World Lung Cancer Awareness Month

A special issue of Cancers (ISSN 2072-6694).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 December 2023) | Viewed by 13669

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Surgery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
Interests: ablation; hybrid theatre; image-guided surgery; interventional bronchoscopy; lung cancer; minimally invasive surgery; navigation bronchoscopy; robotic bronchoscopy; video-assisted thoracic surgery
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues, 

Lung cancer is the most common malignancy in many parts of the world. It is often diagnosed late and has one of the poorest outcomes amongst other cancers. Recent studies (NELSON from Europe and NLST from USA) have shown that lung cancer screening via computed tomography scans can identify lung cancer at an earlier stage in certain populations, and reduce mortality. The diagnosis and management of these tumors, with many being small nodules or ground glass changes, remain a challenge. The landscape and management of lung cancer in general has also changed dramatically in the last decade, perhaps more than any other thoracic disease. Advances in surgery and cancer genetics facilitate personalized drug therapies that can provide ever more complex and innovative treatment algorithms to fight this terrible disease. The role of liquid biopsies, more targeted bespoke drug therapies, non-invasive endoscopic treatments, and high-precision surgeries are only some of the evolving horizons in lung cancer management.

November is designated as "World Lung Cancer Awareness Month", with various global activities that highlight and increase awareness of lung cancer for research support and development.

We would like to take this opportunity to appreciate all the researchers who have contributed to the fight against this disease. In particular, we would like to highlight several researches in this field, which cover mechanisms in the tumor microenvironment, early detection, promising therapeutic targets, and new therapeutic strategies. We hope this Special Issue will provide useful information for clinical practice.

