• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.30 no.7
• /
• pp.701-707
• /
• 1997

Although many reseraches have been persued to detect the molecular tumor marker to define the cancer, ideal tumor marker which speak for the characteristics of malignancy and has high sensitivity and specificity is not known. One of the characteristics of the malignant cells is indefinite proliferative potential, in other word, immortality. The expression of telomerase and stabilization of te10meres are con omitant with the attaiunent of immortality in tumor cells; thus the measurement of telomerase activity in clinically obtained tumor samples may provide important information which would be useful as a diagnostic marker to detect immortal cancer cells. Telomerase activity was analyzed in 12 non-small cell . lung cancer cell lines and 41 primary non-small cell lung cancers with the use of a PCR-based assay. All the cell lines and the majority of tumors displayed telomerase activity, but telomerase was not detectable in most of the corresponding pathologically-normal tissues. Telomere length was not correlated with telomerase activity. The present study indicate that measurement of telomerase activity may be useful as a molecular tumor marker in non-small cell lung cancer.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.18 no.3
• /
• pp.487-491
• /
• 1985

Two cases of plasma cell granuloma of the lung, whose incidence is 0.7% in the tumor of the lung and bronchus, are managed at department of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery, College of Medicine, Choong Nam national University Hospital from March, 1983 to July, 1984. The plasma cell granuloma of the lung, which is usually asymptomatic, is most commonly detected in routine chest films. The prognosis of the plasma cell granuloma is good after surgical resection. One case [female] was undertaken right pneumonectomy, the other, left lower lobectomy. Both cases had uneventful postoperative courses and are well being now.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.15 no.1
• /
• pp.489-494
• /
• 2014

Background: Psychiatric patients appear to be at lower risk of cancer. Some antipsychotic drugs might have inhibitory effects on tumor growth, including penfluridol, a strong agent. To test this, we conducted a study to determine whether penfluridol exerts cytotoxic effects on tumor cells and, if so, to explore its anti-tumor mechanisms. Methods: Growth inhibition of mouse cancer cell lines by penfluridol was determined using the 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Cytotoxic activity was determined by clonogenic cell survival and trypan blue assays. Animal tumor models of these cancer cells were established and to evaluate penfluridol for its anti-tumor efficacy in vivo. Unesterified cholesterol in cancer cells was examined by filipin staining. Serum total cholesterol and tumor total cholesterol were detected using the cholesterol oxidase/p-aminophenazone (CHOD-PAP) method. Results: Penfluridol inhibited the proliferation of B16 melanoma (B16/F10), LL/2 lung carcinoma (LL/2), CT26 colon carcinoma (CT26) and 4T1 breast cancer (4T1) cells in vitro. In vivo penfluridol was particularly effective at inhibiting LL/2 lung tumor growth, and obviously prolonged the survival time of mice bearing LL/2 lung tumors implanted subcutaneously. Accumulated unesterified cholesterol was found in all of the cancer cells treated with penfluridol, and this effect was most evident in LL/2, 4T1 and CT26 cells. No significant difference in serum cholesterol levels was found between the normal saline-treated mice and the penfluridol-treated mice. However, a dose-dependent decrease of total cholesterol in tumor tissues was observed in penfluridol-treated mice, which was most evident in B16/F10-, LL/2-, and 4T1-tumor-bearing mice. Conclusion: Our results suggested that penfluridol is not only cytotoxic to cancer cells in vitro but can also inhibit tumor growth in vivo. Dysregulation of cholesterol homeostasis by penfluridol may be involved in its anti-tumor mechanisms.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.25 no.9
• /
• pp.962-967
• /
• 1992

