Lung cancer is the second most common cancer and the leading cause of cancer-related deaths. Different targeted therapies and the introduction of immunotherapy have successfully improved outcome for patients with non-small lung cancer (NSCLC). Anti-angiogenic drugs are an essential component in the treatment of NSCLC patients. The vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)- A antibody bevacizuma…
The molecular characterization of lung cancer has considerably changed the classification and treatment of these tumors, becoming an essential component of pathologic diagnosis and oncologic therapy decisions. Through the recognition of novel biomarkers, such as epidermal growth factor receptor mutations and anaplastic lymphoma kinase translocations, it has been possible to identify subsets of …
Previous studies have suggested that a variety of tumor driver genetic alterations affected the treatment efficacy of chemotherapy and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)‑tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in advanced non‑small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The present study aimed to investigate the association between the tumor genetic alteration landscape and the treatment outcome of first…
Malignant pleural effusion (MPE) is a common but serious condition that is related with poor quality of life, morbidity and mortality. Its incidence and associated healthcare costs are rising and its management remains palliative, with median survival ranging from 3 to 12 months. During the last decade there has been significant progress in unravelling the pathophysiology of MPE, as well as its…
Management of symptomatic malignant pleural effusions is becoming more complex due to the range of treatment options, which include therapeutic thoracenteses, thoracoscopic talc pleurodesis, bedside pleurodesis with talc or other sclerosing agents via small-bore chest catheters, indwelling pleural catheters, surgery, or a combination of some of these procedures
Computed tomography (CT) is the primary imaging modality used to investigate human patients with suspected malignant or inflammatory pleural effusion, but there is a lack of information about the clinical use of this test in dogs. To identify CT signs that could be used to distinguish pleural malignant neoplasia from pleuritis, a retrospective case-control study was done based on dogs that had …
More than 75% of the cases of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are diagnosed in advanced stages (IIIA-IV). Although in these patients the role of surgery is unclear, complete tumor resection can be achieved in selected cases, with good long-term survival. In this review, current indications for surgery in advanced NSCLC are discussed. In stage IIIA (N2), surgery after induction chemotherap…
Surgery for cT1-2, N0-1, M1 or cT3, N0, M1 disease is associated with a 5-year survival of 25% and does not appear to compromise outcomes when compared to non-operative therapy, supporting guidelines that recommend surgery for very select patients with stage IV disease. However, surgery provides less benefit and should be considered much less often for stage IV patients with mediastinal noda…
Patients with advanced EGFR-mutant or ALK-positive non–smallcell lung cancer (NSCLC) have a high cumulative risk (>70%) for developing brainmetastases (BrM) during the course of their disease. Recently, an update of the graded prognostic assessment (GPA) for patients with NSCLCandBrMhas established that molecular alterations in EGFR or ALK are an independent prognostic factor for betteroutcomes.
Adjuvant platinum based chemotherapy is accepted as standard of care in stage II and III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients and is often considered in patients with stage IB disease who have tumors ≥ 4 cm. The survival advantage is modest with approximately 5% at 5 years