Prof. Dr. Calvin Sze Hang Ng
Guest Editor

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 7349 KiB  
Article
Unexpected Differences in the Speed of Non-Malignant versus Malignant Cell Migration Reveal Differential Basal Intracellular ATP Levels
by Bareun Kim, Anthony T. Lopez, Indhujah Thevarajan, Maria F. Osuna, Monica Mallavarapu, Boning Gao and Jihan K. Osborne
Cancers 2023, 15(23), 5519; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers15235519 - 22 Nov 2023
Viewed by 1772
Abstract
Cellular locomotion is required for survival, fertility, proper embryonic development, regeneration, and wound healing. Cell migration is a major component of metastasis, which accounts for two-thirds of all solid tumor deaths. While many studies have demonstrated increased energy requirements, metabolic rates, and migration [...] Read more.
Cellular locomotion is required for survival, fertility, proper embryonic development, regeneration, and wound healing. Cell migration is a major component of metastasis, which accounts for two-thirds of all solid tumor deaths. While many studies have demonstrated increased energy requirements, metabolic rates, and migration of cancer cells compared with normal cells, few have systematically compared normal and cancer cell migration as well as energy requirements side by side. Thus, we investigated how non-malignant and malignant cells migrate, utilizing several cell lines from the breast and lung. Initial screening was performed in an unbiased high-throughput manner for the ability to migrate/invade on collagen and/or Matrigel. We unexpectedly observed that all the non-malignant lung cells moved significantly faster than cells derived from lung tumors regardless of the growth media used. Given the paradigm-shifting nature of our discovery, we pursued the mechanisms that could be responsible. Neither mass, cell doubling, nor volume accounted for the individual speed and track length of the normal cells. Non-malignant cells had higher levels of intracellular ATP at premigratory-wound induction stages. Meanwhile, cancer cells also increased intracellular ATP at premigratory-wound induction, but not to the levels of the normal cells, indicating the possibility for further therapeutic investigation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue World Lung Cancer Awareness Month)
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9 pages, 524 KiB  
Article
Endobronchial Ultrasound/Transbronchial Needle Aspiration-Biopsy for Systematic Mediastinal lymph Node Staging of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer in Patients Eligible for Surgery: A Prospective Multicenter Study
by Duilio Divisi, Gabriella Di Leonardo, Massimiliano Venturino, Elisa Scarnecchia, Alessandro Gonfiotti, Domenico Viggiano, Marco Lucchi, Maria Giovanna Mastromarino, Alessandro Bertani and Roberto Crisci
Cancers 2023, 15(16), 4029; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers15164029 - 9 Aug 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1159
Abstract
Background: The treatment of lung cancer depends on histological and/or cytological evaluation of the mediastinal lymph nodes. Endobronchial ultrasound/transbronchial needle aspiration-biopsy (EBUS/TBNA-TBNB) is the only minimally invasive technique for a diagnostic exploration of the mediastinum. The aim of this study is to analyze [...] Read more.
Background: The treatment of lung cancer depends on histological and/or cytological evaluation of the mediastinal lymph nodes. Endobronchial ultrasound/transbronchial needle aspiration-biopsy (EBUS/TBNA-TBNB) is the only minimally invasive technique for a diagnostic exploration of the mediastinum. The aim of this study is to analyze the reliability of EBUS in the preoperative staging of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods: A prospective study was conducted from December 2019 to December 2022 on 217 NSCLC patients, who underwent preoperative mediastinal staging using EBUS/TBNA-TBNB according to the ACCP and ESTS guidelines. The following variables were analyzed in order to define the performance of the endoscopic technique—comparing the final staging of lung cancer after pulmonary resection with the operative histological findings: clinical characteristics, lymph nodes examined, number of samples, and likelihood ratio for positive and negative outcomes. Results: No morbidity or mortality was noted. All patients were discharged from hospital on day one. In 201 patients (92.6%), the preoperative staging using EBUS and the definitive staging deriving from the evaluation of the operative specimen after lung resection were the same; the same number of patients were detected in downstaging and upstaging (8 and 8, 7.4%). The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value, and diagnostic accuracy were 90%, 90%, 82%, 94%, and 90%, respectively. The likelihood ratio for positive and negative results was 9 and 0.9, respectively, confirming cancer when present and excluding it when absent. Conclusions: EBUS is the only low-invasive and easy procedure for mediastinal staging. The possibility to check the method in each of its phases—through direct visualization of the vessels regardless of their location in relation to the lymph nodes—makes it safe both for the endoscopist and for the patient. Certainly, the cytologist/histologist and/or operator must have adequate expertise in order not to negatively affect the outcome of the method, although three procedures appear to reduce the impact of the individual professional involved on performance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue World Lung Cancer Awareness Month)
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11 pages, 575 KiB  
Article
Lung Adenocarcinoma Diagnosed at a Younger Age Is Associated with Advanced Stage, Female Sex, and Ever-Smoker Status, in Patients Treated with Lung Resection
by Tommaso A. Dragani, Thomas Muley, Marc A. Schneider, Sonja Kobinger, Martin Eichhorn, Hauke Winter, Hans Hoffmann, Mark Kriegsmann, Sara Noci, Matteo Incarbone, Davide Tosi, Sara Franzi and Francesca Colombo
Cancers 2023, 15(8), 2395; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers15082395 - 21 Apr 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1430
Abstract
To date, the factors which affect the age at diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma are not fully understood. In our study, we examined the relationships of age at diagnosis with smoking, pathological stage, sex, and year of diagnosis in a discovery (n = 1694) [...] Read more.
To date, the factors which affect the age at diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma are not fully understood. In our study, we examined the relationships of age at diagnosis with smoking, pathological stage, sex, and year of diagnosis in a discovery (n = 1694) and validation (n = 1384) series of lung adenocarcinoma patients who had undergone pulmonary resection at hospitals in the Milan area and at Thoraxklinik (Heidelberg), respectively. In the discovery series, younger age at diagnosis was associated with ever-smoker status (OR = 1.5, p = 0.0035) and advanced stage (taking stage I as reference: stage III OR = 1.4, p = 0.0067; stage IV OR = 1.7, p = 0.0080), whereas older age at diagnosis was associated with male sex (OR = 0.57, p < 0.001). Analysis in the validation series confirmed the ever versus never smokers’ association (OR = 2.9, p < 0.001), the association with highest stages (stage III versus stage I OR = 1.4, p = 0.0066; stage IV versus stage I OR = 2.0, p = 0.0022), and the male versus female sex association (OR = 0.78, p = 0.032). These data suggest the role of smoking in affecting the natural history of the disease. Moreover, aggressive tumours seem to have shorter latency from initiation to clinical detection. Finally, younger age at diagnosis is associated with the female sex, suggesting that hormonal status of young women confers risk to develop lung adenocarcinoma. Overall, this study provided novel findings on the mechanisms underlying age at diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue World Lung Cancer Awareness Month)
