Background: Lung cancer has been the leading cause of cancer death in South Korea since 2000. This study examined the clinical characteristics of lung cancer patients diagnosed in a community hospital from the year 2000 to 2005, and compared these results with previously reported statistical data. Method: The lung cancer data in a form of an electronic medical record was downloaded from the hospital medical information system. The clinical characteristics of the 1,509 patients with lung cancer were analyzed retrospectively. Result: The mean age of the patients was 63.7 years. 82.5% and 74.5% of the patients were men and smokers, respectively. Squamous cell carcinoma (41.6%) was the most common pathology type followed by adenocarcinoma(32.3%) and small cell carcinoma(13.9%). When 604 patients who were diagnosed from 2000 to 2003 were compared with 905 patients diagnosed from 2004 to 2005, the age of patients increased significantly (61.5 years vs. 65.1 years; p<0.001) and the proportion of adenocarcinomas was significantly higher(29.3% vs. 34.4%; p=0.046). Conclusion: Among the major histology types of lung cancer, the incidence of adenocarcinoma has been increasing recently. The age of the lung cancer patients at diagnosis is getting older. This is despite the fact that the distributions of the initial anatomic stages have not changed significantly. (Tuberc Respir Dis 2006; 61: 427-432)
Background: Although airway hyper-responsiveness is one of the characteristics of asthma. bronchial hyper-responsiveness has also been observed to some degree in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Moreover, several reports have demonstrated that a number of patients have both COPD and asthma. The methacholine bronchial challenge test (MCT) is a widely used method for the detecting and quantifying the airway hyper- responsiveness, and is one of the diagnostic tools in asthma. However, the significance of MCT in differentiating asthma or COPD combined with asthma from pure COPD has not been defined. The aim of this study was to determine the role of MCT in differentiating asthma from pure COPD. Method: This study was performed prospectively and was composed of one hundred eleven patients who had undergone MCT at Chonbuk National University Hospital. Sixty-five asthma patients and 23 COPD patients were enrolled and their MCT data were analyzed and compared with the results of a control group. Result: The positive rates of MCT were 65%, 30%, and 9% in the asthma, COPD, and control groups, respectively. The mean PC20 values of the asthma, COPD, and control groups were 8.1±1.16 mg/mL, 16.9±2.21 mg/mL, and 22.0±1.47 mg/mL, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of MCT for diagnosing asthma were 65%, 84%, 81%, and 69%, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of MCT (ed note: please check this as I believe that these values correspond to the one PC20 value. Please check my changes.) at the new cut-off points of PC20 ≤ 16 mg/ml, were 80%, 75%, 78%, and 78%, respectively. Conclusion: MCT using the new cut-off point can be used as a more precise and useful diagnostic tool for distinguishing asthma from pure COPD. (Tuberc Respir Dis 2006; 61: 433-439)
Background: Post-transplant tuberculosis (TB) is a serious complication in solid organ transplant recipients worldwide, However there is little or no data on TB in liver or heart transplant recipients in Korea. Methods: The incidence and clinical characteristics of TB of 730 patients who had undergone a liver transplant in a university hospital in Korea between 1992 and 2004, and 110 heart transplant recipients in the same period, were reviewed retrospectively. Results: The incidence of TB was 1.5%(11/730) and 2.7%(3/110) in the liver and heart transplantation, respectively. The median time from the transplant to the development of TB was 8.4 months(1.0-30.8). and the mean time from the symptoms to the diagnosis of TB was 2.1±3.6 months(0.3-13.2). Nine patients (65%) had pulmonary TB and five (35%) had extrapulmonary TB. The leukopenia and positive HbeAg at the baseline, post-transplant diabetes mellitus, and chronic rejection were associated with the development of TB in the liver transplant recipients. Ten patients were treated with a 4-drug standard regimen for a mean duration of 7.8±3.5 months. One patients died of TB. Conclusion: The incidence of TB in liver or heart transplant recipients was similar to that reported in other countries with a similar TB-burden. (Tuberc Respir Dis 2006; 61: 440-446)
Background: MMPs and TIMPs are important factors for abnormal remodeling the pulmonary parenchyme in idiopathic interstitial pneumonia(IIP) This study evaluated the expression of MMPs and TIMPs in the tissue of IPF, NSIP and normal control subjects. Method: The MMP-2 and -9 activity in the lung tissue was studied by gelatin zymography, and the expression of MMP-1, -2 ,-9, TIMP-1 and -2 in the lung tissue was measured by immunohistochemistry. Thirty five patients, who were diagnosed with IIP (UIP ; 22, NSIP ; 13), were enrolled in the immunohistochemical study. Thirteen patients with IIP (UIP ; 9, NSIP ; 4) and five patients with lung cancer were enrolled in the zymographic assay. Results: (1) The immunohistochemistry for MMP-1,-2,-9, TIMP-1 and-2 ; MMP-1,-9 and TIMP-2 were stained stronger in the UIP subjects than NSIP and the normal control. TIMP-2 was strongly stained in the UIP tissue. particularly the fibroblasts in the fibroblastic foci. (2) Zymography for MMP-2 and MMP-9 revealed MMP-2 to have prominent expression in the UIP tissue than in the NSIP tissue. Conclusions: These results suggest that the overexpression of the TIMPs and gelatinases in UIP might be important factors in the irreversible fibrosis of the lung parenchyme (Tuberc Respir Dis 2006; 61: 447-455)
