Change and continuity: On the 9th UICC/IASLC/AJCC TNM staging system for thymic tumors / 中国胸心血管外科临床杂志

@#The announcement of the 9th edition of TNM staging system for thymic tumors was one of the highlights at the World Conference on Lung Cancer 2023. The revision, based on a larger and more detailed database, provides changes and confirmation from the last system. The 9th edition of TNM staging system aims to balance statistical significance and clinical feasibility. The birth of an improved TNM staging system heralds the changes that will follow in clinical practice and scientific research.

Recent Advances in Post-operatively New Onset Myasthenia Gravis in Thymoma Patients / 肿瘤防治研究

Patients with thymoma without preoperative myasthenia gravis may develop symptoms of myasthenia gravis after tumor resection. A comprehensive understanding toward this rare clinical phenomenon is lacking. Recent studies indicate that post-operatively new onset myasthenia gravis (ponoMG) is the result of multiple mechanisms and their interactions, which may be related to the thymoma-mediated production, release and long-term presence of abnormal T cells and autoimmune antibodies in the periphery, as well as the presence of ectopic thymus and late recurrence of thymoma. Preoperative antibody titer is the main predictor. The treatment strategy is based on anticholinesterase drugs and hormonal therapy. In this study, we review the incidence, pathogenesis, predictors, and prevention and treatment strategies of ponoMG.

Genetic insights into thymic carcinomas and thymic neuroendocrine neoplasms denote prognosis signatures and pathways / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

BACKGROUND@#Thymic carcinomas (TCs) and thymic neuroendocrine neoplasms (TNENs) are two aggressive subtypes of thymic malignancy. Traditional therapy for advanced TCs and TNENs has limited outcome. New genomic profiling of TCs and TNENs might provide insights that contribute to the development of new treatment approaches.@*METHODS@#We used gene panel sequencing technologies to investigate the genetic aberrations of 32 TC patients and 15 TNEN patients who underwent surgery at Shanghai Chest Hospital between 2015 and 2017. Patient samples were sequenced using a 324-gene platform with licensed technologies. In this study, we focused on clinically relevant genomic alterations (CRGAs), which are previously proven to be pathogenic alterations, to identify the pathology-specific mutational patterns, prognostic signatures of TCs and TNENs.@*RESULTS@#The mutational profiles between TCs and TNENs were diverse. The genetic alterations that ranked highest in TCs were in CDKN2A, TP53, ASXL1, CDKN2B, PIK3C2G, PTCH1, and ROS1 , while those in TNENs were in MEN1, MLL2, APC, RB1 , and TSC2 . Prognostic analysis showed that mutations of ROS1, CDKN2A, CDKN2B, BRAF, and BAP1 were significantly associated with worse outcomes in TC patients, and that mutation of ERBB2 indicated shortened disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) in TNEN patients. Further investigation found that the prognosis-related genes were focused on signal pathways of cell cycle control, chromatin remodeling/DNA methylation, phosphoinositide 3-kinases (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), and receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK)/RAS/mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling.@*CONCLUSION@#We profiled the mutational features of 47 Chinese patients with thymic malignancy of diverse pathologic phenotypes to uncover the integrated genomic landscape of these rare tumors, and identified the pathology-specific mutational patterns, prognostic signatures, and potential therapeutic targets for TCs and TNENs.

Value of Postoperative Radiotherapy in Treatment of Completely Resected Thymic Tumors / 肿瘤防治研究

Thymic tumors are the most common malignant tumors of the anterior mediastinum. Surgical resection is the main treatment for thymic tumors, but the need for adjuvant radiotherapy after surgery is controversial. For tumors that cannot be completely resected, the role of postoperative radiotherapy is certain. However, for completely resected thymic tumors, deciding on whether to supplement with postoperative radiotherapy depends on the tumor stage and histological type. This article reviews the application of postoperative radiotherapy in the treatment of completely resected thymic tumors.

