BACKGROUND: It is very important to determine an accurate staging of the non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC) for an assessment of operability and it's prognosis. However, it is difficult to evaluate tumor involvement of mediastinal lymph nodes accurately utilizing noninvasive imaging modalities. PET is one of the sensitive and specific imaging modality. Unfortunately PET is limited use because of prohibitive cost involved with it's operation. Recently hybrid SPECT/PET (single photon emission computed tomography/positron emission tomography) camera based PET imaging was introduced with relatively low cost. We evaluated the usefulness of coincidence detection (CoDe) PET in the detection of metastasis to the mediastinal lymph nodes in patients with NSCLC. METHODS: Twenty one patients with NSCLC were evaluated by CT or MRI and they were considered operable. CoDe PET was performed in all 21 patients prior to surgery. Tomographic slices of axial, coronal and sagittal planes were visually analysed. At surgery, mediastinal lymph nodes were removed and histological diagnosis was performed. CoDe PET findings were correlated with histological findings. RESULTS: Twenty of 21 primary tumor masses were detected by the CoDe PET. Thirteen of 21 patients was correctly diagnosed mediastinal lymph node metastasis by the CoDe PET. Pathological NO was 14 cases and the specificity of NO of CoDe PET was 64.3%. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and accuracy of N1 node was 83.3%, 73.3%, 55.6%, 91.7%, and 76.2% respectively. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and accuracy of N2 node was 60.0%, 87.5%, 60.0%, 87.5%, and 90.0% respectively. There were 3 false negative cases but the size of the 3 nodes were less than 1cm. The size of true positive nodes were 1.1cm, 1.0cm, 0.5cm respectively. There were 1 false positive among the 12 lymph nodes which were larger than 1cm. False positive cases consisted of 1 tuberculosis case, 1 pneumoconiosis case and 1 anthracosis case. CONCLUSION: CoDe PET has relatively high negative predictive value in the enlarged lymph node in staging of mediastinal nodes in patients with NSCLC. Therefore CoDe PET is useful in ruling out metastasis of enlarged N3 nodes. However, further study is needed including more number of patients in the future.
Anthracosis ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung* ; Diagnosis ; Electrons* ; Humans ; Lung ; Lymph Nodes ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Pneumoconiosis ; Positron-Emission Tomography* ; Prognosis ; Tuberculosis

BACKGROUND: Phospholipase C(PLC) plays a central role in cellular signal transduction and is important in cellular growth, differentiation and transformation. There are currently ten known mammalian isozymes of PLC reported to this date. Hydrolysis of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate(PIP2) by PLC produces two important second messengers, inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate(IP3) and diacylglycerol. PLC-gamma1, previously, was known to be activated mainly through growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase. Other mechanisms of activating PLC-gamma1 have been reported such as activation through tau protein in the presence of arachidonic acid in bovine brain and activation by IP3, phosphatidic acid, etc. Very recently, another PLC-gamma1 activator protein such as tau has been found in bovine lung tissue, which now is considered to be AHNAK protein. But there has been no report concerning AHNAK and its associated disease to this date. In this study, we examined the expression of the PLC-gamma1 activator, AHNAK, in lung cancer specimens and their paired normal. METHODS: From surgically resected human lung cancer tissues taken from twenty-eight patients and their paired normal counterparts, we evaluated expression level of AHNAK protein using immunoblot analysis of total tissue extract. Immunohistochemical stain was performed with primary antibody against AHNAK protein. RESULTS: Twenty-two among twenty-eight lung cancer tissues showed over expression of AHNAK protein(eight of fourteen squamous cell lung cancers, all of fourteen adenocarcinomal). the resulting bands were multiple ranging from 70 to 200 kDa in molecular weight and each band was indistinct and formed a smear, reflecting mobility shift mainly due to proteolysis during extraction process. On immunohistochemistry, lung cancer tissues showed a very heavy, dense staining with anti-AHNAK protein antibody as compared to the surrounding normal lung tissue, coresponding well with the results of the western blot. CONCLUSION: The overexpression of PLC-gamma1 activator protein, AHNAK in lung cancer may provide evidence that the AHNAK protein and PLC-gamma1 act in concerted manner in carcinogenesis.
Arachidonic Acid ; Blotting, Western ; Brain ; Carcinogenesis ; Humans* ; Hydrolysis ; Immunohistochemistry ; Inositol ; Isoenzymes ; Lung Neoplasms* ; Lung* ; Molecular Weight ; Phosphatidic Acids ; Phosphatidylinositols ; Phospholipases* ; Protein-Tyrosine Kinases ; Proteolysis ; Second Messenger Systems ; Signal Transduction ; tau Proteins

