The two essential requirements for pathologic specimens in the era of personalized therapies for non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) are accurate subtyping as adenocarcinoma (ADC) versus squamous cell carcinoma (SqCC) and suitability for EGFR molecular testing, as well as for testing of other oncogenes such as EML4-ALK and KRAS. Actually, the value of EGFR expressed in patients with NSCLC in predicting a benefit in terms of survival from treatment with an epidermal growth factor receptor targeted therapy is still in debate, while there is a convincing evidence on the predictive role of the EGFR mutational status with regard to the response to tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs).This is a literature overview on the state-of-the-art of EGFR oncogenic mutation in NSCLC. It is designed to highlight the preclinical rationale driving the molecular footprint assessment, the progressive development of a specific pharmacological treatment and the best method to identify those NSCLC who would most likely benefit from treatment with EGFR-targeted therapy. This is supported by the belief that a rationale for the prioritization of specific regimens based on patient-tailored therapy could be closer than commonly expected.

We can conclude that combined surgical therapy is, nowadays, the choice treatment for this kind of patients, even though restricted to selected cases. The knowledge of prognostic factors may optimize indications for surgery.

Multimodality treatment of stage III thymic tumors achieved good survival. Radical surgery, even at recurrence, seems to be the most important prognostic factor.

No abstract

Nicotine dependence (ND) is one of the world's leading causes of preventable death. Nicotine addiction and other forms of drug addiction continue to be significant public health problems in the world. Evidence for a genetic influence on smoking behaviour and ND has prompted a search for susceptibility genes. Evidence has recently accumulated that single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the genetic region encoding the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) subunits α6, α5, α3, and β4 are associated with smoking and ND. Brain nAChR are a heterogeneous family of ion channels expressed in the various parts of the brain. A number of studies suggest that brain nAChR are critical targets for the development of pharmacotherapy for nicotine and other drug addictions. In this review, we will discuss the nAChR subtypes, their function in response to endogenous brain transmitters, and how their functions are regulated in the presence of nicotine. Additionally, we will provide an overview of the three major pharmacotherapies for smoking cessation (which have demonstrated efficacy) such as: nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), bupropion, and varenicline. An appreciation of the complexity of nAChR and their regulation will be necessary for the development of nAChR modulators as potential pharmacotherapy for drug addiction. Prevention strategies should be tailored to carriers of SNPs located on chromosome 15q and that are strongly associated with nicotine dependence and risk of lung cancer.