Curative-intent treatment of pulmonary metastases from colorectal cancer: A comparison between imaging-guided thermal ablation and surgery.

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary metastases (PM) are the most frequent extra-abdominal metastases from colorectal cancer. Lung resection and imaging-guided thermal ablation (IGTA) are used as curative-intent treatment. We compared the outcomes of patients with PM, treated with resection or ablation. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed data from patients who underwent surgery or IGTA for colorectal PM between April 2011 and November 2020. Surgery was performed for peripheral PM and IGTA for deep-located PM not in contact with major vessels. Patients who had both procedures were excluded. Patients were compared using propensity score matching (PSM) analysis, stratified according to number, size, and unilaterality of PM. RESULTS: One hundred and fourty-six patients were included, 65 (44.5%) underwent surgery and 81 (55.5%) underwent IGTA. After PSM analysis, each group contained 46 patients. IGTA patients had a lower morbidity rate (13.1% vs. 15.2%, p = 0.028) and a shorter length of stay (5.13 vs. 2.63 days, p < 0.001). Oncological outcomes were similar in both groups with 5-year OS of 80% and 5-year progression-free survival (PFS) of 30% (p = 0.657 and p = 0.504, respectively) with similar recurrence patterns. CONCLUSION: Lung resection and IGTA seem to have similar oncologic outcomes for both OS and PFS. IGTA could be an alternative effective treatment for small PM, whenever technically feasible.

Occupational asbestos exposure and survival among lung cancer patients.

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the association between occupational asbestos exposure (OAE) and survival in patients with histologically confirmed lung cancer (LC). METHODS: This monocentric study was conducted in the Comprehensive Cancer Centre Léon Bérard, Lyon, France. A systematic screening has been in place since 2014 for occupational exposure to carcinogens using a self-assessment questionnaire sent to all patients newly diagnosed with histologically confirmed LC identified through the multidisciplinary LC board from 2014 to 2019. When the physician suspected a work-related exposure from the questionnaire including job history, an occupational cancer consultation was carried out to detail carcinogen exposures and assess if the LC was work-related. Demographics, clinical characteristics and survival data were extracted from medical records. The association between asbestos exposure and overall survival (hazard ratio and 95% confidence intervals) was estimated by Cox proportional hazards regression. RESULTS: Overall, 702 patients were eligible to the present study, including 180 patients with OAE. In the crude analysis, LCs assessed as moderately or highly attributable to OAE were associated with decreased overall survival (HR = 1.32, 95 %CI 1.04-1.67) compared to LC without OAE or with a low degree of imputability to OAE (median follow-up 28.8 months). After adjustment for confounding (age at diagnosis, smoking status, stage, brain metastasis at diagnosis, and histology), the association of OAE with overall survival was no longer statistically significant (HR = 1.21, 95 %CI 0.94-1.56). CONCLUSION: Overall survival in occupationally asbestos exposed LC patients may be decreased in comparison with non-exposed LC patients, warranting further investigations in larger studies.

Survival of bronchopulmonary cancers according to radon exposure.

Introduction: Residential exposure is estimated to be responsible for nearly 10% of lung cancers in 2015 in France, making it the second leading cause, after tobacco. The Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, in the southwest of France, is particularly affected by this exposure as 30% of the population lives in areas with medium or high radon potential. This study aimed to investigate the impact of radon exposure on the survival of lung cancer patients. Methods: In this single-center study, patients with a histologically confirmed diagnosis of lung cancer, and newly managed, were prospectively included between 2014 and 2020. Univariate and multivariate survival analyses were carried out using a non-proportional risk survival model to consider variations in risk over time. Results: A total of 1,477 patients were included in the analysis. In the multivariate analysis and after adjustment for covariates, radon exposure was not statistically associated with survival of bronchopulmonary cancers (HR = 0.82 [0.54-1.23], HR = 0.92 [0.72-1.18], HR = 0.95 [0.76-1.19] at 1, 3, and 5 years, respectively, for patients residing in category 2 municipalities; HR = 0.87 [0.66-1.16], HR = 0.92 [0.76-1.10], and HR = 0.89 [0.75-1.06] at 1, 3, and 5 years, respectively, for patients residing in category 3 municipalities). Discussion: Although radon exposure is known to increase the risk of lung cancer, in the present study, no significant association was found between radon exposure and survival of bronchopulmonary cancers.