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18 pages, 3360 KiB  
Article
Chemo-Radio-Immunotherapy for NSCLC III: ESR/ATS Thresholds for DLCO Correlate with Radiation Dosimetry and Pneumonitis Rate
by Markus Stana, Brane Grambozov, Josef Karner, Isabella Gollner, Christoph Gaisberger, Elvis Ruznic, Barbara Zellinger, Raphaela Moosbrugger, Michael Studnicka, Gerd Fastner, Felix Sedlmayer and Franz Zehentmayr
Cancers 2023, 15(7), 1966; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers15071966 - 25 Mar 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2030
Abstract
Introduction: Durvalumab following chemoradiotherapy (CRT) for non-small cell lung cancer stage III has become the standard of care (SoC) in the past few years. With this regimen, 5-year overall survival (OS) has risen to 43%. Therefore, adequate pulmonary function (PF) after treatment is [...] Read more.
Introduction: Durvalumab following chemoradiotherapy (CRT) for non-small cell lung cancer stage III has become the standard of care (SoC) in the past few years. With this regimen, 5-year overall survival (OS) has risen to 43%. Therefore, adequate pulmonary function (PF) after treatment is paramount in long-term survivors. In this respect, carbon monoxide diffusing capacity (DLCO), which represents the alveolar compartment, seems to be a suitable measure for residual lung capacity. The aim of the current analysis was to correlate DLCO with pneumonitis and radiation dose. Patients and methods: One hundred and twelve patients with histologically confirmed NSCLC III treated between 2015/10 and 2022/03 were eligible for this study. Patients received two cycles of platinum-based induction chemotherapy followed by high-dose radiotherapy (RT). As of 2017/09, durvalumab maintenance therapy was administered for one year. The clinical endpoints were based on the thresholds jointly published by the European Respiratory Society (ERS) and the American Thoracic Society (ATS). Pre-treatment DLCO of 60% was correlated to the incidence of pneumonitis, whereas the post-treatment DLCO decline of 10% was related to radiation dose. Results: Patients with a pre-treatment DLCO < 60% had a higher probability of pneumonitis (n = 98; r = 0.175; p-value 0.042), which could be reproduced in the subgroup of patients who did not receive durvalumab (n = 40; r = 0.288; p-value 0.036). In these individuals, the decline in DLCO ≥ 10% depended significantly on the size of the lung volume receiving between 45% and 65% (V65–45%) of the total radiation dose (r = 0.354; p-value = 0.020) and V20 Total Lung (r = 0.466; corrected p-value = 0.042). Conclusions: The current analysis revealed that DLCO is a predictor for clinically relevant pneumonitis and a monitoring tool for post-treatment lung function as it correlates with radiation dose. This underlines the importance of peri-treatment lung function testing. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue World Lung Cancer Awareness Month)
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11 pages, 2644 KiB  
Article
Labyrinthin Expression Is Associated with Poor Prognosis in Patients with Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer
by Weijie Ma, Jie Zeng, Dennis J. Montoya, Kyra Toomey, Chihong Zhou, Shuai Chen, Dingning Liu, Michael Babich, James A. Radosevich and Tianhong Li
Cancers 2023, 15(3), 924; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers15030924 - 1 Feb 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2677
Abstract
To determine Labyrinthin (LAB) expression in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), we immunostained and scored for LAB immunohistochemistry (IHC) expression on sections of tissue microarrays (TMAs) prepared from 256 archival tissue blocks of NSCLC. Propensity-score-weighted Kaplan–Meier curves and weighted Cox models were used to [...] Read more.
To determine Labyrinthin (LAB) expression in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), we immunostained and scored for LAB immunohistochemistry (IHC) expression on sections of tissue microarrays (TMAs) prepared from 256 archival tissue blocks of NSCLC. Propensity-score-weighted Kaplan–Meier curves and weighted Cox models were used to associate LAB expression with overall survival. LAB mRNA expression was assessed in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and correlated with clinical phenotype and outcome. Positive LAB IHC expression (>5% of tumor cells) was detected in 208/256 (81.3%) of NSCLC samples, and found in both lung adenocarcinomas (LUAD) and lung squamous cell cancer (LUSC). LAB positivity was associated with poor overall survival (HR = 3.56, 95% CI: 2.3–5.4; p < 0.0001) and high tumor differentiation grade or metastasis compared with negative LAB expression. Univariant and multivariate survival analyses demonstrated LAB expression as an independent prognostic factor for NSCLC patients. LAB RNA expression in TCGA-LUAD was higher in primary and advanced-stage tumors than in normal tissue, and was associated with poorer overall survival. No significant differences or associations were found with LAB RNA expression in TCGA-LUSC. The LAB IHC assay is being used to identify candidate cancer patients for the first-in-human phase I trial evaluating the LAB vaccines (UCDCC#296, NCT051013560). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue World Lung Cancer Awareness Month)
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Review

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12 pages, 293 KiB  
Review
Evolving Treatment Landscape of HER2-mutant Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Trastuzumab Deruxtecan and Beyond
by Ioannis A. Vathiotis, Dimitrios Bafaloukos, Konstantinos N. Syrigos and George Samonis
Cancers 2023, 15(4), 1286; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers15041286 - 17 Feb 2023
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3597
Abstract
Successful targeting of HER2-activating mutations in DESTINY-Lung02 phase II study has led to the approval of the antibody–drug conjugate (ADC) trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd) as second-line treatment in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Despite the impressive results, several matters need to [...] Read more.
Successful targeting of HER2-activating mutations in DESTINY-Lung02 phase II study has led to the approval of the antibody–drug conjugate (ADC) trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd) as second-line treatment in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Despite the impressive results, several matters need to be addressed, including the clinical activity of T-DXd in patients with disease in the central nervous system as well as the role of T-DXd in the context of HER2 overexpression. Additionally, data regarding novel agents used to target HER2 continue to accumulate. This review highlights the challenges and unanswered questions that have emerged after the approval of T-DXd in patients with HER2-mutant NSCLC. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue World Lung Cancer Awareness Month)
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