Spread through Air Spaces (STAS) Is an Independent Predictor of Recurrence and Lung Cancer-Specific Death in Squamous Cell Carcinoma

INTRODUCTION

Spread through air spaces (STAS) is a recently recognized pattern of invasion in lung adenocarcinoma; however, it has not yet been characterized in squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).

METHODS

We reviewed 445 resected stage I to III lung SCCs and investigated the clinical significance of STAS. Cumulative incidence of recurrence and lung cancer-specific death were evaluated by competing risks analyses and overall survival by Cox models.

RESULTS

Of the total 445 patients, 336 (76%) were older than 65 years. Among the 273 patients who died, 91 (33%) died of lung cancer whereas the remaining ones died of competing events or unknown cause. STAS was observed in 132 patients (30%) and the frequency increased with stage. The cumulative incidences of any, distant, and locoregional recurrence as well as lung cancer-specific death were significantly higher in patients with STAS compared with in those without STAS, whereas there was no statistically significant difference in overall survival. In multivariable models for any recurrence and lung cancer-specific death, STAS was an independent predictor for both outcomes (p = 0.034 and 0.016, respectively).

CONCLUSION

STAS was present in one-third of resected lung SCCs. In competing risks analysis in a cohort in which three-fourths of the patients were elderly, STAS was associated with lung cancer-specific outcomes. Our findings suggest that STAS is one of the most prognostically significant histologic findings in lung SCC.

Impact of Increasing Age on Cause-Specific Mortality and Morbidity in Patients With Stage I Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer: A Competing Risks Analysis

Purpose To perform competing risks analysis and determine short- and long-term cancer- and noncancer-specific mortality and morbidity in patients who had undergone resection for stage I non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Patients and Methods Of 5,371 consecutive patients who had undergone curative-intent resection of primary lung cancer at our institution (2000 to 2011), 2,186 with pathologic stage I NSCLC were included in the analysis. All preoperative clinical variables known to affect outcomes were included in the analysis, specifically, Charlson comorbidity index, predicted postoperative (ppo) diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide, and ppo forced expiratory volume in 1 second. Cause-specific mortality analysis was performed with competing risks analysis. Results Of 2,186 patients, 1,532 (70.1%) were ≥ 65 years of age, including 638 (29.2%) ≥ 75 years of age. In patients < 65, 65 to 74, and ≥ 75 years of age, 5-year lung cancer-specific cumulative incidence of death (CID) was 7.5%, 10.7%, and 13.2%, respectively (overall, 10.4%); noncancer-specific CID was 1.8%, 4.9%, and 9.0%, respectively (overall, 5.3%). In patients ≥ 65 years of age, for up to 2.5 years after resection, noncancer-specific CID was higher than lung cancer-specific CID; the higher noncancer-specific, early-phase mortality was enhanced in patients ≥ 75 years of age than in those 65 to 74 years of age. Multivariable analysis showed that low ppo diffusing capacity of lung for carbon monoxide was an independent predictor of severe morbidity ( P < .001), 1-year mortality ( P < .001), and noncancer-specific mortality ( P < .001), whereas low ppo forced expiratory volume in 1 second was an independent predictor of lung cancer-specific mortality ( P = .002). Conclusion In patients who undergo curative-intent resection of stage I NSCLC, noncancer-specific mortality is a significant competing event, with an increasing impact as patient age increases.

Nuclear estrogen receptor-α expression is an independent predictor of recurrence in male patients with pT1aN0 lung adenocarcinomas, and correlates with regulatory T-cell infiltration

Background

Tumor biology of estrogen receptor-α (ERα) and progesterone receptor (PR) has been studied in breast cancers. However, clinical impact in lung cancer remains controversial. In our study, we investigate whether ERα and PR expression predicts disease recurrence and correlates with immunologic factors in stage I lung adenocarcinoma.

Methods

We reviewed patients with pathologic stage I resected lung adenocarcinoma. Tumors were classified according to the IASLC/ATS/ERS classification. Immunostaining of ERα and PR was performed using tissue microarrays (n = 913). Immunostaining of CD3+ and forkhead box P3 (FoxP3)+ lymphocyte infiltration, interleukin-7 receptor (IL-7R), and IL-12Rβ2 were performed. Cumulative incidence of recurrence (CIR) analysis was used to estimate probability of recurrence.

Results

Nuclear ERα expression was observed in 157 (17%) patients and presented more frequently in females (P = 0.038) and smaller tumors (P = 0.019). Nuclear ERα expression was not identified in mucinous tumors. In pT1a patients, 5-year CIR of patients with ERα-positive tumors was significantly higher (5-year CIR, 20%) than those with ERα-negative tumors (8%; P = 0.018). This difference was statistically significant in males (P = 0.003) but not females (P = 0.55). On multivariate analysis, nuclear ERα expression was an independent predictor of recurrence (hazard ratio = 2.27; P = 0.030). In pT1a patients, nuclear ERα expression positively correlated with tumoral FoxP3+ lymphocytes (P < 0.001), FoxP3/CD3 index (P < 0.001), and IL-7R (P = 0.022).

Conclusions

Nuclear ERα expression is an independent predictor of recurrence in pT1a lung adenocarcinomas and correlates with poor prognostic immune microenvironments.

A case of trichilemmal carcinoma with distant metastases in a kidney transplantation patient

Transplant recipients receiving immunosuppressants are at a high risk of cancer, especially skin cancer. Trichilemmal carcinoma is comparatively rare compared with other skin cancers. We report here a first case of trichilemmal carcinoma arising in a kidney transplant recipient. A 63-year-old man who had undergone a living donor renal transplantation at the age of 50 years presented with a 15 × 10 mm lesion on his forehead. The pathological diagnosis after resection was trichilemmal carcinoma. Distant metastases involving the lymph nodes, lung, and liver occurred, and the patient died. Given that trichilemmal carcinoma generally has an indolent clinical course and a low metastatic potential, the present case of trichilemmal carcinoma with an aggressive course resulting in distant metastases is rare.