This study aimed to explore healthy life expectancy and investigate its predictors in 82 patients with stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Furthermore, cut-off values for the identified predictors were established, and healthy life expectancy was compared between patients who exceeded these cut-off values and those who did not. Knee extension strength and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) depression scores were significant independent predictors of healthy life expectancy. Moreover, individuals with poor lower knee strength or high HADS depression scores had more than twice the risk of a reduced healthy life expectancy than those with better scores. These findings suggest that focusing on improving lower muscle strength and managing depression is important for extending healthy life expectancy.

The patient was a 17-year-old male who had been diagnosed with vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (vascular EDS) following surgery for bilateral pneumothorax. He had had recurrent episodes of pneumothorax, but all previous episodes improved with either observation or chest drainage alone. However, this time, because the air leak persisted even after chest drainage, pleurodesis with autologous blood was performed twice, successfully stopping the air leak. Due to the disease characteristics that cause connective tissue weakness, it is necessary to avoid invasive procedures, and the treatment options for refractory pneumothorax associated with vascular EDS are limited, but it was thought that the minimally invasive autologous blood pleurodesis was an effective treatment that could be performed safely.

A 72-year-old man with extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer was treated with carboplatin, etoposide, and durvalumab as first-line therapy. After one course of chemotherapy, dysarthria and discomfort in the left upper limb appeared. Following a detailed examination, the patient was diagnosed with autoimmune encephalitis caused by durvalumab. Discontinuation of durvalumab and administration of steroids and intravenous gamma globulin improved the patient’s symptoms rapidly. Although autoimmune encephalitis is an uncommon cause of immune-related adverse events, it should be treated promptly because a delay in diagnosis can lead to serious complications.

A 67-year-old man was referred to our hospital with anorexia. As a result of detailed examination, he was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer. Additionally, gait impairment from lower limb muscle weakness, elevation of anti-P/Q-type voltage-gated calcium channel antibodies, and a waxing phenomenon during a 30-Hz stimulation on repetitive stimulation test led to a diagnosis of Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome. Four cycles of platinum doublet and atezolizumab therapy resulted in a complete response. His muscle symptoms remained unchanged. Maintenance atezolizumab still continues today without tumor relapse or worsening of muscle symptoms.

A 67-year-old male presented to his primary care physician with a complaint of weight loss. A percutaneous needle biopsy of the right supraclavicular lymph node revealed a poorly differentiated carcinoma with clear cell features. The lesion was localized to the right supraclavicular area and the right hilar and mediastinal lymph nodes. He was referred to our hospital for further evaluation and treatment. The tumor was considered to be a T0 lung cancer showing rare cellular morphology. Concurrent chemoradiotherapy with carboplatin and paclitaxel was administered, followed by consolidation therapy with durvalumab. The tumor achieved complete remission.

The patient was a 55-year-old man who visited hospital for pain in both knees and lower legs. Physical examination revealed clubbed fingers, and radiographs of the extremities and bone scintigraphy showed findings of periosteogenesis in the long tubular bones. After thorough examinations, he was diagnosed with stageⅣB lung adenocarcinoma complicated by pulmonary hypertrophic osteoarthropathy. He received combined treatment with carboplatin + pemetrexed + durvalumab + tremelimumab as first line therapy. After treatment, the tumor shrank well and the arthritis and other symptoms improved. To the best of our knowledge, there have been no reports about the treatment of lung cancer complicated by pulmonary hypertrophic osteoarthropathy with anti-PD-L1 and anti-CTLA-4 antibodies, and so we report this apparently rare case.

Pulmonary nocardiosis is a rare opportunistic infection primarily affecting immunocompromised individuals, characterized by the potential for disseminated lesions throughout various organ systems. In the current case, Nocardia pseudobrasiliensis was isolated from a pleural fluid culture, with a concomitant brain abscess identified as a disseminated manifestation of the disease. The patient underwent a comprehensive treatment regimen comprising ciprofloxacin and additional antimicrobial agents for a duration of 12 months, resulting in the successful resolution of all identified lesions. Notably, Nocardia pseudobrasiliensis exhibits a propensity for resistance to sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim; thus, precise bacterial identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing are imperative for effective management of this infection.

In an 86-year-old man with a history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and prostate cancer who had been in close contact with his cats, chest radiography and computed tomography revealed an asymptomatic consolidation in the left lower lobe. A bronchofiberscopy was performed to investigate the patient’s worsening radiographic findings. Pasteurella multocida was identified in the bronchial lavage fluid and was considered to be an etiological agent of pulmonary consolidation. Radiographic findings improved after antibiotic treatment. Although the patient subsequently experienced several recurrent asymptomatic infections and received antibiotic treatment at the same site, the consolidation in the left lower lobe disappeared after he stopped keeping his cats. Close contact with animals can cause P. multocida pulmonary infections in patients with respiratory diseases or those in an immunosuppressive state. Careful post-treatment observation is thus essential.

We present a case of drug-induced lung injury caused by pegylated liposomal doxorubicin in a 49-year-old woman. Pegylated liposomal doxorubicin was administered for the first time 72 days before she was hospitalized for left fallopian tube cancer. On hospitalization, she presented with dyspnea on exertion and cough. A chest computed tomography scan revealed ground-glass opacities predominantly in both upper lung fields with consolidation, traction bronchiectasis, and interlobular septal thickening. Consequently, drug-induced lung injury caused by pegylated liposomal doxorubicin was suspected, and subsequently administered steroid therapy resulted in an improvement in computed tomography findings. Thus, physicians should consider pegylated liposomal doxorubicin as a potential cause of drug-induced lung injury.

A 76-year-old man started treatment with apalutamide and degarelix for advanced prostate cancer. About 2 months later, the patient complained of cough and exertional dyspnea and visited our department. A computed tomography scan of the chest showed ground glass opacities with patchy distribution in both lungs. The shadows rapidly improved with suspension of both drugs and steroid pulse therapy. The drug-induced lymphocyte stimulation test (DLST) for apalutamide was found to be strongly positive, and the diagnosis of drug-induced lung injury was confirmed. We report a case of drug-induced lung injury due to apalutamide with a strong positive DLST.

A 67-year-old woman who had no underlying diseases developed dyspnea and fatigue 2 weeks prior to presentation at our hospital. She initially visited a local physician, who suspected congestive heart failure, and was then referred to our hospital. Thrombocytopenia, elevated serum lactate dehydrogenase, ground-glass opacities in bilateral lung fields, and hepatosplenomegaly indicated intravascular large B-cell lymphoma (IVLBCL) or pulmonary tumor embolism. Right-heart catheterization showed mild pulmonary hypertension, and pulmonary artery wedge aspiration cytology detected atypical B-cells. Random skin and bone marrow biopsies showed histological evidence compatible with IVLBCL. Chemotherapy was administered that improved her condition.