Although diagnostic and therapeutic advances in Lung cancer (LC) have increased the survival of patients, infection and its complications are still among the most important causes of mortality. The disruption of tissue caused by tumor mass, management of cancer therapy and alteration in the humoral/cellular immune systems due to both cancer itself and therapy considerably increase susceptibility to infection in cancer patients. Particularly, opportunistic microorganisms should be considered, then applying rapid and sensitive diagnostic methods for them. Thus, cancer patients who are already exposed to difficult, long-term and expensive treatments can be prevented from dying from complications related to infections.

Introduction: The purpose of this study is to determine how long patients who developed pneumothorax were followed up on in the emergency department, how many patients required chest tube placement, and what factors influenced the need for a chest tube in patients who underwent computed tomography (CT)-guided percutaneous trans -thoracic fine needle aspiration biopsy (PTFNAB).Materials and Methods: Patients who developed pneumothorax following CT-guided PTFNAB were analyzed retrospectively. In cases with pneumotho-rax, the relationship between chest tube placement and the size of the lesion, the lesion depth from the pleural surface, the presence of emphysema, and the needle entry angle were investigated. It was determined how long the patients were followed up in the emergency department, when a chest tube was pla-ced, and when patients who did not require chest tube placement were discharged.Results: CT-guided PTFNAB was performed in 3426 patients within two years. Pneumothorax developed in 314 (9%) cases and a chest tube was placed in 117 (37%). The risk factor for chest tube placement was found to be the lesion depth from the pleural surface. The lesion depth from the pleural surface of >24 mm increased the risk of chest tube placement by 4.8 times. Chest tubes were placed at an average of five hours (5.04 +/- 5.57).Conclusion: This study has shown that in cases with pneumothorax that required chest tube placement, the lesion depth from the pleural surface is a risk factor. Patients who developed pneumothorax on CT during the procedure had chest tubes placed after an average of five hours.

Background/Objectives: Spread through air spaces (STAS) represents an aggressive invasion pattern in lung cancer and is associated with unfavorable oncologic outcomes. As STAS is currently identifiable only on postoperative pathology, reliable preoperative, noninvasive prediction remains a clinical challenge. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of predicting STAS using ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT)-derived radiomic and clinicoradiomic models. Methods: In this retrospective study, patients who underwent surgical resection for lung cancer with available preoperative ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT imaging were analyzed. Radiomic features were extracted from intratumoral and peritumoral regions. Clinical, radiomic-only, and combined clinicoradiomic models were developed using LASSO-based feature selection and multivariable logistic regression. Model performance was evaluated using nested cross-validation, receiver operating characteristic analysis, calibration assessment, and decision curve analysis. Results: Radiomic features reflecting intratumoral metabolic characteristics and peritumoral tissue heterogeneity were significantly associated with STAS. The combined clinicoradiomic model demonstrated superior discriminative performance compared with the clinical and radiomic-only models (mean AUC ≈ 0.75), along with favorable calibration (Brier score = 0.20) and improved clinical net benefit across relevant threshold probabilities. Lower eosinophil count, lower SUVmin_tumor, and lower intratumoral SUV skewness emerged as independent predictors of STAS. Conclusions: Preoperative prediction of STAS in lung cancer is feasible using PET/CT-based radiomic analysis integrating intratumoral, peritumoral, and clinical features. This noninvasive approach provides biologically relevant information beyond conventional anatomical assessment and warrants further validation in prospective, multicenter cohorts.

Background and aim: The use of thrombolytics in intermediate-high risk pulmonary embolism (PE) remains controversial. This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of half-dose alteplase compared to anticoagulation with LMWH in this group. Material and methods: Patients treated with thrombolytics (50 mg alteplase) after the establishment of EGEPET (2.10.2018) formed the prospective group, while the retrospective group included patients treated with LMWH (enoxaparin) before EGEPET. Primary outcomes were one-month and one-year mortality. Secondary outcomes were vital sign changes after thrombolysis, hemorrhagic events, recurrence of embolism, chronic pulmonary thromboembolism (CPTE), and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). Results: Thrombolytic group (n = 59) and anticoagulation group (n = 38) were similar in age, comorbidities, and vital signs, except for higher pulse rates in the thrombolytic group. In the thrombolytic group, PaO₂/FiO₂ ratio significantly improved [330 (270–380) to 417 (351–447), p < 0.001], and pulse rate decreased [116 (105–127) to 91 (80–104), p < 0.001]. In the anticoagulation group, oxygenation showed no significant change, but pulse rate improved. No major bleeding occurred in either group. One-month mortality was 6.7% in the thrombolytic group and 15.8% in the anticoagulation group (p = 0.18). One-year mortality was 13.7% and 26.3%, respectively (p = 0.17). Advanced age (> 67) (OR: 8.82, %95 CI 1.54 – 50.53 p = 0.014) and elevated second-day pulse > 94/min (OR 7.61, 95% CI 1.33–43.49, p = 0.022) were independent predictors of one-month mortality in the multivariate analysis. Conclusion: Thrombolytic therapy significantly improved oxygenation and clinical findings without major complications. Although mortality rates were lower in the thrombolytic group, the difference was not statistically significant. These results should be interpreted with caution, and larger prospective studies are needed to confirm the clinical efficacy and safety of thrombolytic therapy in this patient population.

Purpose: Asthma is a chronic lung disease characterized by variable airway obstruction. Despite advancements in pharmacological treatments, interest in non-pharmacological approaches is growing, particularly for variable airway diseases like asthma. Incentive spirometry (IS) is non-pharmacological, inexpensive, safe, and accessible. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of IS on spirometry and asthma control test (ACT) parameters in asthma patients. Patients and Methods: This was a prospective, controlled, single-center study evaluating the effects of incentive spirometry in stable asthma. A total of 153 patients were included in the study. After applying the exclusion criteria (n=28) and withdrawal criteria (n=45), 80 patients completed the study. All patients who attended IS breathing exercises received training from the relevant physician. Patients who practiced the exercises daily for at least 6 weeks were included in the study. Results: Of the 80 patients, 57 (71.25%) were female, with a mean age of 54.4 ± 15.8 years. The IS group (n=41) significantly improved FEF 25– 75 values and ACT scores. FEF 25– 75 increased by 225.3 ± 66.41 mL (10.34 ± 3.07%, p=0.02), and ACT scores improved by 2.1 ± 0.4 points (p≤ 0.001). The control group showed no spirometry changes but had a significant ACT score increase of 4.17 ± 0.7 points (p< 0.001). Conclusion: IS improved FEF_{25– 75} values and ACT scores, suggesting benefits for small airway function and asthma control. ACT improvements in both groups may be linked to better education and adherence.