Efficacy of consolidation of immune checkpoint inhibitor after chemoradiation for unresectable, locally advanced PD­L1 negative non­small cell lung cancer: A systematic review and meta­analysis.

Chemoradiotherapy (CRT) followed by consolidation of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), such as durvalumab or pembrolizumab, for patients with unresectable, locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with tumor PD-L1 expression <1% remains a topic of controversy. Previous studies from PubMed, Cochrane Library and Embase databases were searched for a meta-analysis. A total of 16 studies were included in part one of the meta-analysis and it was observed that consolidation of ICIs after CRT improved overall survival (OS) [hazard ratio (HR) 1.46; P=0.005] and progression-free survival (PFS) (HR 1.26; P=0.023) for the patients with PD-L1 expression ≥1% compared with those with PD-L1 expression <1%. Then, 15 studies were included in part two of the meta-analysis and the results indicated that the pooled 1, 2 and 3-year OS were 77% vs. 83% (P=0.07), 55% vs. 59% (P=0.327) and 38% vs. 51% (P=0.006) for CRT alone compared with CRT followed by consolidation of ICIs, respectively. The pooled 1, 2 and 3-year PFS were 51% vs. 53% (P=0.632), 29% vs. 40% (P=0.015) and 20% vs. 28% (P=0.153) for CRT alone compared with CRT followed by consolidation of ICIs, respectively. The findings of the present study highlighted that the benefits of CRT followed by consolidation of ICIs were higher compared with CRT alone in patients with unresectable, locally advanced NSCLC and PD-L1 expression <1%. Consolidation of ICIs after CRT would provide greater benefits for locally advanced NSCLC patients with PD-L1 expression ≥1% compared with those with PD-L1 expression <1%.

miR-30a-5p suppresses lung squamous cell carcinoma via ATG5 - mediated autophagy.

Propose: Autophagy plays a complicated role in cancer progression. This study aims at assessing the function of ATG5-induced autophagy in progression of lung squamous cell carcinoma and its upstream mechanism. METHOD: TCGA database of lung squamous cell carcinoma was analyzed to explore the differentially expressed miRNAs and mRNAs and relative prognosis. RT-PCR and Western blot were performed to evaluate autophagy relative gene expression level in human lung squamous cell carcinoma cell Lines. Autophagy flux was observed using transmission electron microscopy and immunofluorescence. Meanwhile, binding relationship of potential target miRNA and mRNAs were also confirmed using Dual-luciferase reporter gene assay. Lung metastatic model was established to evaluated the effect of targeting protein and miRNA. RESULT: High level expression of ATG5 was detected in LUSC patients. Relative experiments confirmed that ATG5 silencing could decrease the autophagy flux in LUSC. In addition, our research revealed that there is a binding sites between hsa-mir-30a-5p and 3'-UTR of ATG5. Mimic miR-30a-5p suppresses ATG5-mediated autophagy in lung squamous cell carcinoma cells. The in vivo experiments confirmed that miR-30a-5p could attenuate lung squamous cell carcinoma progression through the autophagy pathway. CONCLUSION: Accordingly, the in vivo and in vitro study in our research have demonstrated that miR-30a-5p inhibits lung squamous cell carcinoma progression via ATG5-mediated autophagy.

The concept of broad exposure facilitates uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic mediastinal lymph nodes dissection.

BACKGROUND: Systematic lymph node dissection is an important part of radical resection for lung cancer. Insufficient incision of the mediastinal pleura results in a tapered or tunnel-like operation surface, which increases the difficulty of uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic mediastinal lymph node dissection. The objective of this study was to report our concept of broad exposure and investigate the efficacy and safety of this concept in uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic mediastinal lymph nodes dissection. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of the 204 non-small cell lung cancer patients who underwent uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for anatomical lobectomy and systematic lymph node dissection following the concept of broad exposure. SPSS 23.0 software was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: All operations were completed under uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery following the concept of broad exposure. The median surgery time was 102 (range, 76-285) minutes and the median blood loss was 50 (range, 20-900) milliliters. The median chest tube duration time was 2 (range, 1-6) days, the median postoperative hospital duration time was 5 (range, 4-10) days. The median number of dissected lymph node stations and dissected lymph nodes were 8 (range,6-9) and 15(range,12-19), respectively. The median number of dissected mediastinal lymph nodes stations and dissected mediastinal lymph nodes were 5(range,3-6) and 11(range,10-15), respectively. The up-staging rate of N staging was 6.86%. The postoperative complication rate was 10.29% and there was no perioperative death. CONCLUSIONS: According to our results, it's effective and safe to perform uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic mediastinal lymph nodes dissection following the concept of broad exposure. This new concept not only emphasizes sufficient exposure, but also focuses on protection of important tissues.

