EML4-ALK gene fusions have recently been discovered in a subset of human lung carcinomas, and fusions of the ALK tyrosine kinase gene with the NPM, TPM3, CLTC, ATIC, and TFG genes have been found in hematological malignancies. To elucidate the role of fusions between ALK and other genes in pulmonary carcinogenesis, we examined 77 non-small cell lung carcinomas (NSCLCs) for EML4-, NPM-, TPM3-, CLTC-, ATIC-, and TFG-ALK fusion transcripts by RT-PCR and subsequent sequencing analysis. ...

Bcl-2 family proteins regulate programmed cell death, and may play an important role in the selection of lymphocytes. We investigated the expression of Bcl-2, Bcl-x, Bax, Bak and Bim in human lymphocytes using flow-cytometry. Bcl-2 was down-regulated in CD4(+)8(+) (DP) thymocytes and CD19(+)38(+) tonsillar lymphocytes (GC B cells). Among DP thymocytes, cells co-expressing CD69 up-regulated Bcl-2, suggesting that the role of Bcl-2 is promoting survival of positively selected DP cells. ...

New reliable biomarkers are needed to predict the response to immune checkpoint inhibitors against programmed death-1 (PD-1) and its ligand (PD-L1), because PD-L1 expression on tumor cells has limited power for selecting patients who may benefit from such therapy. Here we investigated the significance of PD-L1 and PD-L2 gene copy number gains using fluorescence in situ hybridization as well as PD-L1 and PD-L2 expression in 654 patients with resected non-small-cell lung cancer. The ...

In immune cells, CD73 dephosphorylates and converts extracellular AMP into adenosine, which binds the A2A adenosine receptor (A2AR). Blockade of this interaction, which induces an immunosuppressed niche in the tumor microenvironment, represents a potential novel treatment strategy. The clinical significance of CD73 and A2AR expression in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), however, has yet to be thoroughly investigated. Here we evaluated CD73 and A2AR protein expression levels using ...

The candidate tumor suppressor NORE1A is a nucleocytoplasmic shuttling protein, and although a fraction of the NORE1A in cells is localized to their centrosomes, the role of centrosomal NORE1A has not been elucidated. In this study we investigated the role of NORE1A in the numerical integrity of centrosomes and chromosome stability in lung cancer cells. Exposure of p53-deficient H1299 lung cancer cell line to hydroxyurea (HU) resulted in abnormal centrosome amplification (to 3 or more ...

Activation of the nuclear hormone receptor perioxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) inhibits cell growth and induces apoptosis in several human cancers. We have hypothesized that PPARgamma mRNA levels could be predictors of the differentiation and survival of lung cancer. The study included 77 lung cancer cases. The mRNA levels were quantified by real time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) using LightCycler. The PPARgamma mRNA levels were ...

OBJECTIVES: Most patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are diagnosed at advanced stages where small biopsy specimens obtained through endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) are sometimes the only available samples for diagnosis. We aimed to determine whether EBUS-TBNA specimens are suitable for the evaluation of PD-L1 protein expression and copy number alterations (CNAs).

MATERIALS AND METHODS: PD-L1 protein expression and CNAs in 71 ...

OBJECTIVES: A precise preoperative diagnosis of 'very early' lung carcinoma may identify patients who can undergo curative surgery with limited resections.

METHODS: Data from a multi-institutional project were collected on 1737 patients who had undergone limited resections (segmentectomy or wedge resection) for T1N0M0 non-small-cell carcinomas. As it was expected, this study was predominantly including ground glass nodules. Computed tomography was used to obtain the ratio of ...

The recent discovery of fusion oncokinases in a subset of non-small cell lung carcinomas (NSCLCs) is of considerable clinical interest, since NSCLCs that express such fusion oncokinases are reportedly sensitive to kinase inhibitors. To better understand the role of recently identified ROS1 and RET fusion oncokinases in pulmonary carcinogenesis, we examined 114 NSCLCs for SLC34A2-ROS1, EZR-ROS1, CD74-ROS1 and KIF5B-RET fusion transcripts using RT-polymerase chain reaction and subsequent ...

R-spondin (RSPO) gene fusions have recently been discovered in a subset of human colorectal cancer (CRC) in the U.S. population; however, whether the fusion is recurrent in CRC arising in patients from the other demographic areas and whether it is specific for CRC remain uncertain. In this study, we examined 75 primary CRCs and 121 primary lung cancers in the Japanese population for EIF3E-RSPO2 and PTPRK-RSPO3 fusion transcripts using RT-PCR and subsequent sequencing analyses. Although ...

Early elevation of inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-6 or TNF-α, or CRP, which is a surrogate marker for IL-6, following commencement of PD-1/L1 inhibitors (PD1-I) may represent early activation of immune-cells. Serum IL-6 and TNF-α were measured in 10 non-small cell lung cancer patients who were evaluable within the 7 days before and after commencement of PD1-I. For CRP, medical records were reviewed and 34 patients with measured CRP within the 7 days before and after the treatment ...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: In order to obtain information on the clinical application of bronchoscopy in Japan, the Japan Society for Respiratory Endoscopy (JSRE) conducted a postal survey.

METHODS: A questionnaire was sent to 526 authorized institutes of the JSRE. The subject was bronchoscopy procedures performed during 2006.

RESULTS: The response rate was 71.3%. The total number of bronchoscopies performed was 74,770. Of these, 74,412 were flexible bronchoscopies and 358 were rigid ...

BackgroundActivation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) is expressed in B lymphocytes and triggers antibody diversification. Recent reports have indicated that the constitutive expression of AID in mice causes not only lymphomas, but also cancers of some organs including the lung, prompting us to investigate the expression and effect of AID on human lung cancer.Materials and MethodsWe examined AID mRNA expression in 17 lung cancer cell lines and 51 primary lung cancers using a quantitative ...

Thyroid transcription factor 1 (TTF1) located on chromosome band 14q13.3 is an oncogene and a suppressor gene in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The prognostic relevance of TTF1 copy number alterations (CNAs) and their association with TTF1 protein expression are poorly understood. Here, we assessed TTF1 CNAs and protein expression using microarrays in a cohort of 636 NSCLC, including 423 adenocarcinoma (ADC) and 171 squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). In addition, fluorescent in situ ...

There is an evidence to suggest that cdc25B phosphatase is an oncogenic. We hypothesized that cdc25B gene may be expressed in tumors of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and affect their clinical outcome. Expression of cdc25B messenger RNA was evaluated by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction in 55 non-small cell lung carcinomas and adjacent histological normal lung samples using LightCycler. The data was analyzed in reference to clinicopathological data and ...