RESUMEN
The study was conducted in the era when maintenance immunotherapy with durvalumab was not available in clinical practice after chemoradiotherapy (CRT) in unresectable non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The main aim of the study was to check whether the presence of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and their pharmacotherapy affects the overall survival (OS) in such NSCLC patients undergoing sequential CRT. The group of 196 patients were analyzed: 101 patients with CVD (51.53%) and 95 patients with other reasons of qualification for sequential CRT (decreased performance status, older age, and other non-cardiovascular co-morbidities). Although patients with CVD were more often in older age, and they more often experienced cardiac and nephrological complications (p < 0.05 for all), there was a statistically nonsignificant trend for lower all-cause mortality in patients with CVD. The lowest all-cause mortality was observed in patients treated with beta-blockers and statins after two (HR = 0.31; 95%CI: 0.1-0.98; p = 0.047), three (HR = 0.33; 95%CI: 0.13-0.81; p = 0.015) and even four (HR = 0.45; 95%CI: 0.22-0.97; p = 0.027) years of follow-up. The benefit in OS remained significant in 101 patients with CVD treated with beta-blockers (HR = 0.65; 95%CI: 0.43-0.99; p = 0.045), and eventually statin, throughout the whole follow-up (log-rank p < 0.05). Further prospective studies are necessary to confirm the role of beta-blockers and statins in reduction of mortality in NSCLC patients undergoing radical CRT.
RESUMEN
INTRODUCTION: Patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have a very poor prognosis. Individualization of treatment and identification of therapeutic molecular targets may improve outcomes. Gefitinib was introduced recently among several other molecular-targeted drugs of activity in NSCLC. Gefitinib is indicated for patients diagnosed with advanced or disseminated NSCLC with an activating mutation in the EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor) gene. The paper summarize experience with gefitinib in the Department of Lung and Thoracic Tumors of Maria Sklodowska-Curie Memorial Cancer Centre and Institute in Warsaw. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The group of 11 patients diagnosed with advanced NSCLC and activating mutations in the EGFR gene was analyzed. Patients were treated from April 2010 to April 2011. Tolerability, objective response rate (ORR) and progression free survival (PFS), which was calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method, were assessed. RESULTS: Median observation time from the start of gefitinib treatment was 14 months (range 4,8-19 months). The rate of one-year survival in this group of patients was 91% (10 patients) with 54% of patients (6 patients) surviving one year without progression of disease. The ORR rate of 82% and median PFS 11.4 months were reached. No treatment-related deaths were reported. Among the complications skin toxicity (82%) and diarrhea (45%) were most frequently observed, in most cases the Common Toxicity Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) first grade. CONCLUSIONS: The results confirm the literature data on the efficacy and safety profile of gefitinib in the treatment of patients with the diagnosis of advanced NSCLC and activating mutation in the EGFR gene.