[Progress in Survival Prognosis of Segmentectomy for 
Early-stage Non-small Cell Lung Cancer].

Surgery is currently the most appropriate treatment for early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Increasing unilateral or bilateral multiple primary lung cancer being found, segmentectomy has attracted wide attention for its unique advantages in the treatment for such tumors. Ground glass opacity dominant early-stage NSCLC is associated with a good prognosis and can be cured by segmentectomy, however, the treatment of solid-dominant NSCLC remains controversial owing to the invasive nature. With the in-depth study on the lymph node metastasis pathway, radiological characteristics and molecular biology of NSCLC, a large part of solid nodules with certain characteristics can also be cured by segmentectomy. This paper reviews the research status and progress about the indication of segmentectomy.
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Both the presence of a micropapillary component and the micropapillary predominant subtype predict poor prognosis after lung adenocarcinoma resection: a meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: It has been confirmed that the micropapillary (MP) pattern is a poor prognostic factor after resection of lung adenocarcinoma (ADC), but the proportion of the MP component as a prognostic criterion is still controversial. Hence, a meta-analysis was performed to evaluate whether the presence of an MP component has equal prognostic power as the MP predominant subtype. METHODS: Literature retrieval was performed in the MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases until December 23, 2019. Eligible studies were selected based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The included studies were divided into two subgroups, the MP component subgroup and the MP predominant subgroup, according to the proportion of the MP pattern to analyse the effect of this pattern on disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS). The hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were extracted from each study. Review Manager 5.3 was used for statistical analyses. RESULTS: Finally, 10 studies, including a total of 4934 lung ADC patients, were included in this meta-analysis. Our results indicated a significantly worse pooled DFS (HR 1.62, 95% CI 1.20-2.21) and OS (HR 1.53, 95% CI 1.19-1.96) in the subgroup of MP predominant subtype patients. The pooled DFS (HR 1.80, 95% CI 1.45-2.85) and OS (HR 2.26, 95% CI 1.46-3.52) were also poor in the subgroup of patients with the presence of an MP component. CONCLUSIONS: Both the presence of an MP component and the MP predominant subtype are related to poor DFS and OS after lung ADC resection and represent adverse prognostic factor for lung ADC patients. However, there are some limitations in this meta-analysis, and quantitative stratification based on the proportion of the MP component is needed to explore its effect on prognosis of lung ADC patients in the future.

Two-Way: A Novel Method for Identifying the Anatomy During Uniportal Thoracoscopic Segmentectomy.

Because the segmental bronchi and vessels are commonly variable and complicated, it is difficult to correctly identify them. Misidentification of the segmental anatomy could result in the failure of segmentectomy and conversion to other surgical procedures such as bisegmentectomy or lobectomy. We describe a novel method to identify the target segmental vessels and bronchi by exposing the adjacent segmental anatomy during uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic segmentectomy, which could help to reduce the chance of misidentification.

Meta-analysis of segmentectomy versus lobectomy for radiologically pure solid or solid-dominant stage IA non-small cell lung cancer.

OBJECTIVE: Whether segmentectomy can be used to treat radiologically determined pure solid or solid-dominant lung cancer remains controversial owing to the invasive pathologic characteristics of these tumors despite their small size. This meta-analysis compared the oncologic outcomes after lobectomy and segmentectomy regarding relapse-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) in patients with radiologically determined pure solid or solid-dominant clinical stage IA non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS: A literature search was performed in the MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Central databases for information from the date of database inception to March 2019. Studies were selected according to predefined eligibility criteria. The hazard ratio (HR) and associated 95% confidence interval (CI) were extracted or calculated as the outcome measure for data combining. RESULTS: Seven eligible studies published between 2014 and 2018 enrolling 1428 patients were included in the current meta-analysis. Compared with lobectomy, segmentectomy had a significant benefit on the RFS of radiologically determined pure solid or solid-dominant clinical stage IA NSCLC patients (combined HR: 1.46; 95% CI, 1.05-2.03; P = 0.024) and there were no significant differences on the OS of these patients (HR: 1.52; 95% CI, 0.95-2.43; P = 0.08). CONCLUSIONS: Segmentectomy leads to lower survival than lobectomy for clinical stage IA NSCLC patients with radiologically determined pure solid or solid-dominant tumors. Moreover, applying lobectomy to clinical stage IA NSCLC patients with radiologically determined pure solid or solid-dominant tumors (≤2 cm) could lead to an even bigger survival advantage. However, there are some limitations in the present study, and more evidence is needed to support the conclusion.

