Frontiers in the Application of RF Vacuum Electronics.

The application of radio frequency (RF) vacuum electronics for the betterment of the human condition began soon after the invention of the first vacuum tubes in the 1920s and has not stopped since. Today, microwave vacuum devices are powering important applications in health treatment, material and biological science, wireless communication-terrestrial and space, Earth environment remote sensing, and the promise of safe, reliable, and inexhaustible energy. This article highlights some of the exciting application frontiers of vacuum electronics.

Early response evaluation using primary tumor and nodal imaging features to predict progression-free survival of locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

Prognostic biomarkers that can reliably predict early disease progression of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are needed for identifying those patients at high risk for progression, who may benefit from more intensive treatment. In this work, we aimed to identify an imaging signature for predicting progression-free survival (PFS) of locally advanced NSCLC. Methods: This retrospective study included 82 patients with stage III NSCLC treated with definitive chemoradiotherapy for whom both baseline and mid-treatment PET/CT scans were performed. They were randomly placed into two groups: training cohort (n=41) and testing cohort (n=41). All primary tumors and involved lymph nodes were delineated. Forty-five quantitative imaging features were extracted to characterize the tumors and involved nodes at baseline and mid-treatment as well as differences between two scans performed at these two points. An imaging signature was developed to predict PFS by fitting an L1-regularized Cox regression model. Results: The final imaging signature consisted of three imaging features: the baseline tumor volume, the baseline maximum distance between involved nodes, and the change in maximum distance between the primary tumor and involved nodes measured at two time points. According to multivariate analysis, the imaging model was an independent prognostic factor for PFS in both the training (hazard ratio [HR], 1.14, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.04-1.24; P = 0.003), and testing (HR, 1.21, 95% CI, 1.10-1.33; P = 0.048) cohorts. The imaging signature stratified patients into low- and high-risk groups, with 2-year PFS rates of 61.9% and 33.2%, respectively (P = 0.004 [log-rank test]; HR, 4.13, 95% CI, 1.42-11.70) in the training cohort, as well as 43.8% and 22.6%, respectively (P = 0.006 [log-rank test]; HR, 3.45, 95% CI, 1.35-8.83) in the testing cohort. In both cohorts, the imaging signature significantly outperformed conventional imaging metrics, including tumor volume and SUVmax value (C-indices: 0.77-0.79 for imaging signature, and 0.53-0.73 for conventional metrics). Conclusions: Evaluation of early treatment response by combining primary tumor and nodal imaging characteristics may improve the prediction of PFS of locally advanced NSCLC patients.

Galectin-1 mediates radiation-related lymphopenia and attenuates NSCLC radiation response.

PURPOSE: Radiotherapy can result in lymphopenia, which has been linked to poorer survival. Here, we test the hypothesis that radiotherapy-induced lymphopenia is mediated by a tumor-secreted factor, Galectin-1 (Gal-1), which possesses T-cell proapoptotic activities. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Matched Gal-1 wild-type (WT) or null mice were implanted with Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC-1) that either expressed Gal-1 or had Gal-1 stably downregulated. Tumors were irradiated locally and circulating Gal-1 and T cells were measured. Tumor growth, lung metastasis, intratumoral T-cell apoptosis, and microvessel density count were quantified. Thiodigalactoside (TDG), a Gal-1 inhibitor, was used to inhibit Gal-1 function in another group of mice to validate the observations noted with Gal-1 downregulation. Lymphocyte counts, survival, and plasma Gal-1 were analyzed in cohorts of radiotherapy-treated lung [non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)] and head and neck cancer patients. RESULTS: LLC irradiation increased Gal-1 secretion and decreased circulating T cells in mice, regardless of host Gal-1 expression. Inhibition of tumor Gal-1 with either shRNA or thiodigalactoside ablated radiotherapy-induced lymphopenia. Irradiated shGal-1 tumors showed significantly less intratumoral CD8(+) T-cell apoptosis and microvessel density, which led to marked tumor growth delay and reduced lung metastasis compared with controls. Similar observations were made after thiodigalactoside treatment. Radiotherapy-induced lymphopenia was associated with poorer overall survival in patients with NSCLC treated with hypofractionated radiotherapy. Plasma Gal-1 increased whereas T-cell decreased after radiation in another group of patients. CONCLUSIONS: Radiotherapy-related systemic lymphopenia appeared to be mediated by radiotherapy-induced tumor Gal-1 secretion that could lead to tumor progression through intratumoral immune suppression and enhanced angiogenesis.

Cooperative group research efforts in thoracic malignancies 2009: a review from the 10th Annual International Lung Cancer Congress.

Critical advances in the treatment of patients with lung cancer have occurred in the past few years. The cooperative groups in North America and internationally have played crucial roles in these advances. The leaders of the groups meet on a regular basis to review the progress of their trials. However, they rarely have a chance to discuss all ongoing and planned trials, except at the annual Lung Cancer Congress held each June. This article captures this exchange from the 10th Annual Lung Cancer Congress held in June 2009. Exciting efforts are ongoing for all stages of non-small-cell lung cancer, small-cell lung cancer, and mesothelioma. A major focus of the groups at this time is a push toward more personalized medicine, as reflected in the selection criteria for many of the trials, along with planned correlates to better define populations most likely to benefit. Agents targeting the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) pathway, including many tyrosine kinase inhibitors against the VEGF receptor, and those targeting the epidermal growth factor receptor pathway, are under extensive development with many combination trials ongoing.