Historical notes on lung cancer before and after Graham's successful pneumonectomy in 1933

Effect of COVID-19 on Thoracic Oncology Surgery in Spain: A Spanish Thoracic Surgery Society (SECT) Survey

After the first wave of COVID-19, the Spanish Society of Thoracic Surgeons (SECT) surveyed its members to assess the impact of the pandemic on thoracic oncology surgery in Spain. In May 2020, all SECT members were invited to complete an online, 40-item, multiple choice questionnaire. The questionnaire was developed by the SECT Scientific Committee and sent via email. The overall response rate was 19.2%. The respondents answered at least 91.5% of the items, with only one exception (a question about residents). Most respondents (89.3%) worked in public hospitals. The reported impact of the pandemic on routine clinical activity was considered extreme or severe by 75.5% of respondents (25.5% and 50%, respectively). Multidisciplinary tumour boards were held either with fewer members attending or through electronic platforms (44.6% and 35.9%, respectively). Surgical activity decreased by 95.7%, with 41.5% of centers performing surgery only on oncological patients and 11.7% only in emergencies. Nearly 60% of respondents reported modifying standard protocols for early-stage cancer and in the preoperative workup. Most centers (≈80%) reported using full personal protective equipment when operating on COVID-19 positive patients. The COVID-19 pandemic severely affected thoracic oncology surgery in Spain. The lack of common protocols led to a variable care delivery to lung cancer patients.

[The Current Immunohistochemistry Markers in the Resected Tissues of Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Could Not Predict Prognosis]

背景与目的

在非小细胞肺癌（non-small cell lung cancer, NSCLC）切除组织中寻找可预测远期生存的免疫组化指标一直备受关注。本研究旨在回顾评价单中心历史上曾选用的免疫组化指标与NSCLC预后之间的关系。

方法

2008年-2013年我院单一手术组切除NSCLC 722例，选用的免疫组化指标共12个，在随访良好的前瞻性数据基础上，行单因素生存分析及多因素风险回归模型评价这些指标的表达在NSCLC切除生存中的意义。

结果

曾选用的12个免疫组化分子分别为：血小板衍生生长因子受体（platelet-derived growth factor receptor, PDGFR）（n=460）、切除修复交叉互补1（excision repair cross complementing 1, ERCC1）（n=461）、表皮生长因子受体（epithelial growth factor receptor, EGFR）（n=460）、人血管内皮生长因子受体3（vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 3, VEGFR3）（n=451）、NM23（n=359）、MRP（n=351）、P170（n=353）、TS（n=431）、Tubulin（n=307）、核糖核苷酸还原酶M1（ribonucleotide reductase M1, RRM1）（n=381）、环氧酶2（cyclooxygenase 2, COX2）（n=364）和TOPII（n=235）。单因素分析显示仅有VEGFR3的表达与生存有关，阳性表达者与阴性表达者的5年生存率分别为77.6%与65.0%（P=0.042）。但多因素分析表明VEGFR3不是NSCLC独立的预后因素。

结论

本组所选用的免疫组织化学指标不能预测切除后的NSCLC患者的生存。

[Historic landmarks in the study of lung cancer]

This study reviews the milestones which have been reached in the study of lung cancer, from its first early descriptions up until the end of the twentieth century. The study accompanies the birth of this new clinical entity, underlining the difficulties inherent in its diagnosis, its ever-growing increase and traces the growth of its aetiological factors, placing particular emphasis on smoking. In tandem with this, the study delves into the clinical aspects, along with new discoveries in imaging techniques and endoscopic and bioscopic techniques. It also looks at the histopathological classifications of bronchopulmonary tumours and the various staging systems which have been used over the course of time as well as the importance of mapping the disease and the different treatment weapons which have successively become available in the fight against it. The study also takes a look at the scales used in evaluating patients' physiological condition, the criteria used in evaluating response to oncostatic treatment and the role some international and national scientific societies and medical associations have played in adding to the increasing medical knowledge of lung cancer. The study clearly shows to whom we are indebted for each advance. This is a fascinating sweep of history - as is the story of all medical progress - and one we feel is important to understand, in order for us to see more clearly where we are now.

One Hundred Years of Lung Cancer

A hundred years ago, lung cancer was a reportable disease, and it is now the commonest cause of death from cancer in both men and women in the developed world, and before long, will reach that level in the developing world as well. The disease has no particular symptoms or signs for its detection at an early stage. Most patients therefore present with advanced stage IIIB or IV disease. Screening tests began in the 1950s with annual chest x-ray films and sputum cytology but they resulted in no improvement in overall mortality compared with control subjects. The same question is now being asked of spiral low-dose computed tomographic scanning. There have been big refinements in the staging classification of lung cancer and advances in stage identification using minimally invasive technology. Postsurgical mortality has declined from the early days of the 1950s but 5-year cure rates have only barely improved. The addition of chemotherapy to radical radiotherapy, together with novel radiotherapy techniques, is gradually improving the outcome for locally advanced, inoperable non-small cell lung cancer. Chemotherapy offers modest survival improvement for patients with non-small cell lung cancer, the modern agents being better tolerated resulting in an improved quality of life. The management of small cell lung cancer, which appeared so promising at the beginning of the 1970s, has hit a plateau with very little advance in outcome over the last 15 years. The most important and cost-effective management for lung cancer is smoking cessation, but for those with the disease, novel agents and treatment approaches are urgently needed.

Response to chemotherapy has predictive value for further survival of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer: 10 years experience of the European Lung Cancer Working Party

The aim of this study was the assessment of the predictive value for survival of an antitumoral response to three courses of chemotherapy in association with various pretreatment characteristics in patients with non-resectable non-small cell lung cancer treated by cisplatin- (or carboplatin)-based combination regimens. Patients considered for this study were eligible patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer registered in one of the seven trials conducted by the European Lung Cancer Working Party from December 1980 to August 1991. All these trials tested chemotherapy regimens with platinum derivatives (cisplatin and/or carboplatin). In this population of 1052 eligible patients, 752 were assessed in this analysis. Data were prospectively collected on 23 pretherapeutic variables and objective response after three chemotherapy cycles. The predictive value of response to chemotherapy on survival (measured from the time of response assessment i.e. 12 weeks after registration in the trial) was studied by univariate analysis as well as by multivariate methods (adjustment of the impact of several covariates simultaneously on the dependent variable) with adjustment for the pretreatment prognostic variables. After three cycles of chemotherapy, the global estimated median survival time was 24 weeks with a 95% confidence interval of 22-25 weeks. By univariate analysis, we identified an objective response to chemotherapy as a highly significant discriminant marker (P < 0.0001) for further survival with estimated median survival times of 41 weeks (95% CI: 38-46) and 19 weeks (95% CI: 17-20), respectively, for the responding and non-responding patients. In a Cox regression model fitted to the data using a forward stepwise procedure, this variable was the first selected explanatory variable. Its effect was adjusted by the introduction in the model of initial disease extent, Karnofsky performance status, serum calcium level and white blood cell count. These results were consistent with those obtained by application of recursive partitioning and amalgamation algorithms (RECPAM) which led to a classification of the patients into three homogeneous subgroups. Our results, using a classical Cox regression model consistent with those highlighted by application of a RECPAM analysis, found an objective response to chemotherapy to be a predominant predictive factor for further survival, although it did not allow any conclusion about a causal relationship. The RECPAM results led to a classification of the patients into three subgroups which needs to be validated in other series.