Bronchoalveolar carcinoma as an unsuspected cause for worsening shortness of breath in a patient with metastatic breast cancer.

A 70-year-old woman with lung metastases from a breast cancer presented with worsening cough and dyspnoea. She recently had a pleurodesis for a malignant pleural effusion. Chest CT scans demonstrated various radiological changes leading to diagnostic challenges. Differential diagnoses included empyema, pleural disease progression, pulmonary oedema, pneumonitis, lymphangitis and atypical infections. She deteriorated despite a multimodality treatment strategy. Postmortem examination confirmed that lung changes were consistent with a bronchoalveolar carcinoma unrelated to the known metastatic breast cancer. The eventual knowledge of this diagnosis was reassuring to the treating medical team and a comfort to the relatives who witnessed the lack of response to standard treatment.

Phase I Results from a Study of Crizotinib in Combination with Erlotinib in Patients with Advanced Nonsquamous Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

INTRODUCTION: This phase I trial was conducted to determine the safety, maximum tolerated dose (MTD)/recommended phase II dose, and efficacy of crizotinib plus erlotinib in patients with advanced NSCLC. METHODS: Patients with NSCLC and an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0 to 2 after failure of one or two prior chemotherapy regimens were eligible. Erlotinib, 100 mg, was given continuously once daily starting between day -14 and -7; crizotinib, 200 mg twice daily (dose level 1) or 150 mg twice daily (dose level -1), was added continuously beginning on day 1 of treatment cycle 1. Potential pharmacokinetic interactions between crizotinib and erlotinib were evaluated. RESULTS: Twenty-seven patients received treatment; 26 received crizotinib plus erlotinib. Frequent adverse events were diarrhea, rash, decreased appetite, and fatigue. Dose-limiting toxicities were dehydration, diarrhea, dry eye, dysphagia, dyspepsia, esophagitis and vomiting. The MTD was crizotinib, 150 mg twice daily, with erlotinib, 100 mg once daily. Crizotinib increased the erlotinib area under the concentration-time curve 1.5-fold (dose level -1) and 1.8-fold (dose level 1). The plasma level of crizotinib appeared to be unaffected by coadministration of erlotinib. Two patients whose tumors harbored activating EGFR mutations achieved confirmed partial responses, one at each crizotinib dose level. CONCLUSIONS: The MTD of the combination of crizotinib and erlotinib in patients with advanced NSCLC was crizotinib, 150 mg twice daily, with erlotinib, 100 mg once daily, which is less than the approved dose of either agent. The phase II portion of the study was not initiated.

Predictive factors for local control in primary and metastatic lung tumours after four to five fraction stereotactic ablative body radiotherapy: a single institution's comprehensive experience.

AIMS: We report the outcomes of a large lung stereotactic ablative body radiotherapy (SABR) programme for primary non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and pulmonary metastases. The primary study aim was to identify factors predictive for local control. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In total, 311 pulmonary tumours in 254 patients were treated between 2008 and 2011 with SABR using 48-60 Gy in four to five fractions. Local, regional and distant failure data were collected prospectively, whereas other end points were collected retrospectively. Potential clinical and dosimetric predictors of local control were evaluated using univariate and multivariate analyses. RESULTS: Of the 311 tumours, 240 were NSCLC and 71 were other histologies. The 2 year local control rate was 96% in stage I NSCLC, 76% in colorectal cancer (CRC) metastases and 91% in non-lung/non-CRC metastases. Predictors of better local control on multivariate analysis were non-CRC tumours and a larger proportion of the planning target volume (PTV) receiving ≥100% of the prescribed dose (higher PTV V100). Among the 45 CRC metastases, a higher PTV V100 and previous chemotherapy predicted for better local control. CONCLUSIONS: Lung SABR of 48-60 Gy/four to five fractions resulted in high local control rates for all tumours except CRC metastases. Covering more of the PTV with the prescription dose (a higher PTV V100) also resulted in superior local control.

A prospective, molecular epidemiology study of EGFR mutations in Asian patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer of adenocarcinoma histology (PIONEER).