Background: Differential diagnosis is very important in patients with pleural effusions. A few studies on the etiologies of massive pleural effusions have been reported, but these were conducted in different decades and locations. In the present study, the etiologic spectrum of massive pleural effusions in Korea, were evaluated through an investigation at one university hospital. Methods: Retrospective chart reviews were performed in patients having undergone thoracentesis between July 2002 and July 2005. Pleural effusions were deemed to be massive if they occurred in two thirds or more of one hemithorax. The etiologies of massive pleural effusions, pleural fluid findings, serum laboratory findings, and sputum and pleural fluid cytologies were compared. Results: Of 298 pleural effusions cases, 41 (13.8%) had massive pleural effusions. The most frequent causes of massive pleural effusions were malignancy (19; 46.3%) followed by tuberculosis (15; 36.6%), parapneumonic effusion (4; 9.8%) and transudate (3; 7.3%). Compared with massive benign effusions, patients with massive malignant pleural effusions were more likely to have lower adenosine deaminase (ADA) activity, a higher amylase level and higher RBC count in their pleural fluids. Also, compared with non-tuberculosis effusions, patients with massive tuberculous pleural effusions were more likely to have lower RBC and neutrophil counts, but a higher lymphocyte count, adenosine deaminase (ADA) activity and protein level. Conclusion: The most common etiologies of massive pleural effusions in Korea are malignancy and tuberculosis. A high ADA content favors a tuberculous condition, while bloody effusions with a relatively lower ADA content. favors malignancy. The proportion of tuberculosis in massive pleural effusions was higher than in previous reports. (Tuberc Respir Dis 2006; 61: 456-462)
Transfusion related acute lung injury (TRALI) is a serious, potentially life-threatening complication of transfusion therapy that is sometimes under diagnosed and under reported. Patients with TRALI present with dyspnea/respiratory distress and fever. The symptoms, signs and chest radiological findings in TRALI are similar to transfusion associated circulatory overload, which makes it is difficult to distinguish it from circulatory overload. Although the mortality rate in cases of TRALI is relatively low, TRALI is the third most common cause of fatal transfusion reactions next to ABO blood type incompatibility and hepatitis. Mild-to-moderate cases of TRALI may be misdiagnosed as volume overload. Recently, we encountered two cases where the patients suffered from dyspnea and fever after a transfusion. and review of the relevant literature. (Tuberc Respir Dis 2006; 61: 473-478)
Acute fibrinous and organizing pneumonia (AFOP) is a histological pattern consisting of prominent intra-alveolar fibrin and organizing pneumonia, with out hyaline membranes or prominent eosinophilia. The clinical manifestations of AFOP resemble those of acute lung injury such as acute interstitial pneumonia (AIP). However, the classic histological patterns of AFOP differ from diffuse alveolar damage (DAD), bronchiolitis obliterans with organizing pneumonia (BOOP) or acute eosinophilic pneumonia (AEP). The characteristic intra-alveolar fibrin ball and lack of classic hyaline membrane are the predominant histological features of AFOP. Although some reports suggest that its clinical course is less catastrophic than DAD, the clinical entity that distinguishes AFOP from DAD has not been established. We present a case of pathologically demonstrated AFOP in a 79-year-old man. The radiological findings of our case were similar to those of DAD, presented with diffuse bilateral lung infiltrations. However, despite the rapid development of respiratory failure, the patient had a better response and outcome to steroid therapy than what would be expected for DAD. (Tuberc Respir Dis 2006; 61: 479-483)
A primary pulmonary leiomyosarcoma is a very rare pulmonary malignancy that arises from smooth muscle of either the bronchial or arterial walls. Common symptoms of the tumor are cough, dyspnea, chest pain and hemoptysis. The diagnosis of a primary pulmonary sarcoma can be established only after extensive clinical and radiologic examinations have failed to identify an alternative primary source. The only effective treatment for the tumor is a complete surgical resection when feasible. The type of resection is dictated by the local anatomic extent of the tumor. We report a case of a 21-year-old male with a primary endobronchial leiomyosarcoma who presented with massive hemoptysis. A necrotic ulcerative endobronchial lesion was observed in the orifice of left lower lobe bronchus on a bronchoscopic examination. He was treated with a complete sleeve resection of the left lower lobe. Three months later, local recurrence of the tumor was noticed on the follow up bronchoscopy and a then left pneumonectomy was then performed. Fifteen months later, the patient died from empyema with a bronchopleural fistula that was associated with tumor recurrence at the stump of the pneumonectomy. (Tuberc Respir Dis 2006; 61: 484-489)
Leiomyoma of the bronchus is a very rare benign tumor of the lung. Most endobronchial leiomyomas occur as secondary foci of primary uterine leiomyoma. We herein report a case with endobronchial tumor that had a different pathology from a primary resected uterine leiomyoma and was therefor considered a primary endobronchial leiomyoma. A 51-year-old woman with a history of uterine myoma presented with productive cough and fever. Bronchoscopy revealed a lightly yellow colored mass lesion that totally obstructed the orifice of the left lower lobe of the lung. The diagnosis of leiomyoma was made by histological examination of the obtained specimen. We considered the possibility of a benign metastasizing pulmonary leiomyoma. For treatment and differential diagnosis, a left lower lobe lobectomy of the lung and total hysterectomy with bilateral salphingooopherectomy were performed. The differences between lung and uterine lesions were confirmed by morphologic finding and immunohistochemical staining. The pathological diagnosis was primary endobronchial leiomyoma combined with uterine myoma. (Tuberc Respir Dis 2006; 61: 490-495)
A distant metastasis from a renal cell carcinoma is quite common after a radical nephrectomy. For this reason, a5 year scheduled follow up is recommended. However, a distant metastasis 5 years after the resection is quite rare. We encountered an endobronchial metastasis from a renal cell carcinoma that was discovered 7 years after the radical nephrectomy, and did not present during the 5 year scheduled follow up regimen. We report this case with a review of the literatures. (Tuberc Respir Dis 2006; 61: 496-500)