[The inhibition of accessory gene regulator C specific binding peptides on biofilm formation of Staphylococcus epidermidis on the surface of polyvinyl chloride in vitro].

Objective: To investigate the effect of accessory gene regulator C (agr C) specific binding peptides (named N1) on the biofilm formation of Staphylococcus epidermidis on the surface of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) materials in vitro. Methods: Firstly, the two strains (ATCC35984, ATCC12228) were cultured with N1 at concentrations of 100, 200, 400, 800, and 1 600 µg/mL, respectively. The control group was cultured with agrC specific binding unrelated peptides (named N0) at the same concentrations and the absorbance ( A) value was measured after 24 hours to determine the optimal bacteriostatic concentration of N1. The two strains were cultured with N1 and N0 of the optimal concentration, respectively. The A values were measured at 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, and 48 hours to observe the effect of N1 on the biofilm formation ability of Staphylococcus epidermidis. On this basis, the surface structure of the biofilm on the surface of PVC material was observed by scanning electron microscopy after 6, 12, 18, 24, and 30 hours of incubation with PVC material sheet. The thickness of the biofilm was observed by laser confocal microscopy after 6, 12, 18, and 24 hours of incubation with ATCC35984 strain. Results: The optimal bacteriostatic concentration of N1 was 800 µg/mL. ATCC 12228 strain did not form obvious biofilm after being cultured with N1 and N0. When ATCC35984 strain was cultured with N1 and N0 for 12 hours, the difference in biofilm formation ability between groups N1 and N0 was statistically significant ( P<0.05), but there was no significant difference at 6, 18, 24, 30, and 48 hours ( P>0.05). Scanning electron microscopy examination showed that mature biofilm structure was observed in ATCC35984 strain and was not observed in ATCC12228 strain. Laser confocal microscopy observation showed that the number of bacteria in the group N1 was significantly lower than that in the group N0 at 12 hours, and the most of bacteria were dead bacteria. There was no significant difference in the number of bacteria at 6, 18, and 24 hours, and the most of them were live bacteria. The biofilm thickness of group N1 was significantly lower than that of group N0 at 12 and 18 hours ( P<0.05). Conclusion: The intensity of N1 inhibiting the formation of Staphylococcus epidermidis biofilm is dose-dependent. During the aggregation period, N1 can inhibit the biofilm formation by hindering the bacterial growth and aggregation. The inhibition effect on mature biofilm is not obvious.

Wide exposure in uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for radical resection of lung cancer / 中国胸心血管外科临床杂志

@#Objective To investigate the advantage of the concept of wide exposure in uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (uniportal-VATS) for radical resection of lung cancer and assess its safety and feasibility. Methods Clinical data of 255 patients (110 males and 145 females, a mean age of 54.3±7.9 years) with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who received wide exposure in uniportal-VATS or three portal VATS (3P-VATS) during August 2017 to March 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. There were 153 patients (67 males and 86 females, a mean age of 56.1±8.5 years) in the uniportal-VATS group and 102 patients (43 males and 59 femals, a mean age of 54.4±7.4 years) in the 3P-VATS group. The clinical effects were compared between the two groups. Results There was no statistical difference in the operation time between the uniportal-VATS and 3P-VATS (135.0±45.6 min vs. 142.0±39.5 min, P>0.05). The overall number of dissected stations (6.9±1.0) and LNs (14.5±3.0) in the uniportal-VATS group were similar with those in the 3P-VATS group (7.1±1.0, 15.1±1.7). The dissected stations of N2 LNs (uniportal-VATS: 4.1±1.7, 3P-VATS: 3.9±0.8) and number of dissected N2 LNs (uniportal-VATS: 8.0±0.9, 3P-VATS: 7.8±1.1) were both similar between the two groups. The duration of postoperative tube drainage and postoperative hospital stay of uniportal-VATS group (3.5±1.8 d and 7.2±0.9 d) were much shorter than those of 3P-VATS group (4.0±1.3 d and 8.8±2.0 d). No significant difference was found in incidence of postoperative complication between the two groups except that the incidence of subcutaneous emphysema in the uniportal-VATS group was much lower. There was no perioperative death in the two groups. Conclusion The concept of wide exposure in uniportal-VATS can meet the requirment of radical resection and it is a safe and valid method which can be used for radical resection of lung cancer.