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Clinics and Practice
Special Issues
Thoracic Oncology in the Era of Precision Medicine
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Thoracic Oncology in the Era of Precision Medicine

A special issue of Clinics and Practice (ISSN 2039-7283).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2023) | Viewed by 3762

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Nagla Abdel Karim

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Medicine, University of Virginia, Fairfax, VA 22031, USA
Interests: thoracic oncology; personalizing therapy in lung cancer; lung cancer; thoracic oncology; phase i clinical trials/experimental therapeutics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

During the past two decades, advances in genomic profiling have allowed for rapid integration of targeted therapies and novel therapies into the systemic management of patients, especially with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We learnt how to utilize precision medicine to guide our treatment decisions, especially in NSCLC. Personalized medicine is primarily driven by the advances in genomic testing, biomarker-driven therapy, and immunotherapy that have transformed the landscape of oncology care and have greatly improved outcomes for patients. The application of molecular testing is transforming cancer into a diverse template of genomic alterations that drive oncogenesis. In thoracic oncology, extensive evaluation of genetic alterations has been rewarding in lung cancers, especially adenocarcinomas, now subclassified according to the expression of specific markers, which drive a personalized attempt to cure. In this Special Issue, we aim to collect a wide range of topics in thoracic oncology, including lung cancer, mesothelioma, mediastinal (thymic neoplasms) and rare chest-wall tumors, e.g., solitary fibrous tumors. The contributions can be in the form of original articles, reviews, commentaries and unique and rare case reports.

Dr. Nagla Abdel Karim
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at mdpi.longhoe.net by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Clinics and Practice is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • precision medicine
  • genomic profiling
  • immunotherapy
  • oncogenesis
  • adenocarcinoma
  • mesothelioma
  • thymic neoplasms and solitary fibrous tumors

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 834 KiB  
Article
Pleural Fluid-to-Blood BNP Ratio May Contribute to Prognosis in Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma
by Vasiliki Tsolaki, George E. Zakynthinos, Sotirios Zarogiannis, Paris Zygoulis, Ioannis Kalomenidis, Rajesh Jagirdar, Ioannis Triantafyllou, Konstantinos I. Gourgoulianis, Demosthenes Makris and Epaminondas Zakynthinos
Clin. Pract. 2023, 13(5), 1111-1122; https://doi.org/10.3390/clinpract13050099 - 13 Sep 2023
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Abstract
Background: Brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) seems to be produced from malignant mesothelial cells other than cardiomyocytes. We aimed to evaluate whether an increased pleural fluid-to-blood BNP ratio in patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) could facilitate prognosis beyond diagnosis. Materials and Methods: Patients [...] Read more.
Background: Brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) seems to be produced from malignant mesothelial cells other than cardiomyocytes. We aimed to evaluate whether an increased pleural fluid-to-blood BNP ratio in patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) could facilitate prognosis beyond diagnosis. Materials and Methods: Patients with MPM were included (observational study). One- and two-year survival and factors affecting it were tested. To evaluate the prognostic significance of the natriuretic peptide precursor B (NPPB) gene expression in MPM, we constructed a survival curve from data derived from The Cancer Genome Atlas. Results: Nineteen consecutive patients with MPM were included (age: 67 (61, 80), male 78.9%). One- and two-year survival were 52.6% and 31.6%, respectively. Age, performance status, and the other variables tested did not differ between survivors and non-survivors. Non-survivors presented higher pleural fluid BNP in two years (699 (210, 5000) vs. 379.5 (5, 567), p = 0.036) and BNP ratios than survivors (1-year: 28.75 (4.05, 150.24) vs. 3.49 (0.3, 26) p = 0.001, 2-years: 22.8 (2.42, 150.24) vs. 3.49 (0.3, 7.76), p = 0.001). One- and two-year survival rates in patients with BNP ratios above/equal to the median value (8.82) were 20% and 0%, and 88.9% and 66.7%, respectively, in patients with BNP ratios below 8.82 (p = 0.006 and p = 0.002, respectively). MPM patients with low NPPB expression presented significantly higher survival rates compared to patients with higher expressions (p = 0.032). Conclusion: A high pleural fluid/blood BNP ratio, an easily performed in everyday practice, costless biomarker seems to predict poorer survival better than the commonly reported prognostic factors in MPM. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thoracic Oncology in the Era of Precision Medicine)
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Review

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16 pages, 668 KiB  
Review
Effect of Exercise Training on Quality of Life, Symptoms, and Functional Status in Advanced-Stage Lung Cancer Patients: A Systematic Review
by Tena Nguyen, Katharine Tracy, Asad Ullah and Nagla Abdel Karim
Clin. Pract. 2023, 13(3), 715-730; https://doi.org/10.3390/clinpract13030065 - 13 Jun 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2146
Abstract
Advanced-stage lung cancer (LC) causes significant morbidity and impacts patients’ quality of life (QoL). Exercise has been proven to be safe, feasible, and beneficial for symptom reduction and QoL improvement in many types of cancers, but research is limited in advanced-stage LC patients. [...] Read more.
Advanced-stage lung cancer (LC) causes significant morbidity and impacts patients’ quality of life (QoL). Exercise has been proven to be safe, feasible, and beneficial for symptom reduction and QoL improvement in many types of cancers, but research is limited in advanced-stage LC patients. This systematic review evaluates the effect of exercise interventions on the symptoms and QoL in patients with advanced-stage LC. Twelve prospective studies (744 participants) were included, evaluating different combinations of exercises and training such as aerobics, tai chi, strength, inspiratory muscle training, and relaxation. Studies found outcomes including but not limited to improved QoL, symptom burden, psychosocial health, functional status, and physical function. The results of this review support that exercise is safe and feasible with evidence supporting improved QoL and symptom mitigation. Integration of exercise should be considered in the individualized management of advanced-stage LC patients under the guidance of their healthcare providers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thoracic Oncology in the Era of Precision Medicine)
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