Predictive role of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes and immune phenotype for pembrolizumab in relapsed or refractory thymic carcinoma.

Background: Pembrolizumab is a promising treatment option for platinum-failed thymic carcinoma; however, the lack of established predictive biomarkers remains a challenge. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the predictive value of artificial intelligence (AI)-powered tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) analysis of pembrolizumab for thymic carcinoma.

Methods: Patients with platinum-failed, advanced thymic carcinoma treated with pembrolizumab between January 2016 and December 2021 were included.

Impact of Cardiothoracic Residents on Perioperative Outcomes in Lung Cancer Surgery.

Objectives: To investigate the impact of cardiothoracic residents on the quality of lung cancer surgery through a retrospective single-center cohort study.

Methods: Patients who underwent lung cancer surgery during the resident-involved period (R-Inv; 23.03-23.

Comparison of Surveillance with Low-dose and Contrast-enhanced Chest Computed Tomography in Patients Disease-free for Two Years after Curative Resection for Lung Cancer.

Purpose: Low-dose chest computed tomography (LDCT) is recommended for surveillance 2-3 years after curative resection of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC); however, supporting clinical evidence is limited. This study compared LDCT with contrast-enhanced chest computed tomography (CECT) in terms of recurrence detection and overall survival (OS) in patients two years after curative resection of NSCLC.

Materials And Methods: Among patients who underwent curative resection for NSCLC between January 2011 and December 2017 and survived for 2 years without recurrence, 2083 patients were included.

Prognostic impact of low muscle mass on clinical outcomes in patients who undergo lung transplant.

Background: Low muscle mass (LMM) is recognized as a poor prognostic factor in various chronic lung diseases. However, its prognostic impact on recipients of lung transplants remains inconclusive.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed patients who underwent lung transplantation at a tertiary referral center in South Korea.

STopover captures spatial colocalization and interaction in the tumor microenvironment using topological analysis in spatial transcriptomics data.

Unraveling the spatial configuration of the tumor microenvironment (TME) is crucial for elucidating tumor-immune interactions based on immuno-oncology. We present STopover, a novel approach utilizing spatially resolved transcriptomics (SRT) data and topological analysis to investigate the TME. By gradually lowering the feature threshold, connected components (CCs) are extracted based on spatial distance and persistence, with Jaccard indices quantifying their spatial overlap, and transcriptomic profiles are permutated to assess statistical significance.

Connective tissue disease is associated with the risk of posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome following lung transplantation in Korea.

Background: Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) is a rare complication of lung transplantation with poorly understood risk factors and clinical characteristics. This study aimed to examine the occurrence, risk factors, and clinical data of patients who developed PRES following lung transplantation.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 147 patients who underwent lung transplantation between February 2013 and December 2023.

Effects of respiratory sarcopenia on the postoperative course in elderly lung cancer patient: a retrospective study.

Objectives: Recently, sarcopenia has been linked to unfavorable outcomes in various surgical procedures, including lung cancer surgery. This study aimed to investigate the impact of respiratory sarcopenia (RS) on postoperative and long-term outcomes in elderly patients undergoing lung cancer surgery.

Methods: This retrospective study included patients aged 70 years and older who underwent lobectomy with curative intent for lung cancer between 2017 and 2019.

Comparing Needle and Surgical Biopsy in Small Peripheral Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer With Suspected Pleural Invasion: A Propensity Score-Matched Study.

Background: This study aimed to compare long-term clinical outcomes of percutaneous needle biopsy (PCNB) versus surgical biopsy in patients with peripheral, small-sized clinical stage 1 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with computed tomography (CT)-defined visceral pleural invasion (VPI).

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed patients who underwent surgery for NSCLC with CT-defined VPI between 2010 and 2017. We excluded patients with non-peripheral NSCLC, or cancers > 3 cm.

Comparison of Clinical Outcomes and Postoperative Nutritional Status Between Early and Late Oral Feeding After Esophagectomy: An Open Labeled Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objective: To compare nutritional and postoperative outcomes between early oral feeding and late oral feeding with jejunostomy feeding support after esophagectomy.

Background: Esophagectomy is associated with substantial body weight loss and malnutrition, impacting the prognosis of esophageal cancer patients. Despite many studies on postesophagectomy nutritional support, optimal strategies remain elusive.

Long-term survival analysis of robotic esophagectomy for esophageal cancer.

Robotic esophagectomy has improved early outcomes and enhanced the quality of lymphadenectomy for esophageal cancer surgery. This study aimed to determine risk factors for long-term survival following robotic esophagectomy and the causes of long-term mortality. We included patients who underwent robotic esophagectomy at our institute between 2010 and 2022.

Comparative Study of Indocyanine Green Intravenous Injection and the Inflation-Deflation Method for Assessing Resection Margins in Segmentectomy for Lung Cancer: A Single-Center Retrospective Study.

Background: The inflation-deflation (ID) method has long been the standard for intraoperative margin assessment in segmentectomy. However, with advancements in vision technology, the use of near-infrared mapping with indocyanine green (ICG) has become increasingly common. This study was conducted to compare the perioperative outcomes and resection margins achieved using these methods.

