Monitoring non-small cell lung cancer progression and treatment response through hyaluronic acid in sputum

We evaluated whether hyaluronan (HA) levels in the sputum could be used as a noninvasive tool to predict progressive disease and treatment response, as detected in a computed tomography scan in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. Sputum samples were collected from 84 patients with histological confirmation of NSCLC, 33 of which were in early-stage and 51 in advanced-stage disease. Patients received systemic chemotherapy (CT) after surgery (n=36), combined CT and immunotherapy (IO) (n=15), or targeted therapy for driver mutation and disease relapse (N=4). The primary end-point was to compare sputum HA levels in two different concentrations of hypertonic saline solution with overall survival (OS) and the secondary and exploratory end-points were radiologic responses to treatment and patient outcome. Higher concentrations of HA in the sputum were significantly associated to factors related to tumor stage, phenotype, response to treatment, and outcome. In the early stage, patients with lower sputum HA levels before treatment achieved a complete tumor response after systemic CT with better progression-free survival (PFS) than those with high HA levels. We also examined the importance of the sputum HA concentration and tumor response in the 51 patients who developed metastatic disease and received CT+IO. Patients with low levels of sputum HA showed a complete tumor response in the computed tomography scan and stable disease after CT+IO treatment, as well as a better PFS than those receiving CT alone. HA levels in sputum of NSCLC patients may serve as a candidate biomarker to detect progressive disease and monitor treatment response in computed tomography scans.

Prediction of Complete Necrosis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Treated with Transarterial Chemoembolization Prior to Liver Transplantation

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Compact lipiodol uptake without enhancement on multiphasic helical computed tomography (CT) has been suggested as a radiologic response criterion in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients treated with transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) and subsequent partial hepatectomy. However, its usefulness has not been fully investigated in the explanted liver. METHODS: Between 1998 and 2007, 81 patients with HCC underwent 1-9 sessions of TACE followed by liver transplantation (LT). Thirty-nine tumors in 29 patients showed a radiologic response on CT performed prior to LT. The radiologic response criteria and the duration of the response were evaluated to predict total necrosis in the explanted liver. RESULTS: Among the 39 tumors, 34 nodules (87.2%) exhibited total pathological necrosis. While 13 out of 16 tumors (81.3%) with a radiologic response for 6 months or less were completely necrotic, 21 out of 23 tumors (91.3%) with a radiologic response of longer than 6 months showed total necrosis. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggested that the radiologic response criteria based on serial CT images might be useful for predicting total necrosis of TACE-pretreated HCC in LT.

The Role of Gamma Knife Radiosurgery for Diffuse Astrocytomas

OBJECTIVE: The management of diffuse astrocytomas is one of the most controversial areas in clinical neurooncology. There are numerous reviews and editorials outlining the difficulties in the management of these lesions. In this study, we assess the role of Gamma Knife radiosurgery(GKS) for diffuse astrocytomas. METHODS: Twenty-three patients with a diffuse astrocytoma were treated with GKS as a primary or adjuvant method from February 1995 to October 2003. The mean marginal dose was 13.6 (8.5~17.5)Gy and the mean maximal dose was 27.3 (17.0~35.0)Gy. Local control and the pattern of radiologic response were evaluated. The probable factors affecting local control, such as tumor volume, margin dose, previous history of craniotomy or stereotactic biopsy, and the presence or absence of previous radiotherapy were statistically analyzed. The average duration of follow-up was 39.7 (11.3~101.5) months after GKS. RESULTS: Of the 23 lesions treated, 16 lesions (69.6%) were controlled during the follow-up period. The mean progressionfree interval was 57.4 months and the 5-year progression-free rate was 68%. Only tumor volume was found to be a statistically significant factor for local control. Smaller tumors were better controlled by GKS; it was significantly effective in tumors with less than a 10 cm3 volume. CONCLUSION: GKS could be a valuable therapeutic modality both as a primary treatment and as a postoperative adjuvant therapy in some selected cases.