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Review
. 2025 Apr;27(4):1345-1355.
doi: 10.1007/s12094-024-03681-4. Epub 2024 Sep 4.

STAS: New explorations and challenges for thoracic surgeons

Teng Xia #  1 , Qian Yuan #  1 , Shi-Gui Xing  2
Affiliations
Review

STAS: New explorations and challenges for thoracic surgeons

Teng Xia et al. Clin Transl Oncol. 2025 Apr.

Abstract

Spread through air spaces (STAS) represents a relatively novel concept in the pathology of lung cancer, and it specifically refers to the dissemination of tumour cells into the parenchymal air spaces adjacent to the primary tumour. In 2015, the World Health Organization (WHO) classified STAS as a new invasive form of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). Many studies investigated the role of STAS and revealed its association with the prognosis of LUAD and its influence on the outcomes of other malignant pulmonary neoplasms. Additionally, the underlying mechanisms and predictive models of STAS have received considerable attention in recent years. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of the research advancements and prospects of STAS by examining it from multiple perspectives.

Keywords: Lung cancer; Mechanisms; Prediction; Prognosis; STAS.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Conflict of interest: None. Consent to publish: NA. Ethics approval: The portion of this study involving human participants, human material, or human data was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and was approved by the NCHS Ethics Review Committee. Informed consent: All participants provided written informed consent to participate in this study.

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