INTRODUCTION: PIONEER (NCT01185314) was a prospective, multinational, epidemiological study of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations in patients from Asia with newly diagnosed advanced lung adenocarcinoma. METHODS: Eligible patients (aged ≥20 years) had untreated stage IIIB/IV adenocarcinoma. The EGFR mutation status (primary end point: positive, negative, or undetermined) of tumor samples (biopsy, surgical specimen, or cytology) was determined (Scorpion amplification refractory mutation system). EGFR mutation frequency was calculated and compared between demographic and clinical subgroups. RESULTS: Of 1482 patients from seven Asian regions, 43.4% of patients were female, median age was 60 years (range, 17-94), and 52.6% of patients were never-smokers. EGFR mutation status was evaluable in tumors from 1450 patients (97.8%) (746 [51.4%] positive; 704 [48.6%] negative). Country, sex, ethnicity, smoking status, pack-years (all p < 0.001), disease stage (p = 0.009), and histology type (p = 0.016) correlated significantly with EGFR mutation frequency. Mutation frequency was 61.1% in females, 44.0% in males; lower in patients from India (22.2%) compared with other areas (47.2%-64.2%); highest among never-smokers (60.7%); and decreased as pack-year number increased (>0-10 pack-years, 57.9%; >50 pack-years, 31.4%) (similar trend by sex). Ethnic group (p < 0.001) and pack-years (p < 0.001) had statistically significant associations with mutation frequency (multivariate analysis); sex was not significant when adjusted for smoking status. CONCLUSION: PIONEER is the first prospective study to confirm high EGFR mutation frequency (51.4% overall) in tumors from Asian patients with adenocarcinoma. The observed high mutation frequency in demographic/clinical subgroups compared with white populations suggests that mutation testing should be considered for all patients with stage IIIB/IV adenocarcinoma, even males and regular smokers, among Asian populations.

Efficacy and survival-associated factors with gefitinib combined with cisplatin and gemcitabine for advanced non- small cell lung cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the efficacy and survival associated factors of gefitinib combined with cisplatin and gemcitabine for advanced non-small cell lung cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 57 patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), who received platinum-based chemotherapy regimens for more than 1 cycle, were treated with gefitinib combined with cisplatin and gemcitabine until disease progression. Efficacy, survival time and adverse reactions were observed. The Kaplan-Meier method was adopted for analysis of survival and Cox regression for associated influencing factors. RESULTS: The patients were followed up until October 31, 2013, and the median follow-up time was 19 months. Of 57 patients, there were 4 (7.0%) with complete remission (CR), 8 (14.0%) with partial remission, 31 (54.4%) with stable disease, and 14 (24.6%) with disease progression. The remission rate was 21.1% and the disease control rate was 75.4%. The median progression-free survival (PFS) time and the median overall survival time were 10 months and 15.2 months. The one-year, two-year and three- year survival rates were 47.4%, 23.3% and 10.0%. Gender and pathological types were the independent risk factors influencing PFS time (P=0.028, P=0.009). Tumor pathological type and early efficacy were independent factors for the prognosis (P=0.018, P=0.000). Adverse reactions were mostly rashes of I~II degree and diarrhea and slightly increasing level of aminopherase. The skin adverse event incidence of III degree or above was 1.8% (1/57) and brain metastasis was foudn in 31.6% (18/57). CONCLUSIONS: Gefitinib combined with cisplatin andgemcitabine, is effective for patients with IIIb~IV NSCLC who received multiple cycles of chemotherapy.

Choroidal metastasis as the first sign of bronchioloalveolar lung cancer: case report.

Metastatic tumors are the most common intraocular malignances and choroid is by far the most common site. Breast and lung cancer are the first cause in women and men respectively. We report the case of a 71-year old woman who had choroidal tumor in her left eye. Further image body scans demonstrated several lesions in both sides of the lungs with dissemination to other organs. Diagnosis of a brochioloalveolar carcinoma established after a biopsy carried out. The patient died before initiating a proper treatment.