Chinese Medical Association guideline for clinical diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer (2022 edition): An interpretation / 中国胸心血管外科临床杂志

@#Chinese Medical Association guideline for clinical diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer (2022 edition) has been published this year. The 2022 edition has been updated in the aspects of lung cancer screening, pathology, standards of thoracic surgery, treatment of metastatic lung cancer. In this study, we tried to introduce those updated aspects in the guideline of 2022 edition.

Clinical Recommendations for Perioperative Immunotherapy-induced Adverse Events in Patients with Non-small Cell Lung Cancer / 中国肺癌杂志

BACKGROUND@#Perioperative treatment has become an increasingly important aspect of the management of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Small-scale clinical studies performed in recent years have shown improvements in the major pathological remission rate after neoadjuvant therapy, suggesting that it will soon become an important part of NSCLC treatment. Nevertheless, neoadjuvant immunotherapy may be accompanied by serious adverse reactions that lead to delay or cancelation of surgery, additional illness, and even death, and have therefore attracted much attention. The purpose of the clinical recommendations is to form a diagnosis and treatment plan suitable for the current domestic medical situation for the immune-related adverse event (irAE).@*METHODS@#This recommendation is composed of experts in thoracic surgery, oncologists, thoracic medicine and irAE related departments (gastroenterology, respirology, cardiology, infectious medicine, hematology, endocrinology, rheumatology, neurology, dermatology, emergency section) to jointly complete the formulation. Experts make full reference to the irAE guidelines, large-scale clinical research data published by thoracic surgery, and the clinical experience of domestic doctors and publicly published cases, and repeated discussions in multiple disciplines to form this recommendation for perioperative irAE.@*RESULTS@#This clinical recommendation covers the whole process of prevention, evaluation, examination, treatment and monitoring related to irAE, so as to guide the clinical work comprehensively and effectively.@*CONCLUSIONS@#Perioperative irAE management is an important part of immune perioperative treatment of lung cancer. With the continuous development of immune perioperative treatment, more research is needed in the future to optimize the diagnosis and treatment of perioperative irAE.

Curative effect analysis of Da Vinci? Robot-assisted surgery for 339 cases with mediastinal tumor: a single center retrospective case-control study / 中华胸心血管外科杂志

Objective:To investigate the efficacy of Da Vinci robot-assisted surgery for mediastinal tumor, and summarize the value of Da Vinci system in mediastinal surgery.Methods:The clinical data of 339 cases of robot-assisted mediastinal mass in Shanghai Chest Hospital from April 2015 to September 2020 were retrospectively analyzed, to compare perioperative outcomes of robotic surgery and conventional video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery 2 949 cases.Results:All the operations were successfully completed as planned. No residual lesions, conversion or second operation was observed in the consecutive cohort. The operating time[(81.8±36.8)min vs.(95.6±58.3)min, P=0.015]and post-operation stay[(3.1±1.9)days vs.(3.8±2.3)days, P=0.002] were statistically shorter in robotic group than those inconventional thoracoscopic group. Intraoperative blood loss in two groups was similar[(43.2±22.6)ml vs.(44.0±33.4)ml, P>0.05]. Conclusion:The Da Vinci robot system in mediastinal surgery is safe and feasible with great perspective in the new age of minimally invasive thoracic surgery. Compared with thoracoscopic surgery, it can shorten the operation time and reduce the postoperative hospital stay. It has certain advantages in operator experience and patient recovery.

Standardized surgical treatment of thymic tumors / 中华胸心血管外科杂志

Thymic epithelial tumors are the most common tumors in anterior mediastinum. They are used to be considered rare in incidence, with an indolent nature of biological behaviors, which led to the lack of high level evidence obtained from prospective randomized controlled trials to guide the clinical treatment. At present, the experience of diagnosis and treatment of thymic tumors varies greatly in different regions. And there are still many problems remain to be solved. This paper aims to establish a standardized surgical treatment based on the latest researches in surgical indications, resection extent, surgical approach, lymph node dissection and postoperative management of thymic tumors.

