Sleep-disordered breathing in patients with newly diagnosed lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: There are currently no data on the prevalence of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) in patients with newly-diagnosed lung cancer. This might be of interest given that SDB is associated with increased cancer incidence and mortality. Furthermore, intermittent hypoxia has been linked with tumor growth and progression. The aim of the current study was to investigate the prevalence of SDB in patients with newly-diagnosed lung cancer. METHODS: Patients with newly-diagnosed lung cancer from three centers in Germany were screened for SDB using a two-channel screening system (ApneaLink™). SDB was defined as an apnea-hypopnea index of > 5/h, and was classified as mild if the AHI was 5-15/h whereas an AHI ≥15/h was classified as severe SDB. The presence of SDB-related symptoms was assessed using the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). RESULTS: A total of 100 patients were included. The overall prevalence of SDB was 49%; 32 patients (32%) had mild SDB with a median AHI of 7.7/h (quartile [Q1 5.4/h, Q3 10.4/h]) and a median oxygen desaturation index of 8.5 [Q1 4.2/h; Q3 13.4/h] and seventeen patients (17%) had moderate to severe SDB with a median AHI of 25.2 [Q1 18/h, Q3 45.5/h] and a median oxygen desaturation index of 20.6/h [Q1 9.6/h, Q3 36.6/h]. Patients with moderate to severe SDB had mild daytime sleepiness (ESS score 8.24 ± 3.96 vs. 5.74 ± 3.53 in those without SDB vs. 6.22 ± 2.72 in those with mild SDB; p = 0.0343). The PSQI did not differ significantly between the three groups (p = 0.1137). CONCLUSIONS: This study showed a high prevalence of SDB in patients with newly-diagnosed lung cancer. In these patients SDB was associated with intermittent hypoxia and increased daytime sleepiness. Additional research is needed to determine whether SDB influences prognosis and morbidity in patients with lung cancer. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT02270853 (ClinicalTrials.gov), date of registration: 14th October 2014.

Clinicopathological Characteristics of RET Rearranged Lung Cancer in European Patients.

INTRODUCTION: Rearrangements of RET are rare oncogenic events in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). While the characterization of Asian patients suggests a predominance of nonsmokers of young age in this genetically defined lung cancer subgroup, little is known about the characteristics of non-Asian patients. We present the results of an analysis of a European cohort of patients with RET rearranged NSCLC. METHODS: Nine hundred ninety-seven patients with KRAS/EGFR/ALK wildtype lung adenocarcinomas were analyzed using fluorescence in situ hybridization for RET fusions. Tumor specimens were molecularly profiled and clinicopathological characteristics of the patients were collected. RESULTS: Rearrangements of RET were identified in 22 patients, with a prevalence of 2.2% in the KRAS/EGFR/ALK wildtype subgroup. Co-occurring genetic aberrations were detected in 10 patients, and the majority had mutations in TP53. The median age at diagnosis was 62 years (range, 39-80 years; mean ± SD, 61 ± 11.7 years) with a higher proportion of men (59% versus 41%). There was only a slight predominance of nonsmokers (54.5%) compared to current or former smokers (45.5%). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with RET rearranged adenocarcinomas represent a rare and heterogeneous NSCLC subgroup. In some contrast to published data, we see a high prevalence of current and former smokers in our white RET cohort. The significance of co-occurring aberrations, so far, is unclear.