Eight patients with proven clinical stage Ill lung carcinoma of which six were epidermoid cell carcinoma and two were small cell carcinoma underwent concomitant radiation therapy and chemotherapy before surgical resection from March 1990 to February 1992 at the thoracic surgical department, Yongdong Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College Medicine The therapy consisted of more than one cycle of chemotherapy every 4 weeks and concomitant irradiation. Three to four weeks after chemotherapy and radiation therapy, the patient were reevaluated for thoracotomy and pulmonary resection. Two patients were found to have unresectable lesions and, radiosotopes were implanted to the remaining tumors. Three patients had complete pneumonectomies and two patients had pericardial penumonectomyo. Only one patient had complete pneumonectomy & concomitant resection of ribs attached to tumors with reconstruction of chest wall with Marlex mesh. Complete sterilization of lung tumor and mediastinal nodes proven histologically was achieved in 2 patients, without operative mortality. The median survival of all patients was eight months, but the median survival of survivors which lung tumor were completely resected completely and whose pathologic reports showed stage I or 0, was about 18 months to now. The overall result indicates some benefit from this preoperative chemotherapy and radiation therapeutic regimen in patients with advanced unresectable lung cancer.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.35 no.10
• /
• pp.764-767
• /
• 2002

An unusual case of primary leiomyosarcoma at the left lower posterior chest wall with metastasis to the right lung parenchyme is presented. The patient was a 43-year-old man who was asymptomatic but a slow growing hard mass was noted at the left lower posterior chest wall. The chest computed tomography showed a tumor at the left lower posterior chest wall with multiple metastasis to the right lung. The left lower posterior chest wall mass was examined by percutaneous needle aspiration and it was revealed as rhabdomyosarcoma histologically. En bloc resection to the left lower posterior chest wall tumor and metastasectomy to the multiple nodules in the right lung were done and pathological examination finally revealed primary leiomyosarcoma at the left lower posterior chest wall with multiple metastasis to the right lung. Chemotherapy was scheduled as adjunctive measure.

• Biomedical Science Letters
• /
• v.20 no.2
• /
• pp.49-55
• /
• 2014

RalBP1 is an ATP-dependent non-ABC transporter, responsible for the major transport function in many cells including many cancer cell lines, causing efflux of glutathione-electrophile conjugates of both endogenous metabolites and environmental toxins. RalBP1 is expressed in most human tissues, and is over-expressed in non-small cell lung cancer cell lines and in many other tumor types. Blockade of RalBP1 by various approaches has been shown to increase sensitivity to radiation and chemotherapeutic drugs, leading to cell apoptosis. In xenograft tumor models in mice, RalBP1 blockade or depletion results in complete and sustained regression across many cancer cell types including lung cancer cells. In addition to its transport function, RalBP1 has many other cellular and physiological functions, based on its domain structure which includes a unique Ral-binding domain and a RhoGAP catalytic domain, as well as docking sites for multiple signaling proteins. Additionally, RalBP1 is also important for stromal cell function in tumors, as it was recently shown to be required for efficient endothelial cell function and angiogenesis in solid tumors. In this review, we discuss the cellular and physiological functions of RalBP1 in normal and lung cancer cells.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.24 no.10
• /
• pp.1005-1011
• /
• 1991

Eighty-four patients with pulmonary metastases from gestational choriocarcinoma were treated at the Catholic Medical Center between August, 1985 and August, 1991. Among these 13 patients underwent thoracotomy with resection of pulmonary lesions and the results obtained were follows. 1] The ages of the patients ranged from 26 to 47 years, with a mean age of 31 years. 2] The frequency of chemotherapy before operation ranged from zero to 46, with a mean frequency of 13.6. 3] Four patients were operated upon for a solitary metastasis of the lung; 6 patients, for unilateral multiple metastases and 3 patients, for bilateral pulmonary metastases. 4] Eight patients underwent wedge resection; 1 patient, segmentectomy; 2 patients, lobectomy; 3 patients, open lung biopsy. The lung lesions of eleven patients showed hemorrhagic necrosis[among these, 2 patients combined with pulmonary tuberculosis]; one was non-necrotic choriocarcinoma; another one was metastatic lung carcinoma from endocrine cancer of unknown origin. 5] Among twelve patients who had managed with chemotherapy before thoracotomy three patients were in remission; among 13 patients who had undergone thoracotomy 6 patients were in remission. 6] The median survival time of these patients was 25.8 months with 3 postoperative deaths. Subsequently, in the patients with pulmonary metastases from choriocarcinoma, if the primary tumor is under control, there are no other metastases, and the patients should be able to tolerate the planned operation, it is necessary to undergo aggressive thoracotomy for diagnostic purposes; for therapeutic purposes only when the pulmonary lesion is the only remaining source of increased hCG excretion; for reduction of tumor volume to shorten hospitalization or to reduce the quantity of drugs.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.81 no.1
• /
• pp.29-41
• /
• 2018