Choroidal metastasis as the first sign of bronchioloalveolar lung cancer: case report / Metástase coroidal como primeira manifestação de carcinoma bronquioloalveolar: relato de caso

Metastatic tumors are the most common intraocular malignances and choroid is by far the most common site. Breast and lung cancer are the first cause in women and men respectively. We report the case of a 71-year old woman who had choroidal tumor in her left eye. Further image body scans demonstrated several lesions in both sides of the lungs with dissemination to other organs. Diagnosis of a brochioloalveolar carcinoma established after a biopsy carried out. The patient died before initiating a proper treatment.

Tumor metastático é a neoplasia ocular mais frequente, e a coroide é o local mais comum desta. Tumor de mama seguido de tumor pulmonar são as causas mais comuns de metástases oculares em mulheres e homens, respectivamente. Relatamos o caso de uma paciente de 71 anos com tumor coroidal no olho esquerdo. Posteriormente, estudos de imagem mostraram lesões pulmonares em ambos os pulmões e disseminação a outros órgãos. O diagnóstico de carcinoma bronquioloalveolar foi feito por biópsia. A paciente foi a óbito antes de se iniciar tratamento adequado.

Clinical outcomes and prognostic factors associated with the response to erlotinib in non-small-cell lung cancer patients with unknown EGFR mutational status.

BACKGROUND: The efficacy of erlotinib is controversial in patients with unknown EGFR mutational status. The aim of this study was to identify the clinicopathological factors that are predictive of erlotinob treatment outcomes for NSCLC patients with unknown EGFR mutational status. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis of 109 patients with advanced NSCLC who had previously failed at least one line of chemotherapy and received subsequent treatment with erlotinib (150 mg/day orally) was performed. A Cox proportional hazard model for univariate and multivariate analyses was used to identify the baseline clinical parameters correlating with treatment outcome, expressed in terms of hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS: The median treatment duration was 15 weeks (range, 4-184). The disease control rate was 55%, including disease stability for ≥ 3 months for 40% of the patients. Median progression-free survival and median overall survival (OS) were 4.2 and 8.5 months, respectively. The Cox model indicated that an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (ECOG PS) ≥ 2 (HR 3.82; p<0.001), presence of intra-abdominal metastasis (HR 3.42; p=0.002), 2 or more prior chemotherapy regimens (HR 2.29; p=0.021), and weight loss >5% (HR 2.05; p=0.034) were independent adverse prognostic factors for OS in NSCLC patients treated with erlotinib. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that NSCLC patients should be enrolled in erlotinib treatment after a first round of unsuccessful chemotherapy to improve treatment success, during which they should be monitored for intra-abdominal metastasis and weight loss.

Dose-escalation study of three-dimensional conformal thoracic radiotherapy with concurrent S-1 and cisplatin for inoperable stage III non-small-cell lung cancer.

PURPOSE: To determine the recommended dose (RD) in concurrent conformal radiotherapy with S-1 and cisplatin chemotherapy for inoperable stage III non-small-cell lung cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Eligible patients with inoperable stage III non-small-cell lung cancer, age ≥ 20 years, performance status 0-1 received 4 cycles of intravenous cisplatin (60 mg/m(2), day 1) and oral S-1 (80, 100, or 120 mg based on body surface area, days 1-14) repeated every 4 weeks. Radiation doses were 66, 70, and 74 Gy for arms 1, 2, and 3, respectively. RESULTS: A total of 24 patients were enrolled in our study, including 6 in arm 1, 6 in arm 2, and 12 in arm 3. The patients consisted of 14 men and 10 women, with a median age of 63 years (range, 44-73 years). The median follow-up was 27.3 months (range, 8.5-42.6 months) for all patients and 33.9 months (range, 15.2-42.6 months) for those still alive. Grade 3 febrile neutropenia, lung toxicities, and heart toxicities occurred in 2, 2, and 2 patients, respectively. Dose-limiting toxicity occurred in 2, none, and 1 patient in arms 1, 2, and 3, respectively. The median survival was not reached, and the 2-year survival rate was 70% (95% CI, 51%-89%). Two-year local relapse-free survival and distant metastasis-free survival were 74% (95% CI, 56%-92%) and 45% (95% CI, 25%-65%), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: High-dose radiotherapy with S-1 and cisplatin is feasible, and 74 Gy was determined as the recommended dose.

