Amid shifting tobacco policies and escalating air pollution levels, Lung Cancer (LC) risk factors have changed notably. Continuous assessment of these risk factors is necessary. This study compares trends in tobacco, air pollution, and asbestos-associated Age-Standardized Mortality Rates (ASMR) from Trachea, Bronchus, and Lung (TBL) Cancer across the top ten most populated countries (2023 censuses) and globally. We extracted overall and risk-factor-associated TBL cancer ASMR of the ten most populated countries for 1990–2019 from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) database using the dedicated results tool (http://ghdx.healthdata.org/gbd-results-tool). GBD mapped the mortality data related to ICD codes (C33–C34, D02.1-D02.2, D38.1, 162–162.9, 231.1, 231.2, 231.8, 235.7 from ICD10 and B101 from ICD9). Tobacco, occupational exposure to asbestos and air pollution (ambient particulate matter and household air pollution) associated TBL cancer mortality data were extracted to evaluate the trends based on risk factors. We calculated relative changes in ASMRs between 1990 and 2019 for each sex in each country for each risk factor. Joinpoint regression analysis was performed to calculate the Estimated Annual Percentage Change (EAPC) and its corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) for each line segment, allowing for trend assessment. Globally, TBL Cancer mortality has decreased by 8%, with a decrease for males but an increase for females. Globally, both tobacco and air pollution-associated TBL cancer ASMR have decreased. While tobacco-associated ASMR has increased in China and Indonesia, air pollution-associated ASMR has also increased in China, India, Pakistan, and Nigeria. On stratification, while PM-associated mortality increased by 25% globally, household-associated TBL cancer ASMR decreased by 62%. China had the highest PM-associated TBL Cancer in 2019 (8.8/100,000), twice higher than the global average. Despite a decline in asbestos-associated TBL cancer ASMR from 8.91/100,000 to 6.0/100,000, the rate in the United States remained twice higher than the global average for the entire study period. Tobacco-associated TBL cancer mortality is declining but still predominant. Ambient particulate matter-associated TBL cancer mortality is rising, requiring policy and awareness efforts. Expanding access to preventive services and addressing underlying risk factors are essential steps required toward reducing lung cancer mortality at the global level. This study did not receive any funding support.

Background: TROP2 (TACSTD2) expression is associated with decreased overall survival (OS) in some solid tumors, and the TROP2-targeting antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) sacituzumab govitecan has been approved in breast and urothelial carcinomas. We aimed to explore the multi-omic landscape associated with TACSTD2 gene expression in various solid tumors to identify patients most likely to benefit from this approach. Methods: Breast (N = 11 246), colorectal (N = 15 425), hepatocellular (N = 433), pancreatic (N = 5488), and urothelial (N = 4125) tumors were stratified into quartiles by TACSTD2 gene expression, analyzed by next-generation DNA sequencing, whole transcriptome sequencing, and immunohistochemistry at Caris Life Sciences (Phoenix, AZ). Survival data were obtained from insurance claims, and Kaplan-Meier estimates were calculated for molecularly defined cohorts. Results: Several pathogenic mutations were associated with TACSTD2-high tumors, including TP53 in breast, colorectal (CRC), pancreatic, and hepatocellular cancers; KRAS in pancreatic and CRC cancers; ARID1A and FGFR3 in urothelial cancer; and CTNNB1 in hepatocellular cancer. TACSTD2-low breast tumors were enriched for copy number amplifications in CCND1 and FGF/R family member genes. TACSTD2 high was generally associated with more immune cell infiltration and greater T-cell inflammation scores. Patients with TACSTD2-high breast, CRC, and pancreatic cancers demonstrated a significantly shorter OS than TACSTD2-low tumors. This was restricted to CRC with microsatellite stable tumors and patients with pancreatic cancer with KRAS-mutant tumors. Patients with breast cancer with TACSTD2-high tumors also experienced significantly worse OS following immune checkpoint inhibitors. Conclusions: TACSTD2 expression is associated with key driver alterations and a more active immune microenvironment, suggesting possible combinatorial strategies with TROP2-targeting ADCs plus immunotherapy in various solid tumors.

PURPOSE: Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. This study aims to analyze lung cancer incidence, mortality, and related statistics from 1990 to 2019, focusing on national- and state-level trends and exploring potential disparities between sexes. METHODS: The Global Burden of Disease database was used to extract tracheal, bronchus, and lung cancer mortality data from 1990 to 2019 for both males and females and across all states of the United States. Age-standardized incidence rates, age-standardized mortality rates, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), and mortality-to-incidence indices (MIIs) were studied to assess for gender-based, geographic, and temporal disparities. Joinpoint regression analysis was performed to further evaluate trends. RESULTS: The incidence of these cancers in the United States decreased between 1990 and 2019 by 23.35%, with a more significant decline in males (37.73%) than females (1.41%). Similarly, for mortality, a decrease was observed for both sexes combined (26.83%), but much more significantly for males (40.23%) than females (6.01%). The MIIs decreased overall, but there were variations across states. DALYs decreased for both sexes combined, with males experiencing a larger reduction, but an increase was noted in some states for females. CONCLUSION: This analysis reveals diverse trends pertaining to the incidence, mortality, and disability burden associated with lung cancer by sex and states in the United States, emphasizing the need for targeted interventions to reduce disparities. These findings contribute to our understanding of the current landscape of lung cancer and can inform future strategies for prevention, early detection, and management.

Background: The abscopal effect was described as early as the 1950s, when untreated tumors demonstrated a response after radiation therapy was delivered to an untreated, distant site. The mechanisms underlying this global response to otherwise localized therapy remain unknown, though there is increasing evidence that increased antigen expression following ablative radiotherapy may play a role.Case presentation: We report a case of a 69-year-old African American woman with a history of metastatic typical pulmonary carcinoid with multiple lung nodules who had a significant decrease in size of an untreated left upper lobe nodule after stereotactic body radiation therapy to an oligoprogressive left lower lobe lesion.Conclusions: To our knowledge, this report describes the first case of an abscopal effect in a typical pulmonary carcinoid. Further research is needed regarding the mechanisms responsible for this finding and the role of combining radiation therapy and cancer immunotherapy in patients with pulmonary carcinoid tumors.

The incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC) in the U.S. is declining in adults 50 years and older; however, recent studies suggest an increasing disease burden among adults under age 50. This study aims to compare the incidence, mortality, and mortality-to-incidence ratios (MIRs) of CRC in EU15+ countries to determine if similar age-stratified occurrences are observed across these countries with similar “Western lifestyle”-related risk factors. Incidence and mortality rates for CRC between 1990 and 2019 were extracted using the Global Burden of Disease database. The data were age-stratified into groups between ages 25–49, 50–69, and greater than 69 years. We observed that the incidence of CRC increased globally for all age groups, with the highest increase observed for males (75.9%) and females (27.7%) aged 25–49. A similar trend was observed in 15 of the 19 EU15+ countries for males and 16 of the 19 EU15+ countries for females aged 25–49. Global mortality rates decreased for all age groups in females but increased for males in all age groups. This raises concerns regarding potentially modifiable risk factors contributing to increased CRC development and underscores the importance of implementing standardized screening at an earlier stage to ensure adequate detection in the younger population.