Fibroepithelial polyps of the bronchus are uncommon. We herein report a rare case of a recurrent bronchial fibroepithelial polyp. A 61-year-old man was admitted to the hospital due to recurrent pneumonia. Chest computed tomography showed consolidation and atelectasis in the right lower lobe. Bronchoscopy revealed a mobile polypoid tumor protruding from the right lower lobe bronchus. We performed endobronchial resection, and a pathological examination revealed a fibroepithelial polyp. However, surveillance bronchoscopy performed six months after tumor resection detected a relapse. We herein report a case of a recurrent bronchial fibroepithelial polyp and also review the relevant literature.

Background: S100A7 is a secreted protein and its overexpression has been previously associated with carcinogenesis of certain cancers. This study was undertaken to investigate the possibility that overexpression of S100A7 protein might be detected in the sera of patients with lung cancer. Methods: RNA and protein levels of S100A7 were examined in 60 pairs of frozen lung cancer tissues by RT-PCR and western blot. The specific expression of this protein and its cellular distribution were investigated in 145 paraffin embedded lung cancer samples, six benign lung disease and 21 normal lung tissues by immunohistochemistry. The S100A7 protein level was further analysed in serum from 112 patients with lung cancer, 20 with benign lung diseases and 31 healthy individuals by ELISA. Results: Specific expression of both S100A7 mRNA and protein was found in squamous cell carcinomas, adenosquamous carcinomas and large cell lung carcinomas, whereas neither was detected in adenocarcinomas or paired non-cancerous lung tissues. Further immunohistochemical analysis identified positive staining of S100A7 only in squamous cell carcinomas and large cell lung carcinomas, but not in other subtypes of lung cancer and normal lung tissues. Weak expression was also found in the inflammatory cells of benign lung diseases. Our most important finding is that elevated S100A7 protein could be detected in the sera of patients with squamous cell carcinomas. Conclusion: S100A7 was only expressed in squamous cell carcinomas and large cell lung carcinomas and an increase in the level of S100A7 protein in serum may serve as a potential marker for lung cancer diagnosis.

Abstract. The aim of the present study was to determine whether serum miR-499 may be used as a biomarker for early detection of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The present study was designed as an initial screening phase and a subsequent validation phase. In the screening phase, we analyzed serum levels of miR-499 in a subset of 40 patients with stage I (n=20) and stage IV (n=20) NSCLC. In the validation phase, miR-499 expression levels in serum (n=514) and tissue (n=136) from NSCLC patients were detected in a large and independent cohort of 514 patients. miR-499 in the screening phase was found to be significantly elevated in the serum of stage I NSCLC patients compared with that in stage IV NSCLC patients (P<0.001). Validation analysis showed that serum miR-499 levels were robust in differentiating NSCLC patients from control subjects [area under the curve (AUC)=0.906; 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.879 to 0.929). Serum miR-499 levels were significantly lower in stage III and IV patients compared with those with stage I (both P<0.001) or II (both P<0.001). Low serum miR-499 levels were associated with shorter overall survival and served as an independent prognostic biomarker in NSCLC patients [hazard ratio (HR)=1.63; 95% CI=1.33-2.0; P<0.0001). In addition, low serum levels of miR-499 indicated a poor disease-free survival in stage I-II NSCLC patients. Serum miR-499 may prove to be a promising biomarker for early detection and prognosis prediction of NSCLC.

PurposeSeveral epidemiologic studies have evaluated the association between statins and lung cancer risk, whereas randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on cardiovascular outcomes provide relevant data as a secondary end point. We conducted a meta-analysis of all relevant studies to examine this association.MethodsA systematic literature search up to March 2012 was performed in PubMed database. Study-specific risk estimates were pooled using a random-effects model.ResultsNineteen studies (5 RCTs and 14 observational studies) involving 38,013 lung cancer cases contributed to the analysis. They were grouped on the basis of study design, and separate meta-analyses were conducted. There was no evidence of an association between statin use and risk of lung cancer either among RCTs (relative risk [RR] 0.91, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.76–1.09), among cohort studies (RR 0.94, 95% CI 0.82–1.07), or among case-control studies (RR 0.82, 95% CI 0.57–1.16). Low evidence of publication bias was found. However, statistically significant heterogeneity was found among cohort studies and among case-control studies. After excluding the studies contributing most to the heterogeneity, summary estimates were essentially unchanged.ConclusionThe results of our meta-analysis suggest that there is no association between statin use and the risk of lung cancer.