EML4-ALK fusion genes were observed predominantly in adenocarcinomas, in female or nonsmoking populations. Additionally, the EML4-ALK fusions were mutually exclusive with mutations in the EGFR, KRAS, and ERBB2 genes.

Background The neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet–lymphocyte ratio (PLR) are representative blood markers of systemic inflammatory responses. However, the clinical significance of the combination of these markers is unclear. This study aimed to investigate the NLR and PLR in patients with advanced gastric cancer treated with chemotherapy and assess the clinical utility of a new blood score combining the NLR and PLR (NLR-PLR score) as a predictor of tumor response and prognosis. Methods We retrospectively analyzed 175 patients with gastric cancer receiving chemotherapy or chemoradiotherapy. These patients were categorized into progressive disease (PD) and non-PD groups according to tumor response. The NLR and PLR before treatment were examined, and the cut-off values were determined. The NLR-PLR score ranged from 0 to 2 as follows: score of 2, high NLR (> 2.461) and high PLR (> 248.4); score of 1, either high NLR or high PLR; score of 0, neither high NLR nor high PLR. Results With regard to tumor response, 64 and 111 patients had PD and non-PD, respectively. The NLR-PLR score was significantly higher in patients with PD than in those with non-PD ( p = 0.0009). The prognosis was significantly poorer in patients with a higher NLR-PLR score than in those with a lower NLR-PLR score ( p <  0.0001). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that the NLR-PLR score was an independent prognostic factor for prediction of overall survival ( p = 0.0392). Conclusion Low-cost stratification according to the NLR-PLR score might be a promising approach for predicting tumor response and prognosis in patients with advanced gastric cancer.

Near-infrared spectroscopy has been used for measurement of changes in cerebral Hb concentrations in infants to study cerebral oxygenation and hemodynamics. In this study, measurements by time-resolved spectroscopy (TRS) were performed in 22 neonates to estimate the values of light absorption coefficient and reduced scattering coefficient (' s ), cerebral Hb oxygen saturation (ScO 2 ), cerebral blood volume (CBV), and differential pathlength factor (DPF), and the relationships between postconceptional age and ' s , ScO 2 , CBV, and DPF were investigated. A portable three-wavelength TRS system with a probe attached to the head of the neonate was used. The mean ' s values at 761, 795, and 835 nm in neonates were estimated to be (mean Ϯ SD) 6.46 Ϯ 1.21, 5.90 Ϯ 1.15 and 6.40 Ϯ 1.16/cm, respectively. There was a significant positive relationship between postconceptional age and ' s at those three wavelengths. The mean ScO 2 value was calculated to be 70.0 Ϯ 4.6%, and postconceptional age and ScO 2 showed a negative linear relationship. The mean value of CBV was 2.31 Ϯ 0.56 mL/100 g. There was a significant positive relationship between postconceptional age and CBV. During the perinatal period, the brain undergoes anatomic, functional, and metabolic changes. The anatomic changes include neuronal proliferation, migration, organization, and myelination, and the metabolic changes match the process of initial overproduction and subsequent elimination of excessive neurons, synapses, and dendritic spines known to occur in the developing brain. Noninvasive assessment of cerebral anatomic changes and of oxygen delivery and utilization is useful for evaluating the effectiveness of therapy and for preventing oxygen toxicity in seriously ill neonates.Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) has been used in the clinical field with various measuring devices using several wavelengths. A method using continuous-wave NIRS has been developed and reported to be suitable for clinical use in infants (1-7). However, current commercially available NIRS systems can detect only changes in cerebral Hb. Because NIRS is based on the modified Beer-Lambert law, a change in hematocrit and blood volume as well as developmental and pathophysiologic changes in brain tissue affect the pathlength of near-infrared light. In a few recent studies, absolute values of cerebral Hb oxygen saturation (ScO 2 ) and cerebral blood volume (CBV) in infants were measured without inducing Hb concentration changes by using full-spectral near-infrared spectroscopy (8 -11) and spatially resolved spectroscopy (12). However, these

In these patients, there are competing risks of death. Wedge resection reduced death caused by respiratory failure but resulted in poorer long-term prognosis than lobectomy. For patients with poor predictors of survival, such as predicted percent vital capacity of 80% or less, surgical resection should be limited.

BACKGROUND: The authors elucidated particular chemokine receptors that are expressed on lung cancer cells, as well as the clinical significance of the expression of these chemokine receptors in completely resected nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS: The authors examined gene expression of chemokine receptors (CCR1‐11, CXCR1‐7, XCR1, and CX3CR1) in 11 cell lines of lung cancer, and gene expression of CXCR3, CXCR4, and CXCR7 (CXCR3/4/7) in surgical specimens of 127 patients who underwent complete resection for their NSCLC between May 2001 and December 2002, using quantitative real‐time reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Mutation detection analysis of the EGFR genes using the PCR single‐strand conformational polymorphism method was evaluated in patients with pathological (p‐) stage I adenocarcinoma. RESULTS: Substantial expression of CXCR3/4/7 mRNA was observed in all NSCLC cell lines examined. In p‐stage I NSCLC, CXCR4 and CXCR7 expression values in patients with postoperative metastatic recurrence (Rec‐Distant) were significantly higher than in those without recurrences (P = .003 and P = .007, respectively). In addition, the 5‐year disease‐free survival (DFS) rate of high CXCR7‐expressing patients (63.2%) was significantly lower than that of low CXCR7‐expressing patients (84.8%) (P = .033). The EGFR mutation was significantly more frequent in patients with higher CXCR7 expression (14 of 21 patients) than in those with lower CXCR7 expression (12 of 32 patients) (P = .038). A multivariate analysis confirmed that high CXCR7 expression was an independent and significant factor predicting a poor DFS in p‐stage I NSCLC patients (P = .041). CONCLUSIONS: Higher expression of CXCR7 is associated with Rec‐Distant and poor DFS in patients with p‐stage I NSCLC. Cancer 2009. © 2009 American Cancer Society.