No abstract

HighlightsRenal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most frequent type of renal tumor in adults.RCC is able to metastasize through the blood system and lymphatic system.Metastases from RCC to the bones are often of the osteolytic type.The sternal metastatic site for RCC is a rare site and it often begins as pain.

Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. The involvement of lymph nodes by the tumor has a strong impact on survival of patients. For this reason, lymphadenectomy plays a crucial role in the staging and prognosis of NSCLC, to define the most appropriate therapeutic strategies concerning the stage of the disease. To date, the benefit, in terms of survival, of the different extents of lymphadenectomy remains controversial in the scientific community. It is recognized that metastatic involvement of mediastinal lymph nodes in lung cancer is one of the most significant prognostic factors, in terms of survival, and it is therefore mandatory to identify patients with lymph node metastases who may benefit from adjuvant therapies, to prevent distant disease and local recurrences. The purpose of this review is to evaluate the role of lymphadenectomy in early-stage NSCLC in terms of efficacy and accuracy, comparing systematic, sampling, and lobe-specific lymph node dissection and analyzing the existing critical issue, through a search of the most relevant articles published in the last decades.

Background: Pulmonary sclerosing pneumocytoma (PSP) is a rare benign pulmonary tumor that derives from primitive respiratory epithelium of the pulmonary alveolus. The etiology and pathogenesis are still unclear. Histopathological diagnosis focuses on cells that are positive for TTF1, EMA, cytokeratin-7, and CAM 5.2. The aim of our study is to highlight the elevated expression of ALDH and the presence of SOX-2 in pulmonary sclerosing pneumocytoma. Methods: We report five cases of pulmonary sclerosing pneumocytoma undergone surgery at our Division of Thoracic Surgery, during a period between 1994 and 2011. ALDH and SOX-2 markers were also tested for positivity in all the patients. Results: Patients showed elevated expression of ALDH during immunohistochemistry and mild expression of SOX-2, although in two cases in which SOX-2 was highly expressed. Among these two patients, one presented with lymph node recurrence while the other had no recurrence with a PET-positive nodule. In particular, the patient who had developed recurrence had an ALDH score of 4 and a SOX-2 score of 3, whereas the patient with the PET-positive nodule showed an ALDH score of 4 with a mild SOX-2 expression of score 1. Conclusions: This is the first attempt demonstrating the elevated expression of ALDH in this disease. SOX-2 expression was noted in both the patient who developed recurrence and the patient with a PET-positive nodule. We believe that further investigation may be highly useful to better characterize these two markers as well as understand their function.

Background: Robotic surgery is increasingly used in the treatment of lung disease. Intraoperative catastrophes, despite their low incidence, are currently a critical aspect of this approach. This study aims to identify the incidence and management of catastrophic events in patients who underwent robotic anatomical pulmonary resection; (2) Methods: Data from all patients who underwent robotic anatomical pulmonary resection from 2014 to 2021 for lung disease were collected and analyzed. Catastrophic intraoperative events are defined as events that demanded emergency management for life-threatening bleeding, with or without undocking and thoracotomy; (3) Results: Catastrophic events occurred in seven (1.4%) procedures; all of them consisted of vascular damage during lobectomy. Most of the catastrophic events occurred during left upper lobectomies (57%). Patients in this group had a higher ASA class and a higher pathological stage compared to the control group; (4) Conclusions: Intraoperative catastrophes are unpredictable events which also occur in experienced surgical teams. Given the widespread use of robotic surgery, it is essential to develop well-defined crisis management strategies to better manage catastrophic events in robotic thoracic surgery and improve clinical outcomes.