Continued erlotinib maintenance and salvage radiation for solitary areas of disease progression: a useful strategy in selected non-small cell lung cancers?

PURPOSE: Advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a common and lethal malignancy that has rarely benefited from chemotherapy. Erlotinib is highly effective in NSCLC patients selected by clinical characteristics and/or the presence of epidermal growth factor receptor-sensitizing mutations. However, the way to delay or bypass erlotinib resistance is not systematically addressed. Different erlotinib-failure modes have been reported in NSCLC, and strategies to prolong erlotinib efficacy are perhaps adaptable to them. We report the feasibility and efficacy of continued erlotinib maintenance and local salvage radiation to overcome erlotinib resistances in selected NSCLC patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Thirty of 52 consecutive erlotinib-treated advanced NSCLC from the NYU Langone Medical Center and the Arnau de Vilanova Hospital of Lleida responded initially to erlotinib. Twenty-six patients eventually showed a generalized-progression to erlotinib, and four progressed in solitary tumor sites. These four patients were treated with continued erlotinib maintenance and local salvage radiation. RESULTS: The progression-free survival (PFS) was statistically similar in patients with oligo or generalized-progression to erlotinib. However, all four cases with solitary-progression did benefit from continued erlotinib maintenance and salvage radiation with 41-140 % prolongation of PFS. It was reflected in an improved overall survival when they were compared with patients with generalized-progression (76.4 vs. 19.9 months; p = 0.018). CONCLUSION: Continued erlotinib maintenance and local salvage radiation is feasible and could contribute to a better outcome in selected NSCLC patients with solitary-progression to erlotinib. Prospective randomized trials of this strategy are warranted.

Metastasis dynamics for non-small-cell lung cancer: effect of patient and tumor-related factors.

BACKGROUND: We studied event dynamics (probability of an event occurring over a specific time interval) in patients undergoing surgery for early-stage non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) according to patient and tumor characteristics. METHODS: By using a database of 1506 patients who underwent initial surgery for NSCLC, event dynamics, based on a time-specific hazard rate, were evaluated. The event of interest was the development of distant metastases, with or without a local recurrence. The effect of sex, tumor size, nodal involvement, histology, lymphovascular space invasion, pleural invasion, age, and race were studied. RESULTS: The hazard rate for developing distant metastases was not constant over time but was characterized by specific peaks, the first being approximately 9 months after surgery and the second at 18 to 20 months for men and 24 to 26 months for women. For women, the hazard rate peaked considerably in the first year. For men, the hazard rate peaks were smaller but lasted for a longer duration. Pathologic factors associated with a higher risk of recurrence (eg, size, lymph node involvement, pleural invasion) all increased the sex-specific hazard rates. CONCLUSIONS: The probability of developing distant metastases after surgery for NSCLC peaks at specific and consistent time intervals after surgery, with specific differences between men and women. A factor-specific modulation of peak heights that ranged from no impact (eg, race) to relevant effects for primary tumor size, nodal involvement, and pleural invasion, possibly related to sex, was also observed. The bimodal distant metastases dynamics may be an intrinsic feature of metastatic progression in NSCLC.

Prognostic impact of tumor size eliminating the ground glass opacity component: modified clinical T descriptors of the tumor, node, metastasis classification of lung cancer.

INTRODUCTION: The presence of ground glass opacity (GGO) on high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) is well known to be pathologically closely associated with adenocarcinoma in situ. Recently, measuring the tumor diameter including areas of GGO on HRCT has been reported to possibly overestimate the T status. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the significance of the tumor size measured eliminating the area of GGO on HRCT as a prognostic factor and to propose a refined TNM classification based on modified T descriptors. METHODS: Four hundred seventy-five patients with clinical T1a-T2bN0M0 non-small-cell lung cancer underwent surgical resection. All tumors were reclassified based on the diameter measured eliminating the GGO area on HRCT according to the seventh TNM classification of lung cancer. We defined this new classification as modified T descriptors categorizing into five groups: mTis, mT1a, mT1b, mT2a, and mT2b. The overall survival rates of the patients in the current and modified staging groups were evaluated. RESULTS: The 5-year survival rates were 88% and 82% in the patients with T1a and T1b tumors and 90% and 75% in the patients with mT1a and mT1b tumors, respectively. The differences in the survival rate of the patients classified by using mT1a and the other modified T descriptors were more clearly separated statistically than those of the patients classified by using the current T1a and other T descriptors. CONCLUSION: The modified T descriptors of the tumor size measured eliminating the GGO component on HRCT more clearly classified the prognoses of patients with early lung cancer than did the current T classification.