Solitary myocardial metastasis from neuroendocrine tumor: surgical resection as curative surgery.

We present the case of a 70-year-old man with intramyocardial solitary metastasis from a carcinoid bowel tumor. One year previously, he had undergone distal ileum resection for a neuroendocrine tumor. Asymptomatic recurrence was diagnosed with the combination of elevated chromogranin A serum level and somatostatin receptor scintigraphy. The tumor was located on the right ventricle free wall, without obstruction of the right ventricular outflow tract and absence of carcinoid syndrome or liver involvement. Complete resection was obtained under cardiopulmonary bypass. The patient is currently alive without disease 2 years after surgery. Oncologists should be aware of the heart as a possible site of neuroendocrine metastatic disease. This case highlights the value of positron emission tomography with somatostatin analogs for earlier and more frequent metastasis detection. Persistent remission can be obtained with complete surgical resection when the metastatic tumor is localized in the right ventricle without evidence of carcinoid heart disease.

High mortality rate in cancer patients with symptoms of COVID-19 with or without detectable SARS-COV-2 on RT-PCR.

BACKGROUND: Cancer patients presenting with COVID-19 have a high risk of death. In this work, predictive factors for survival in cancer patients with suspected SARS-COV-2 infection were investigated. METHODS: PRE-COVID-19 is a retrospective study of all 302 cancer patients presenting to this institute with a suspicion of COVID-19 from March 1st to April 25th 2020. Data were collected using a web-based tool within electronic patient record approved by the Institutional Review Board. Patient characteristics symptoms and survival were collected and compared in SARS-COV-2 real-time or reverse-transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR)-positive and RT-PCR-negative patients. RESULTS: Fifty-five of the 302 (18.2%) patients with suspected COVID-19 had detectable SARS-COV-2 with RT-PCR in nasopharyngeal samples. RT-PCR-positive patients were older, had more frequently haematological malignancies, respiratory symptoms and suspected COVID-19 pneumonia of computed tomography (CT) scan. However, respectively, 38% and 20% of SARS-COV-2 RT-PCR-negative patients presented similar respiratory symptoms and CT scan images. Thirty of the 302 (9.9%) patients died during the observation period, including 24 (80%) with advanced disease. At the median follow-up of 25 days after the first symptoms, the death rate in RT-PCR-positive and RT-PCR-negative patients were 21% and 10%, respectively. In both groups, independent risk factors for death were male gender, Karnofsky performance status <60, cancer in relapse and respiratory symptoms. Detection of SARS-COV-2 on RT-PCR was not associated with an increased death rate (p = 0.10). None of the treatment given in the previous month (including cytotoxics, PD1 Ab, anti-CD20, VEGFR2…) correlated with survival. The survival of RT-PCR-positive and -negative patients with respiratory symptoms and/or COVID-19 type pneumonia on CT scan was similar with a 18.4% and 19.7% death rate at day 25. Most (22/30, 73%) cancer patients dying during this period were RT-PCR negative. CONCLUSION: The 30-day death rate of cancer patients with or without documented SARS-COV-2 infection is poor, but the majority of deaths occur in RT-PCR-negative patients.

Delayed Bronchocutaneous Fistula Without Pneumothorax Following a Microwave Ablation of a Recurrent Pulmonary Metastasis.

Percutaneous tumor ablations are rather safe and effective treatments in selected patients for non-operable non-small cell lung carcinomas or lung metastases. However, there are major complications such as bronchopleural or bronchocutaneous fistula, which it is important to know in order to manage them safely. We describe in this report a case of bronchocutaneous fistula without pneumothorax following a microwave ablation of a recurrent pulmonary metastasis and its management.

Intra-Thoracic Chemo-Hyperthermia for pleural recurrence of thymoma.

