinary management of esophageal perforations and anastomotic leaks.