Gemcitabine plus paclitaxel as second-line chemotherapy in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

PURPOSE: The aim of this retrospective study was to determine response rates, progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS) and toxicity of gemcitabine and paclitaxel combinations with advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer patients (NSCLC) who have progressive disease after platinum-based first-line chemotherapy. METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated the file records of patients treated with gemcitabine plus paclitaxel in advanced or metastatic NSCLC cases in a second-line setting. The chemotherapy schedule was as follows: gemcitabine 1500 mg/m2 and paclitaxel 150 mg/m2 administered every two weeks. RESULTS: Forty-eight patients (45 male, 3 female) were evaluated; stage IIIB/IV 6/42; PS0, 8.3%, PS1, 72.9%, PS2, 18.8%; median age, 56 years old (range 38-76). Six (12.5%) patients showed a partial response (PR), 13 (27.1%) stable disease (SD), and 27 (56.3%) progressive disease (PD). The median OS was 6.63 months (95% CI 4.0-9.2); the median PFS was 2.7 months (95% CI 1.8-3.6). Grade 3 and 4 hematologic toxicities, including neutropenia (n=4, 8.4%), and anemia (n=3, 6.3%) were encountered, but no grade 3 or 4 thrombocytopenia. One patient developed febrile neutropenia. There were no interruption for reasons of toxicity and no exitus related to therapy. CONCLUSION: The combination of two-weekly gemcitabine plus paclitaxel was an effective and well-tolerated second-line chemotherapy regimen for advanced or metastatic NSCLC patients previously treated with platinum-containing chemotherapy. Although the most common and dose limiting toxicities were neutropenia and neuropathy, this regimen was tolerated well by the patients.

Prognostic impact of malignant pleural effusion at presentation in patients with metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: Despite its common occurrence, the influence of malignant pleural effusion (MPE) on the outcomes of patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with distant metastasis (M1b) is unknown. We evaluated the clinical characteristics associated with MPE at presentation and the prognostic impact of MPE at presentation in patients with stage M1b NSCLC. METHODS: We extracted data from the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) registry from patients with NSCLC diagnosed between 2004 and 2005. Odds-ratio estimates were calculated using logistic regression, and the Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate the overall survival. Cox proportional hazard model was used to evaluate whether MPE was an independent risk for outcome. RESULTS: Among the 57,685 patients, MPE was present in 9170 (15.9%), including 3944 out of 31,506 (12.5%) without distant metastases and 5226 (20.0%) out of 26,179 with M1b. The probability of MPE was higher in patients with larger tumors, mediastinal lymph node involvement, and adenocarcinoma, NSCLC not otherwise specified, or large-cell histology. In patients with stage M1b, median overall survival (3 months versus 5 months), estimated 1-year survival (12.6% versus 24.8%), and 2-year survival (5.4% versus 11.3%) were significantly lower in patients with MPE compared with those without MPE (hazards ratio 1.49, 95% confidence interval 1.44-1.54, p < 0.0001). MPE was also an independent factor for worse survival in multivariate analysis (hazards ratio 1.36, 95% confidence interval1.30-1.43, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: MPE is a common complication in patients with NSCLC and is associated with decreased survival in patients with distant metastases. If these data are validated, subsequent studies in patients with advanced NSCLC may consider stratification according to the MPE status.

Chemotherapy effectiveness after first-line gefitinib treatment for advanced lepidic predominant adenocarcinoma (formerly advanced bronchioloalveolar carcinoma): exploratory analysis of the IFCT-0401 trial.