The initial experience of three-dimensional uniportal video-assisted thoracic surgery for the sleeve resection / 中华胸心血管外科杂志

Objective:To discuss the safety and feasibility for the use of 3D uniportal VATS sleeve resection.Methods:Totally 32 patients with central lung cancer received 3D uniportal VATS sleeve resection(group A) from June 2017 to May 2020 at Shanghai Chest Hospital. Meanwhile, 63 patients received conventional VATS sleeve resection(group B). The clinicopathological and perioperative outcome data were retrospectively collected and analyzed.Results:The baseline clinicopathological characteristics between these two groups were statistically similar. Compared with group B, the mean operative time[(174.19±73.69)min vs.(212.46±50.02)min, P=0.004] and blood loss[(73.13±42.70)ml vs.(130.48±133.72)ml, P=0.020] of group A were decreased, harvested lymph node stations was increased(7.63±1.59 vs. 6.76±1.70, P=0.018). Lymph nodes dissected showed no statistical difference(1.31±1.58 vs 1.21±1.96, P=0.803). There was no intraoperative death in both groups. Inspiringly, group A possessed lower rate of conversion to thoracotomy(0 vs. 36.5%, P=0.000), shorter chest drainage durations[(4.88±1.15)days vs.(6.81±3.8)days, P=0.007]. Although there were no deaths during hospitalization in both groups, the incidence of postoperative complications in group A was significantly lower than that in group B(25.0% vs. 47.6%, P=0.046). It also presented more complicated operations including pulmonary artery plasty(25.0% vs. 6.3%, P=0.024) and carina plasty(12.5% vs. 1.6%, P=0.005) against group B. Conclusion:3D uniportal VATS was a safe and feasible technique for the surgical treatment of central lung cancer when conducting a thoracoscopic sleeve resection.

Minimally invasive surgery for centrally located lung cancers / 中华外科杂志

Minimally invasive surgery helps enhance postoperative recovery and improve quality of life of the patients by minimizing surgical trauma and decreasing incisional pain. Minimally invasive pulmonary resection, including both video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery and robotic surgery, is mainly used for surgical management of peripheral early stage lung cancers. Because of tumor location, lymph node involvement, and treatment modalities, surgery for central lung cancers is often technically demanding. Open thoracotomy is still the dominant approach for these tumors, especially when complex procedures such as sleeve lobectomy or pneumonectomy are needed. With the advent of surgical techniques, minimally invasive techniques have started to be tried in treatment of central lung cancers. Initial results have proven their feasibility and safety in sleeve lobectomy and pneumonectomy, showing a great potential of minimally invasive surgery in the future. Further study is necessary to prove its functionally superiority and oncological equivalence to open surgery, so that more lung cancer patients could benefit for minimally invasive surgery.

Interpretation of surgical treatment in Chinese Medical Association guidelines for clinical diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer (2019 edition) / 中国胸心血管外科临床杂志

@#With the increasing popularity of chest spiral CT screening, the detection rate of lung cancer in China is increasing. According to the characteristics of lung cancer in China and the progress of lung cancer researches at home and abroad, Chinese Medical Association guidelines for clinical diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer are updated once a year. It is of great guiding significance to standardize and improve the clinical diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer for thoracic surgeons. The surgical diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer in the guidelines mainly include: (1) surgical treatment of stage Ⅰ-Ⅱ non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC); (2) surgical treatment of resectable stage Ⅲ NSCLC; (3) surgical treatment of multiple primary lung cancer; and (4) surgical treatment of locally resectable small cell lung cancer. Based on the Chinese Medical Association guidelines for clinical diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer (2019 edition), this paper interprets the hot issues related to the surgical treatment of lung cancer.