BACKGROUND/AIMS: It is well recognized that all aerobic cells have the protective mechanisms in order to minimize the tissue damage induced by various reactive oxygen species(ROS). Thioredoxin peroxidase(TPX) which has been recently identified and characterized functions to convert peroxide to water. The protein is also found in various subtypes(TPX-A and B, MER5, HS22 and HORF-06) and is known to be ubiquitous in most human cells. Especially, ischemic brain injuries, partial hepatectomy and radiation induced DNA damages. In treating lung cancer, radiation therapy has a major place in the local control and the relief of symptoms, but radiation induced free radical injury and resulting pulmonary fibrosis has been the major drawback of the therapy. However, little is known about the protective mechanisms and biologic modulations against radiation induced tissue damages. METHODS: Eighteen mice were divided into six groups, 3 in each group, and fifteen had received 900cGy of radiation. The mice were sacrificed according to the pre determined time schedule; immediate, 1, 2, 3 and 6weeks after irradiation. Extracts were made from the lungs of each mice, Western blot analysis of various subtypes of TPX were done after SDS-PAGE. Examination of H and E stained slides from the same irradiated specimens and the control specimens were also performed. RESULTS: No difference in the intensity of the immunoreactive bands in the irradiated lung samples of the mice compared to the unirradiated control was observed regardless of the time intervals, although H and E examination of the sample specimens demonstrated progressive fibrotic changes of the irradiated lung samples. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, according to our data, it is suggested that various thioredoxin peroxidase subtypes and catalase which are known to be increased in many repair processes may not be involved in the repair of the radiation injury to the lung and subsequent fibrosis.
Animals ; Appointments and Schedules ; Blotting, Western ; Brain Injuries ; Catalase ; DNA Damage ; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel ; Fibrosis ; Hepatectomy ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; Lung* ; Mice ; Oxygen ; Peroxiredoxins* ; Pulmonary Fibrosis ; Radiation Injuries ; Rats* ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; Thioredoxins*

BACKGROUND: High-dose chemotherapy is increasingly employed in many refractory malignant diseases. This therapy has been reported to increase response rate and survival benefits but it is also associated with higher treatment-related morbidity and mortality. We evaluated clinical characteristics and course of the pulmonary toxicity following high-dose chemotherapy with peripheral blood stem cell transplantation. METHODS: Ninety-seven patients who had received high-dose chemotherapy with peripheral blood stem cell transplantation were evaluated. Five patients who developed lung lesions which were not related to infection nor primary malignant disease underwent transbronchial lung biopsy. The patients' clinical characteristics, treatments, and prognosis were reviewed retrospectively. RESULTS: Five patients(5.1%) developed idiopathic pneumonia syndrome. The high dose chemotherapy regimens employed were cyclophosphamide, BCNU, and cisplatin in 3 cases, one case of BCNU, etoposide, Ara-C, cyclophosphamide combination, and a regimen consisting of BCNU, etoposide, Ara-C, and melphalan. The total dose of BCNU used was 300-400 mg/m2 and that of cyclophosphsmide was 6,000 mg/m2. All of 5 patients received radiation therapy before this treatment. After an average duration of 14 weeks (4-26 weeks) of high-dose chemotherapy, patients developed cough, dyspnea and fever. The chest X-rays showed bilateral diffuse infiltration in 3 cases and the focal infiltration in the other 2 cases. All the patients received corticosteroid therapy as a treatment for the lung lesions. Two of them progressed to acute respiratory distress syndrome and died. Three patients recovered without residual lung lesion but one of them died of dilated cardiomyopathy. CONCLUSION: High-dose chemotherapy with peripheral blood stem cell transplantation especially which containing BCNU regimen may develop idiopathic pneumonia syndrome related to pulmonary toxicity and corticosteroid therapy may be beneficial in some cases.
Biopsy ; Cardiomyopathy, Dilated ; Carmustine ; Cisplatin ; Cough ; Cyclophosphamide ; Cytarabine ; Drug Therapy* ; Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions ; Dyspnea ; Etoposide ; Fever ; Humans ; Lung ; Melphalan ; Mortality ; Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplantation* ; Pneumonia ; Prognosis ; Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Adult ; Retrospective Studies ; Thorax