HYPOTHESIS: This study explored whether chemotherapy after first-line gefitinib was effective in patients with advanced lepidic predominant adenocarcinoma (LPA), formerly advanced bronchioloalveolar carcinoma, who were enrolled in the Intergroupe Francophone de Cancérologie Thoracique (IFCT)-0401 trial. METHODS: Overall, 88 patients presenting advanced LPA were enrolled in the IFCT-0401 trial, receiving gefitinib as first-line therapy. No predefined second-line treatment was mandatory in the case of progression or limiting toxicity under gefitinib. However, the carboplatin plus paclitaxel regimen was recommended for patients with a performance status (PS) 0 or 1 and gemcitabine monotherapy for those with a PS 2. For these patients, data concerning treatment efficacy was collected from the IFCT-0401 trial database. RESULTS: In total, 47 patients (53%) received second-line treatment after the failure of gefitinib, with 43 having PS 0 or 1. Regarding treatment, 43 were treated with chemotherapy, with 38 receiving a platinum-doublet regimen (taxane-based, n = 29; gemcitabine-based, n = 9) and five receiving monotherapy (gemcitabine, n = 3; pemetrexed, n = 2). The overall response rate (ORR) to chemotherapy was 21% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 10-36), disease control rate 56% (95% CI: 40-71), and median progression-free survival (PFS) 3.0 months (95% CI: 2.4-4.9). For patients receiving a platinum doublet (n = 38), ORR was 21% (95% CI: 10-37), with disease control rate being 55% (95% CI: 38-71), and median PFS 2.9 months (95% CI: 2.4-4.4). For patients receiving taxane-based regimen (n = 29) and gemcitabine-based regimen (n = 12), ORR was 28% and 0%, respectively, with a median PFS of 3.3 and 2.0 months, respectively, (p = 0.0243). The two patients receiving pemetrexed experienced a prolonged response. Multivariate Cox model analysis revealed that only the use of taxane-based chemotherapy or pemetrexed was related to PFS. CONCLUSION: Platinum-doublet chemotherapy showed some effectiveness in treating advanced LPA patients after first-line gefitinib. Our findings also suggest that taxane-based chemotherapy and pemetrexed should be investigated further in future clinical trials.

Prognostic models to predict survival in non-small-cell lung cancer patients treated with first-line paclitaxel and carboplatin with or without bevacizumab.

BACKGROUND: To determine prognostic factors and build a model to predict 1-year overall survival (OS) and 6-month progression-free survival (PFS) in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients treated with first-line paclitaxel and carboplatin with or without bevacizumab. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analyzed 26 pretreatment clinical variables in 850 NSCLC patients treated in the randomized Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group 4599 study. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify prognostic factors. Cox regression with 50% randomly sampled data was used to build nomograms with a prognostic score assigned to each factor. The model was validated with the remaining 50% of data. RESULTS: Eleven poor factors for OS (hazard ratio) were as follows: skin metastasis (4.49), body mass index less than 18.5 (2.09), increased serum lactate dehydrogenase (1.74), adrenal metastasis (1.52), performance status greater than 0 (1.45), low serum albumin (1.45), men (1.39), bone metastasis (1.39), large cell/not otherwise specified histology (1.29), mediastinal nodal metastasis (1.23), and treatment without bevacizumab (1.18). Seven poor factors for PFS were as follows: skin metastasis (3.13), treatment without bevacizumab (1.52), bone metastasis (1.41), liver metastasis (1.40), low serum albumin (1.39), performance status greater than 0 (1.21), and mediastinal nodal metastasis (1.14). Based on these factors, we built and validated two nomograms predicting 1-year OS and 6-month PFS. CONCLUSION: Using our proposed models, the probability of survival with first-line paclitaxel and carboplatin with or without bevacizumab in nonsquamous NSCLC patients can be estimated. These prognostic models provide a tool for research design and clinical decision making, such as patient stratification and therapy selection.

Predictors of death, local recurrence, and distant metastasis in completely resected pathological stage-I non-small-cell lung cancer.