Postoperative nutrition in patients with esophageal cancer: a prospective randomized controlled study / 中华胸心血管外科杂志

Objective To observe the effects of total enteral nutrition ( TEN) and early combined parenteral nutrition ( PEN+TEN) in patients with esophageal cancer after operation .Methods The prospective,random, controlled clinical trial was adopted.One hundred patients receiving esophageal cancer operation were randomly assigned to the TEN group (50 cases) and the PEN+TEN group(50 cases).The differences in nutritional status, inflammatory response, immune status and postop-erative complications were compared in the two groups before and after operation.Results The levels of total serum protein, albumin or retinol binding protein were higher in the PEN group than the TEN group at the 10th day after operation, respective-ly[(60.1 ±6.2)g/L vs(55.3 ±9.3)g/L,(36.4 ±4.2)g/L vs(34.6 ±1.6)g/L,(43.3 ±5.9)g/L vs(34.9 ±3.3)g/L, P<0.05] .The levels of ESR or CRP were higher in PEN +TEN group than the TEN group at the 10th day after operation, re-spectively [(54.9 ±25.8)mm/h vs(31.8 ±14.2)mm/h,(30.9 ±13.2)g/L vs(15.8 ±6.1)g/L, P<0.01] .The levels of CD3+, CD4 +, or CD8 +were higher at the 10 th day after operation than at the day before surgery in TEN group [(59.6 ±9.8)％vs(68.3 ±4.4)％,(41.7 ±7.8)％vs(46.5 ±5.5)％,(23.2 ±5.5)％vs(20.0 ±2.7)％, P<0.05], but not in PEN+TEN group.The levels of IgA or IgG were significant higher in the TEN group than the PEN +TEN group at the 10th day after operation[(1.9 ±0.5)g/L vs(1.6 ±0.3)g/L,(11.9 ±3.3)g/L vs(9.4 ±2.2)g/L, P<0.01].Con-clusion The inflammatory reaction and immune function in TEN group are better than those in PEN +TEN group.Although the nutritional status is worse in the TEN group than that in the PEN group , but the rate of postoperative complications has not increased.

Opportunities and challenges for Chinese thoracic surgery in the golden age / 中华外科杂志

With the emergence of new concepts and new technologies, the mode of diagnosis and treatment of thoracic surgery in China has changed greatly. Under this background, Chinese thoracic surgery ushered in its "golden age" . This paper expounds the new challenges of thoracic surgery in China from many aspects, and points out that with the advent of precision medicine and modern science and technology, thoracic surgery will continue to develop rapidly. We should seize the opportunity, further expand our advantages, and strive to create a new era of Chinese thoracic surgery.

A Review on Comparison of Lobectomy and Segmentectomy in the Treatment of Early Stage Non-small Cell Lung Cancer / 中国肺癌杂志

Lung cancer is a worldwide malignancy with high morbidity and mortality in the world. With the application of low-dose spiral computed tomography in the screening and diagnosis of lung cancer, more lung cancers are detected at an early stage and cured by surgical treatment. Anatomical lobectomy has long been the standard procedure for the treatment of early stage non-small cell lung cancer. However, whether intentional segmentectomy can be more used remains controversial. And this paper focuses on the question.
.

Clinical Study on the Prognosis of Patients with Thymoma with Myasthenia Gravis / 中国肺癌杂志

BACKGROUND@#Thymoma is frequently associated with myasthenia gravis (MG). However, whether MG is a factor for the outcome of patients with thymoma following complete thymectomy remains unknown. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of thymoma with MG prognostic factors.@*METHODS@#A retrospective analysis of The Chinese Alliance for Research in Thymomas (ChART) database within 1992-2012 complete cases 875 cases, 20 years follow-up data analysis thymic tumor tissue type credits and MG, Masaoka staging and prognosis, postoperative adjuvant therapy and relationship with the prognosis of surgical removal of the way.@*RESULTS@#Thymic tumor tissue type credit has correlation with MG, difference was statistically significant (χ²=24.908, P B3 type (65/239, 27.20%) > B1 (27/132, 20.45%) > AB (43/267, 16.10%) > type A, 10.17% (6/59), Masaoka stage has no correlation with MG (χ²=0.365, P=1.365). Survival analysis showed that the WHO classification, Masaoka stage associated with prognosis (P<0.05), and whether the merger MG (χ²=0.113, P=0.736), postoperative adjuvant radiotherapy (χ²=0.380, P=0.538) has nothing to do with the prognosis, postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy is associated with poor prognosis (χ²=14.417, P<0.001). Whether has nothing to do with the prognosis of the thymus resection (χ²=1.548, P=1.548), whether the whole correlated with the curative effect of thymus excision with MG (χ²=24.695, P<0.001).@*CONCLUSIONS@#Thymoma patients with MG and extended thymectomy have no correlation with prognosis. Extended thymectomy can improve the effect of MG patients.