Lung cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers and the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Although progress in the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has been made over the past decade, the 5-year survival rate in patients with lung cancer remains only 10%-20%. Obviously, new therapeutic options are required for patients with advanced NSCLC and unmet medical needs. Cancer immunotherapy is an evolving treatment modality that uses a patient's own immune systems to fight cancer. Theoretically, cancer immunotherapy can result in long-term cancer remission and may not cause the same side effects as chemotherapy and radiation. Immunooncology has become an important focus of basic research as well as clinical trials for the treatment of NSCLC. Immune checkpoint inhibitors are the most promising approach for cancer immunotherapy and they have become the standard of care for patients with advanced NSCLC. This review summarizes basic tumor immunology and the relevant clinical data on immunotherapeutic approaches, especially immune checkpoint inhibitors in NSCLC.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.53 no.5
• /
• pp.542-549
• /
• 2002

Purpose : The purpose of our study was to assess the usefulness of the Tl-201 SPECT for the detection of the postoperative tumor recurrence on chest wall. Methods: 28 patients including 14 with suspected recurrence of tumor in the chest wall on postoperative chest cr scan, 10 with postoperative pleural effusion which proved benign on radiologic, cytologic and laboratory findings, and 4 with chronic tuberculous empyema as control group were included. All patients underwent SPECT 30 minutes and 4 hours after intravenous injection of 111MBq of Tl-201. Tumor uptake was visually graded by two interpreters and scored as follows : no uptake:0, similar to contralateral lung: 1, higher than contralateral lung but less than heart:2 and similar to heart:3. Results : Markedly increased (grade 3 or 2) Tl-201 uptake was noted in patients with suspected recurrence of tumor in the chest wall (13/14) whereas no (8/10) or minimal (2/10) uptake along the collapsed lung in patients with postoperative benign pleural effusion. In two patients, Tl-201 SPECT revealed additional recurrent tumor mass lesions that were barely perceptible on chest cr scan. Patients with chronic tuberculous empyema showed relatively smoothly marginated increased uptake along the chest wall 4/4), but lesser in degree (grade 1 or 2), when compared to recurrent tumor uptake. Conclusion : Tl-201 lung SPECT seems to be useful to detect postoperative tumor recurrence on chest wall and to differentiate malignant from benign pleural effusion and may provide additional information to the morphologic data obtained by CT.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.79 no.2
• /
• pp.85-90
• /
• 2016

Background: Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer related death. Alterations in gene sequence, structure, and expression have an important role in the pathogenesis of lung cancer. Fusion genes and alternative splicing of cancer-related genes have the potential to be oncogenic. In the current study, we performed RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) to investigate potential fusion genes and alternative splicing in non-small cell lung cancer. Methods: RNA was isolated from lung tissues obtained from 86 subjects with lung cancer. The RNA samples from lung cancer and normal tissues were processed with RNA-seq using the HiSeq 2000 system. Fusion genes were evaluated using Defuse and ChimeraScan. Candidate fusion transcripts were validated by Sanger sequencing. Alternative splicing was analyzed using multivariate analysis of transcript sequencing and validated using quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction. Results: RNA-seq data identified oncogenic fusion genes EML4-ALK and SLC34A2-ROS1 in three of 86 normal-cancer paired samples. Nine distinct fusion transcripts were selected using DeFuse and ChimeraScan; of which, four fusion transcripts were validated by Sanger sequencing. In 33 squamous cell carcinoma, 29 tumor specific skipped exon events and six mutually exclusive exon events were identified. ITGB4 and PYCR1 were top genes that showed significant tumor specific splice variants. Conclusion: In conclusion, RNA-seq data identified novel potential fusion transcripts and splice variants. Further evaluation of their functional significance in the pathogenesis of lung cancer is required.