Clinical Utility of a CT-based AI Prognostic Model for Segmentectomy in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Background Currently, no tool exists for risk stratification in patients undergoing segmentectomy for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Purpose To develop and validate a deep learning (DL) prognostic model using preoperative CT scans and clinical and radiologic information for risk stratification in patients with clinical stage IA NSCLC undergoing segmentectomy. Materials and Methods In this single-center retrospective study, transfer learning of a pretrained model was performed for survival prediction in patients with clinical stage IA NSCLC who underwent lobectomy from January 2008 to March 2017.

Preoperative evaluation of mediastinal lymph nodes in non-small cell lung cancer using [Ga]FAPI-46 PET/CT: a prospective pilot study.

Purpose: Mediastinal nodal staging is crucial for surgical candidate selection in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but conventional imaging has limitations often necessitating invasive staging. We investigated the additive clinical value of fibroblast activation protein inhibitor (FAPI) PET/CT, an imaging technique targeting fibroblast activation protein, for mediastinal nodal staging of NSCLC.

Methods: In this prospective pilot study, we enrolled patients scheduled for surgical resection of NSCLC based on specific criteria designed to align with indications for invasive staging procedures.

Optimal resection strategies for small-size lung cancer: Is a wedge enough? Is lobectomy too much?

Recently published large multicenter prospective clinical trials have demonstrated that sublobar resection is noninferior to lobectomy, the traditional treatment of choice, for peripherally located early-stage lung cancer. Most clinical trials and several retrospective studies published to date have used the consolidation-to-tumor ratio to define the indication for sublobar resection, as it is well known that the size of the solid portion seen on high-resolution computed tomography is highly correlated with pathologic invasiveness. However, it is difficult to accurately predict pathologic features that may increase the risk of locoregional recurrence, such as specific adenocarcinoma subtypes or spread through air spaces, based on imaging characteristics alone, and the location of the nodule also should be considered one of the important factors in obtaining an adequate parenchymal resection margin.

Correlation Between Pain Intensity and Quality of Recovery After Video-Assisted Thoracic Surgery for Lung Cancer Resection.

Purpose: The Quality of Recovery-15 (QoR-15) questionnaire provides a multifaceted assessment of postoperative recovery, and the resulting score is recommended as an endpoint in clinical studies focused on postoperative pain. We aimed to investigate the correlation between the QoR-15 score and postoperative pain intensity in surgical patients.

Patients And Methods: Adult patients who underwent video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) for lung cancer resection and were enrolled in a prospective registry or in a previous prospective study were included in this study.

The Prognostic Value of Oligo-Recurrence Following Esophagectomy for Esophageal Cancer.

Background: The concept of oligo-recurrence has not been generally applied in esophageal cancer. This study aimed to determine the prognostic significance of the number of recurrences in esophageal cancer.

Methods: Patients with squamous cell carcinoma who underwent curative esophagectomy with R0 or R1 resection and who experienced a confirmed recurrence were included.

Artificial intelligence-powered spatial analysis of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes as a biomarker in locally advanced unresectable thymic epithelial neoplasm: A single-center, retrospective, longitudinal cohort study.

Background: Thymic epithelial tumors (TET) are rare malignancies and lack well-defined biomarkers for neoadjuvant therapy. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical utility of artificial intelligence (AI)-powered tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) analysis in TET.

Methods: Patients initially diagnosed with unresectable thymoma or thymic carcinoma who underwent neoadjuvant therapy between January 2004 and December 2021 formed our study population.

Impact of supradiaphragmatic lymphadenectomy on the survival of patients in stage IVB ovarian cancer with thoracic lymph node metastasis.

Introduction: To evaluate the survival impact of supradiaphragmatic lymphadenectomy as part of debulking surgery in stage IVB ovarian cancer with thoracic lymph node metastasis (LNM).

Methods: We retrospectively enrolled patients diagnosed with stage IVB ovarian, fallopian or primary peritoneal cancer between 2010 and 2020, carrying cardiophrenic, parasternal, anterior mediastinal or supraclavicular lymph nodes ≥5 mm on axial chest computed tomography. All tumors were classified into the abdominal (abdominal tumors and cardiophrenic lymph nodes) and supradiaphragmatic (parasternal, anterior mediastinal or supraclavicular lymph nodes) categories depending on the area involved.

Thoracoscopic segmentectomy in children with congenital lung malformation.

Congenital lung malformations (CLM) are most commonly treated with a pulmonary lobectomy. However, due to technological advancement, video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) segmentectomy is becoming an attractive alternative to VATS lobectomy. This study aimed to evaluate the safety, feasibility, and efficacy of VATS segmentectomy as a lung parenchyma-saving strategy in children with CLM.

Tc-MAA accumulation within tumor in preoperative lung perfusion SPECT/CT associated with occult lymph node metastasis in patients with clinically N0 non-small cell lung cancer.

Background: Tc-MAA accumulation within the tumor representing pulmonary arterial perfusion, which is variable and may have a clinical significance. We evaluated the prognostic significance of Tc-MAA distribution within the tumor in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients in terms of detecting occult nodal metastasis and lymphovascular invasion, as well as predicting the recurrence-free survival (RFS).

Methods: Two hundred thirty-nine NSCLC patients with clinical N0 status who underwent preoperative lung perfusion SPECT/CT were retrospectively evaluated and classified according to the visual grading of Tc-MAA accumulation in the tumor.