Minimally Invasive Surgery in Thymic Malignances / 中国肺癌杂志

Surgery is the most important therapy for thymic malignances. The last decade has seen increasing adoption of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) for thymectomy. MIS for early stage thymoma patients has been shown to yield similar oncological results while being helpful in minimize surgical trauma, improving postoperative recovery, and reduce incisional pain. Meanwhile, With the advance in surgical techniques, the patients with locally advanced thymic tumors, preoperative induction therapies or recurrent diseases, may also benefit from MIS in selected cases.

Correlation between Serum Cytokeratin 19 Fragment and the Clinicopathological Features and Prognosis of Thymic Epithelial Tumors / 中国肺癌杂志

BACKGROUND@#So far there's no tumor maker applied in diagnosis and treatment of thymic epithelial tumors. This study is to assess the correlation between serum cytokine 19 fragment (Cyfra 21-1) and clinicopathological features and prognosis of thymic epithelial tumors (TETs).@*METHODS@#The clinical data of 159 patients with TETs in Shanghai Chest Hospital was retrospectively analysed. Patients were divided into groups according to different tumor stages and histotypes. Serum Cyfra 21-1 was thus compared. In addition, the possible relationship between perioperative serum Cyfra 21-1 level and the recurrent status was carrid out.@*RESULTS@#Preoperative Cyfra 21-1 serum concentrations in patiants with advanced stage (T4) and thymic carcinomas were significantly higher than that in others (P<0.001, P<0.001, respectively). When the preoperative serum level exceeds the out-off of 1.66 ng/mL, it possibly indicates the recurrence during follow up. Furthermore, the sensitivity, specificity, and positive as well as negative predictive value (PPV and NPV) of postoperative Cyfra 21-1 to predict tumor recurrence were evaluated. At a cut-off of Cyfra 21-1 of 2.66 ng/mL, the sensitivity was 0.7, the specificity was 0.925, the PPV was 0.5 and the NPV was 0.966.@*CONCLUSIONS@#The elevated level of preoperative serum Cyfra 21-1 indicates an advanced stage of tumor or a more malignant histotype (thymic carcinoma). It also probably suggests a higher risk of tumor recurrence. During the oncological follow up, in addition to regular imaging examinations, the blood test of serum Cyfra 21-1 is also suggested to improve the diagnosis of tumor recurrence in order to improve the prognosis.

The influence of myasthenia gravis on the prognosis of thymoma patients / 中华胸心血管外科杂志

Objective The influence of myasthenia gravias(MG) upon the long term survival of thoma patients varied in the retrospective studies as reported,including the positive,negative impact and irrelevant influence.The recent study from the Chinese Alliance for Research on Thynic Diseses(ChART) indicated that in different stages of thymoma,MG influenced the prognosis in different ways.It's the author's conclusion that the complicated influences of MG on the prognosis of thymoma include a direct one which is negative resulting from MG related complications and an indirect positive one due to its beneficial pathologic and staging patterns.Inprovement of the prognosis for patients with thymoma complicating MG will be expected with advancement in MG therapeutics.

