[The role of prophylactic cranial irradiation in small cell lung cancer]. / Quel rôle pour l'irradiation cérébrale prophylactique dans le cancer à petites cellules ? Une étude rétrospective unicentrique.

INTRODUCTION: Prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI) is considered standard therapeutic management in small cell lung cancer (SCLC). This is based on old randomised trials with methodological limitations, namely the absence of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain. The aim of this study is to assess the risk not administering PCI when systematic brain imaging is applied. METHODS: Retrospective study including untreated SCLC, without PCI and receiving brain imaging at the time of diagnosis. Kaplan-Meier and log-rank statistics were used for survival analyses. RESULTS: Among 150 patients, 75 were possibly eligible for PCI. Thirteen patients presented with an isolated brain recurrence as the first site of progression with no other metastatic sites apparent, and in 6 patients, the brain was the only recurrent site during the whole follow-up. In the group of patients eligible for PCI, there was no statistically significant survival difference according to the brain progression status (P=0.11). CONCLUSIONS: The expected impact of PCI seems limited in terms of overall survival and prevention of isolated brain metastases in patients having systematic brain imaging during SCLC work-up.

[Lung cancer: Prognosis in intensive care depends mainly on the acute complication]. / Cancer bronchique : le pronostic en soins intensifs dépendrait surtout de la complication.

INTRODUCTION: It has been demonstrated in unselected populations of cancer patients that prognosis in intensive care is essentially dependent on the extent of the acute physiological disturbance caused by the complication precipitating the admission. By contrast, the prognosis after hospital discharge remains dependent on the characteristics of the underlying neoplasm. The aim of our study was to confirm whether this general finding was the case in a specific population of lung cancer patients, since there are no data on this patient group in the literature. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study including all patients with lung cancer admitted to our ICU between September 1, 2008 and December 31, 2013. RESULTS: During this period, 180 different patients with lung cancer were admitted into ICU. The simplified acute physiology score II (SAPS II) (OR 1.07 ; 95% CI 1.04-1.11), respiratory failure (OR 4.00; 95% CI 1.76-9.07) and the presence of therapeutic limitations were the 3 factors independently affecting hospital mortality in multivariate analysis. Considering only patients discharged alive from the hospital, the presence of metastases (HR 2.30; 95% CI 1.44-3.65) and limitations on therapy (HR 5,89; IC 95% 3,11-11,14) were the two statistically independent prognostic factors for overall survival. CONCLUSION: In this population of lung cancer patients admitted into ICU, independent predictors of hospital mortality are determined by the physiological perturbations induced by the acute presenting complication. After recovery from this, prognosis is again determined by the characteristics of the underlying cancer.

[Impact of routine brain imaging in the initial management of lung cancer]. / Impact de l'imagerie cérébrale systématique dans le bilan initial des cancers du poumon.

INTRODUCTION: Brain metastases are a common complication of bronchial carcinoma (BC). There is no consensus as to the need to undertake a systematic search for these lesions during the initial assessment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the contribution of brain imaging in the initial evaluation of patients with CB. METHODS: We undertook a retrospective analysis of patients treated in the Thoracic Oncology Clinic at the Institute Jules-Bordet between 01/09/2008 and 31/08/2013, who were treatment-naïve and were having a full diagnostic work-up including brain imaging. RESULTS: Four hundred and sixty-three patients consecutively diagnosed with BC were included. Brain magnetic resonance imaging and/or CT-scan showed brain metastases in 101 patients (21.8%), of whom 67 had no symptoms suggestive of brain metastatic disease. The addition of a brain imaging into the work-up procedure resulted in a stage migration for 30 patients (6.5%), mainly otherwise staged IIIA (n=10) or IIIB (n=14) without brain imaging. CONCLUSION: The addition of brain imaging in the initial assessment of bronchial carcinoma allows the identification of brain metastases in one case among 5, of which 2/3 are asymptomatic. This leads to a change in staging, primarily for disease otherwise considered to be stage III.

[Immune checkpoint inhibitors (antibodies to PD1 and PD-L1), a new therapeutic weapon against non-small cell bronchial carcinoma]. / Les inhibiteurs des freins immunitaires (anticorps anti-PD1 et anti-PD-L1), une nouvelle arme thérapeutique dans les cancers bronchiques non à petites cellules.

INTRODUCTION: Classical therapeutic strategy for advanced and metastatic non-small cell lung cancer, without activable oncogenic driver mutation, has been based mainly on cytotoxic chemotherapy with modest benefits in terms of increased survival. BACKGROUND: A better understanding of the mechanisms involved in the regulation of the immune system led to the development of antibodies directed against immune checkpoints such as PD-L1. The first encouraging clinical data from phase I studies assessing anti-PD1 and anti-PD-L1 antibodies have been confirmed in randomised phase III trials. CONCLUSIONS: These new drugs now constitute a standard second-line treatment for metastatic tumours and in the future, at least for pembrolizumab, in the first line. Their adjuvant role after locoregional treatment with curative intent is currently under investigation.

