Treatment with daily aspirin for 5 years or longer reduces subsequent risk of colorectal cancer. Several lines of evidence suggest that aspirin might also reduce risk of other cancers, particularly of the gastrointestinal tract, but proof in man is lacking.

We studied deaths due to cancer during and after randomised trials of daily aspirin versus control done originally for prevention of vascular events.

The availability of targeted therapies has created a need for precise subtyping of non-small cell lung carcinomas (NSCLCs).

The aim of this study was to assess the utility of immunohistochemical markers in subtyping poorly differentiated NSCLC and to compare the results of immunohistochemical staining on biopsies with the corresponding resections.

Thirty-nine cases of NSCLC that could not be further classified on biopsy and had subsequent resection specimens were identified. Classification of the tumor was based on the resection specimen using the World Health Organization criteria. All biopsies and resections were stained with CK7, TTF-1, napsin A (novel aspartic proteinase of the pepsin family), p63, CK5/6, and 34βE12. The specimens included 20 adenocarcinomas (ACs), 15 squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs), and 4 large-cell carcinomas (LCCs). TTF-1 was positive in biopsies from 16 of 20 ACs, 2 of 4 LCCs, and none of the SCCs. p63 was positive in all 15 SCCs, 2 of 20 ACs (both were also positive for TTF-1 and napsin A), and none of the LCCs. CK5/6 was positive in 11 of 15 SCCs (all p63 positive) but none of the ACs or LCCs. Napsin A stained 11 of 19 ACs (all TTF-1 positive) but none of the other tumors. Staining for CK7 was present in 19 of 19 ACs and 9 of 15 SCCs. 34βE12 stained both SCCs (15 of 15) and ACs (12 of 20). The combination of TTF-1, napsin A, p63, and CK5/6 allowed an accurate classification of 30 of39 (77%) cases. Of 232 pairs of slides (biopsy and resection) stained with immunohistochemical markers, 12 (5%) showed discrepancies in immunohistochemical staining between biopsies and their corresponding resections.

Immunohistochemical staining using a combination of TTF-1, napsin A, p63, and CK5/6 allows subclassification of poorly differentiated NSCLCs on small lung biopsies in most cases. Discrepancies in immunohistochemical staining between biopsies and resections are uncommon.

To assess lung function, gas exchange, exercise capacity, and right-sided heart hemodynamics, including pulmonary artery pressure, in patients long term after pneumonectomy.

There has been a huge influx of data on the genetics and genomics of respiratory diseases in the last few years. Powered by large sample sizes from collaborations worldwide, recent genome-wide association studies have convincingly implicated variants in different regions in the genome for association with complex respiratory traits. These new associations have the potential to offer invaluable insight into the pathophysiology of the normal and diseased respiratory system. The functional mechanisms underlying effects of both identified and novel variants will be the focus of research over the next few years.

The identification of these mechanisms will not only increase our understanding of disease but may allow the development of new therapies to alleviate respiratory conditions. The implications of these approaches for studies of asthma and COPD are covered in this review.