Associated factors of postoperative relapse and metastasis in pT1bN0M0-pT4aN0M0 thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma / 中华胃肠外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the associated high risk factors of postoperative relapse and metastasis for patients with confined tumors (grade pT1b-4a) without lymph-node metastases (pN0) in thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Clinicopathological and follow up data of ESCC patients undergoing radical surgical resection as primary treatment in the Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shanghai Chest Hospital between January 2004 and December 2012 from Hospital Database were retrospectively collected. The inclusion criteria were as follows: (1) the first development of ESCC confirmed by histopathology without lymphatic and distant metastasis; (2) pathological stage of pT1bN0M0 to pT4aN0M0 according to the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) in 2009; (3) curative trans-thoracic esophagectomy with R0 (tumor-free surgical margin) resection, using the Ivor-Lewis or McKeown procedure; two-field lymphadenectomy or three-field lymph node dissection based on the positive results of preoperative cervical ultrasonography examination or CT scan; (4) without adjuvant chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy before and after operation; (5) complete follow-up data. Logistic regression analysis was employed to identify the clinicopathological factors affecting the postoperative relapse and metastasis.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>A total of 112 patients were eligible, including 94 male cases and 18 female cases; age of (58.6±7.7) years; squamous carcinoma of upper thorax in 25 cases, of middle thorax in 67 cases and of lower thorax segment in 20 cases; 12 cases of high-differentiated ESCC, 49 cases of moderate-differentiated ESCC, poorly-differentiated ESCC in 48 cases; 4 cases of I(a stage, 9 cases of I(b, 24 cases of II(a, 62 cases of II(b, 13 cases of III(a; the tumor length >4 cm in 43 cases, ≤4 cm in 69 cases. Forty-three (38.4%) patients presented relapse or metastasis during the follow-up, including 24 (21.4%) of loco-regional relapse, 13 (11.6%) of distant metastasis, and 6(5.4%) of both above. Multivariate regression analysis revealed that poorly-differentiated tumor (OR=1.899, 95%CI:1.233-2.925, P=0.004), upper-middle location (OR=2.351, 95%CI:1.188-4.653, P=0.014), and tumor length >4 cm (OR=2.381, 95%CI:1.009-5.618, P=0.048) were independent risk factors of overall postoperative relapse and metastasis for thoracic ESCC with stage pT1b N0M0-T4aN0M0. Further stratified analysis identified that only poorly-differentiated tumor (OR=1.730, 95%CI:1.121-2.671, P=0.013) was an independent risk factor of loco-regional relapse, whereas pathological stage II(b-III(a (OR=3.372, 95%CI:1.206-9.428, P=0.021) was an independent risk factor of distant metastasis.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Poorly-differentiated tumor, tumor length >4 cm, and upper-middle location may be regarded as high risk factors for predicting overall relapse and metastasis of pN0 thoracic ESCC patients after esophagectomy. Moreover, poorly-differentiated tumor is the only independent risk factor of postoperative loco-regional relapse, meanwhile it should be noted that pathological stage II(b-III(a is closely related to postoperative distant metastasis.</p>

Interpretation of 2017 National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma through the new TNM staging of esophageal carcinoma (eighth edition) by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) and the American Cancer Commission (AJCC) / 中华胃肠外科杂志

The eighth edition of Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) and the American Joint Committee on Cancer(AJCC) announced in 2017 the new staging of esophageal cancer, focusing on the prognostic significance of accurate staging and lymph node metastasis before treatment of esophageal carcinoma, the rationality of early tumor therapy, and the importance of induction therapy. The modified 2017 edition of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines, based on above contents matching UICC/AJCC eighth edition of the new staging of esophageal cancer, added preoperative clinical staging to guide the selection of treatment, and re-defined the indications of endoscopic resection and operation for early esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, meanwhile emphasized once again the importance of preoperative induction therapy for locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. While there are still many pendent problems that need to be explored further, the knowledge of the law of progression in esophageal cancer and the factors related to prognosis, launching targeted researches for solving practical problems, and the emphasis of standardized diagnosis and treatment are the basic strategies to improve the efficacy of esophageal carcinoma.