[The Glasgow inflammatory score and lung cancer: A predictor of admissions to emergency units]. / Score inflammatoire de Glasgow et cancer bronchique : une aide pour hospitaliser aux urgences.

INTRODUCTION: In a first study, we found predictive factors for hospital admission in lung cancer patients consulting at the emergency department. Knowing that systemic inflammation is a prognostic factor in cancer patients, the goal of our study was to determine whether systemic inflammation measured using the modified Glasgow prognostic score can improve the predictive value of our previous model. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study including all patients with lung cancer consulting at the emergency department of an oncology hospital between January 1st 2008 and December 31st 2010. RESULTS: Of the 548 emergency department visits, C-reactive protein and albumin needed for calculating the Glasgow score, were available for 291 visits. Multivariate analysis identified three predictors of hospitalization subsequent to a visit at the emergency ward: the Modified Glasgow Prognostic Score (mGPS) (OR=2.72; P<0.0001), arrival by ambulance (odds ratio [OR]=21.38; P<0.0001) and the presence of physical signs associated with the complaint (OR=2.72; P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The mGPS is an independent predictor for hospitalization in patients with lung cancer consulting at the emergency department.

[Difficulties and limitations in conducting translational research in thoracic oncology. A practical example]. / Difficultés et limites dans la conduite d'une étude translationnelle en oncologie thoracique. Un exemple pratique.

INTRODUCTION: In a first study, we identified signatures of 3 mRNAs (semaphorin 3D [SEMA3D], cytokeratin 16 [KRT16] and UL16 binding protein 2 [ULBP2]) associated to response to a cisplatin-vinorelbin chemotherapy and to survival of advanced non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC). MATERIAL AND METHODS: The aim of this study was to develop immunohistochemistry tests for KRT16, ULBP2 and SEMA3D and to test proteins expression for prediction of response and survival in biopsies of the same patients. RESULTS: We were not able to reproduce by the protein expression study the signature predicting response to chemotherapy in advanced NSCLC. CONCLUSION: We highlight the difficulties of translational research in thoracic oncology emphasizing the complexity in obtaining adequate tissue samples and the difficulties in conduction and transposing in routine practice high throughput technique for transcriptomic analyses.

[Oncological intensive care: 2013 and 2014 years'review]. / Soins Intensifs Oncologiques: Revue des années 2013 et 2014.

The objective of this paper is to review the literature published in 2013 and 2014 in the field of intensive care and emergency related to oncology. Are discussed because of new original publications: prognosis, life-supporting techniques, septic shock and infectious complications, anticancer treatment in intensive care, tumoral lysis syndrome, respiratory, thromboembolic and vascular, digestive and hepatic, and neurologic complications, oncologic emergencies, therapeutic limitations.

L'objectif de l'article est de revoir la littérature publiée en 2013 et 2014 dans le domaine des soins intensifs et des urgences en rapport avec l'oncologie. Sont envisagés en raison de nouvelles publications originales le pronostic, les techniques de support vital, le choc septique et les complications infectieuses, le traitement anticancéreux en soins intensifs, le syndrome de lyse tumorale, les complications pulmonaires, thromboemboliques et vasculaires, digestives et hépatiques, neurologiques, les urgences oncologiques, les limitations thérapeutiques.

[Implementation of an oncological care program in a multidisciplinary clinic]. / Implémentation d'un programme de soins oncologiques en consultation multidisciplinaire.

INTRODUCTION: A working group has highlighted guidelines in thoracic oncology in Europe without study of their implementation, due to a lack of data. METHODS: The records of 354 untreated lung cancer patients seen between January 2009 and December 2012 were reviewed. Any new treatment should have been proposed by a multidisciplinary consultation (MDC) in accordance with an oncology care program (OCP) based on the European Lung Cancer Working Party guidelines. RESULTS: For the 354 patients, there were 636 MDC (332, 176, 81 and 47 in 1st, 2nd, 3rd and subsequent lines). For the first line, the MDC rate was 88%, in accordance with the OCP, and 75% of treatments were in agreement with the guidelines. For the 2nd and 3rd lines, the rates were 93% and 92% respectively (MDC), 90 and 89% (OCP), 55 and 63% (guidelines). In the first line, the main causes of non-compliance with the OCP were patient's refusal or doctor's choice and with guidelines a lack of adequate recommendations for specific situations such as comorbidities or the appearance of new treatments. CONCLUSION: The vast majority of patients are the subject of a MDC with a high rate of application of OCP. Guidelines should be updated regularly to incorporate new treatments.

[Renal cysts - A novel complication of crizotinib treatment for lung cancer]. / Kyste rénal sous crizotinib. Une nouvelle complication pour le pneumo-oncologue.

We report the case of a woman with an ALK positive lung adenocarcinoma, who developed bilateral complex renal cysts 17 months after the introduction of treatment with crizotinib. Clinical investigation led to the conclusion that the cysts were due to anticancer drug. Regression of the renal cysts was observed one month after cessation of the crizotinib. This case illustrates that specific and little known toxicities can occur with these novel molecules which have entered use for the management of lung cancer.