1.Influence of Incidental Pulmonary Nodules on Surgical Decision-Making in Thyroid Cancer: a Nationwide Survey
Ja Kyung LEE ; Sukmin YUN ; Eunji KIM ; Yoon KONG ; Hyeong Won YU ; Min Joo KIM ; Jae Hoon MOON ; June Young CHOI
International Journal of Thyroidology 2026;19(1):68-77
Background and Objectives:
The clinical significance of incidental pulmonary nodules detected during thyroid cancer evaluation remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate how such findings affect surgical decisionmaking and whether management differs by physician characteristics.
Materials and Methods:
A web-based survey was distributed to 722 active members of the Korean Thyroid Association in March 2025. Eligible participants included board-certified endocrinologists, endocrine surgeons, and otolaryngologists actively treating thyroid cancer. The questionnaire included clinical scenarios featuring incidental lung nodules found during thyroid cancer work-up, with respondents asked to choose preferred surgical extent (thyroid lobectomy vs. total thyroidectomy) and management approaches.
Results:
Out of 72 physicians who completed the survey, half (n=36, 50.0%) of the respondents answered that the presence of incidental lung nodules could influence their decision on thyroidectomy extent. Among those influenced by lung nodules, 86.1% recommended total thyroidectomy in patients with high- or intermediate-risk thyroid cancer, while 11.1% would do so for all thyroid cancer patients.Endocrinologists, compared to surgeons, were more likely to choose total thyroidectomy in patients with preoperative incidental lung nodules (78.3% vs. 36.7%, p=0.001).
Conclusion
Incidental lung nodules may influence surgical planning in clinicians due to the risk of micrometastasis from thyroid cancer. Endocrinologists tend to favor a more extensive surgical approach compared to surgeons, reflecting greater concern for potential metastatic disease. These findings underscore the need for multidisciplinary consensus guidelines for the management of incidental pulmonary nodules in thyroid cancer patients.
2.Longitudinal Intravital Imaging of Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocyte Motility in Breast Cancer Models
Inwon PARK ; Sujung HONG ; Joon SEOK ; Stephani Edwina LUCIA ; Eunjoo SONG ; Mingyo KIM ; Eunji KONG ; Howon SEO ; Yoonha HWANG ; Soyeon AHN ; Seonghye KIM ; Dong-Hyun JANG ; Jae Hyuk LEE ; Su-Hyung PARK ; Pilhan KIM ; You Hwan JO
Journal of Breast Cancer 2021;24(5):463-473
Immunoreactive dynamics of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) within the tumor microenvironment in breast cancer are not well understood. This study aimed to investigate the spatiotemporal cellular dynamics of TILs in breast cancer models. Breast cancer cells were implanted into the dorsal skinfold chamber of BALB/c nude mice, and T lymphocytes were adoptively transferred. Longitudinal intravital imaging was performed, and the spatiotemporal dynamics of TILs were assessed. In the 4T1 model, TILs progressively exhibited increased motility, and their motility inside the tumor was significantly higher than that outside the tumor. In the MDA-MB-231 model, the motility of TILs progressively decreased after an initial increase. TIL motility in the MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 models differed significantly, suggesting an association between programmed death-ligand 1 expression levels and TIL motility, which warrants further investigation. Furthermore, intravital imaging of TILs can be a useful method for addressing dynamic interactions between TILs and breast cancer cells.

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