BACKGROUND: Pleural recurrences are a hallmark of thymomas, and represent a challenge for multidisciplinary management. The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility and the results in terms of morbidity, mortality and survival rates, of Intra-Thoracic Chemo-Hyperthermia (ITCH) for the treatment of pleural recurrences of thymomas. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of 19 consecutives patients between 1997 and 2015 treated by surgical cytoreduction (pleurectomy) followed by ITCH with 25mg/m2 of mitomycin, and 50mg/m2 of Cisplatin. RESULTS: There were 8 men and 11 women with a median age of 44 years. ITCH was combined with pleurectomy alone in 4 (22%) patients, pleurectomy and wedge resections in 14 (74%) patients; 1 (5%) patient had a pleuropneumonectomy. There were no perioperative deaths, and 5 patients (26%) presented with postoperative complication, including 3 (16%) cases related to chemotherapy (one case of reversible grade 2 bone marrow aplasia, and 2 cases of reversible, acute kidney failure). The median length of stay in intensive care unit and hospital were 1day and 10days, respectively. After a median follow-up period of 39 months (range 10-127 months), median disease-free survival was 42 months. Five patients (26%) died during follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate that ITCH is a feasible option for selected patients with pleural recurrence of thymomas. ITCH clearly provides long local control, without major safety issues, and prolonged survival may be achieved in selected patients. This therapeutic option should be discussed at a multidisciplinary tumor board.

High-emergency waiting list for lung transplantation: early results of a nation-based study.

OBJECTIVES: The high mortality rate observed on the regular waiting list (RWL) before lung transplantation (LTx) prompted the French organ transplantation authorities to set up in 2007 a dedicated graft allocation strategy, the so-called 'high-emergency waiting list' (HEWL), for patients with an abrupt worsening of their respiratory function. This study reports on the early results of this new allocation system. METHODS: Among 11 active French LTx programmes, 7 were able to provide full outcome data by 31 December 2011. The medical records of 101 patients who were listed on the HEWL from July 2007 to December 2011 were reviewed for an intention-to-treat analysis. RESULTS: Ninety-five patients received LTx within a median waiting time on the HEWL of 4 days (range 1-26), and 6 died before transplantation. Conditions were cystic fibrosis (65.2%), pulmonary fibrosis (24.8%), emphysema (5%) and miscellaneous (5%). The median age of the recipient was 30 years (range 16-66). Patients listed on the HEWL came from the RWL in 48.5% of the cases and were new patients in 51.5%. Forty-nine were placed under invasive ventilation and, in 26 cases, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) prior to transplantation was necessary as a complementary treatment. ECMO for non-intubated patients was performed in 6 cases. Eighty-one bilateral and 14 single LTx were performed, with an overall in-hospital mortality rate of 29.4%. One- and 3-year survival rates were 67.5 and 59%, respectively. Multivariate analysis shows that the use of ECMO prior to transplantation was the sole independent mortality risk factor (hazard ratio = 2.77 [95% CI 1.26-6.11]). CONCLUSIONS: The new allocation system aimed at lowering mortality on the RWL, but also offered an access to LTx for new patients with end-stage respiratory failure. The HEWL increased the likelihood of mortality after LTx, but permitted acceptable mid-term survival rates. The high mortality associated with the use of ECMO should be interpreted cautiously.

Completion pneumonectomy in patients with cancer: postoperative survival and mortality factors.

OBJECTIVE: To describe postoperative complications and long-term outcomes of completion pneumonectomy and highlight prognostic factors. METHOD: We retrospectively reviewed the records of 46 patients (38 men, 8 women) who underwent completion pneumonectomy for lung cancer between 1995 and 2009 in one of two thoracic surgery departments. Most were current or former smokers (n = 41; 89%) and did not undergo chemotherapy (n = 38; 83%) or radiotherapy (83%) before surgery. RESULTS: Complications after surgery were respiratory failure (n = 11; 24.4%), bronchopleural fistula (n = 6; 13%, with no side preference), and empyema (n = 6; 13%). Blood transfusion was necessary for 43% of the cases (n = 20). The day 90 death rate was 15.2% (n = 7). Postoperative staging showed mostly limited disease. Ten patients (21.7%) underwent operation for a second primary cancer, 25 for local recurrence (54.3%), five for microscopically incomplete resection, and six for other reasons. Median overall survival after completion surgery was 30 months (median follow-up: 46.5 months). Among the 15 living patients (33%), 11 are free of disease (24%). In a Cox regression model, factors negatively influencing overall survival were: age older than 65 years (odds ratio [OR] = 2.47; p = 0.012), current smoker status (OR = 2.285; p = 0.033), postoperative pulmonary (OR = 5.144; p = 0.004), cardiac (OR = 3.404; p = 0.033), or parietal wound complications (OR = 5.439; p = 0.016). CONCLUSION: Despite its increased postoperative complications and mortality compared with standard pneumonectomy, completion pneumonectomy offers encouraging long-term results. Five main factors seem predictive of shorter overall survival.