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the factors predicting recurrence and death in patients with resected stage-I non-small-cell lung cancers according to the 7th edition of tumor, node, metastasis (TNM) classification for lung cancer. METHODS: All patients undergoing surgical resection for pathological stage-I non-small-cell lung cancers at Taipei Veterans General Hospital between 1980 and 2000 were retrospectively reviewed. Those undergoing sublobar resection were excluded. The factors predicting overall survival (OS), overall recurrence, local recurrence, and distant metastasis were investigated. RESULTS: A total of 756 patients were eligible. The 5-year OS rate and probability of freedom from recurrence were 57.3% and 70.2%, respectively. The 2-year local-recurrence-free and distant-metastasis-free rates were 90.7% and 82.1%, respectively. In multivariable analysis, the new T descriptor (T1a, T1b, and T2a) was the common factor that significantly affected OS (p = 0.003), overall recurrence (p = 0.004), and distant metastasis (p < 0.001). Smoking index more than 20, and number of mediastinal lymph nodes dissected/sampled of 15 or fewer were common factors that significantly predicted worse OS (p < 0.001, p < 0.001, respectively), lower probability of freedom from overall recurrence (p = 0.025, p = 0.009, respectively), and higher risk of local recurrence (p < 0.001, p = 0.030, respectively). Non-squamous-cell histology predicted higher risk of distant metastasis (p = 0.006). CONCLUSIONS: Risks of death and recurrence increase as the T descriptor upgrades in the new TNM system. The combination of risk factors can be used to identify high-risk subgroups of local recurrence and distant metastasis.

Comparison between preoperative versus intraoperative injection of technetium-99 m neomannosyl human serum albumin for sentinel lymph node identification in early stage lung cancer.

PURPOSE: We aimed to evaluate the results of sentinel lymph node mapping according to injection time (preoperative vs. intraoperative) of technetium-99m neomannosyl human serum albumin (99mTc-MSA) in patients with lung cancer. METHODS: Data of 82 patients (55 men; mean age 62.9±9.3 years) who were candidates for lobectomy with mediastinal lymph node dissection for clinical stage I non-small cell lung cancer were retrospectively reviewed. (99m)Tc-MSA was administered at the peritumoral region under chest computed tomographic guidance, 1 to 2 h before surgery (preoperation group, n=48) or soon after thoracotomy (intraoperation group, n=34). RESULTS: Patients' demographic data, except type of operation, did not differ between the two groups. Sentinel lymph nodes were detected in 46 patients (95.8%) in the preoperation group and 33 patients (97.1%) in the intraoperation group (P=.243). The mean number of sentinel nodes per patient was 2.1 in the preoperation group and 2.6 in the intraoperation group (P=.068). No falsely negative sentinel nodes were detected in any of the 17 patients with N1 or N2 disease (0%) in either group. Administration of the intraoperative injection could save additional cost (US$607) and time (70 min) in each patient. CONCLUSIONS: Sentinel node identification using 99mTc-MSA appears to provide similar excellent results in both preoperative and intraoperative injection. Therefore, intraoperative injection of 99mTc-MSA may be preferred as a result of lower cost and less waste of time.

Phase II trial of gefitinib in pretreated Chinese women with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer.

A phase II clinical trial was performed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of gefitinib on pretreated Chinese female non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. Chinese female patients with locally advanced or metastatic NSCLC who failed at least one platinum-based chemotherapy received gefitinib monotherapy (250 mg/day) between April 2002 and January 2010. The primary endpoint was overall response rate (ORR), and secondary endpoints were overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). Of the 40 evaluable female patients, the ORR was 62.5%. All patients have responded with one (2.5%) complete response, 24 (60%) partial response, 12 (30%) stable disease, and 3 (7.5%) progressive disease. The OS and PFS were 20 months (95% CI: 11.9-28 months) and 13 months (95% CI: 8.0-17.9 months), respectively. Survival (OS and PFS) were longer in patients with good performance status and in patients older than 65 years (P < 0.05). The most frequently observed toxicities were rash/dry skin (80%), diarrhea (42.5%), and vomiting/anorexia (32.5%). Four patients developed grade 3 toxicities (rash and diarrhea) but did not require either dose reduction or discontinuation. Gefitinib is a highly effective and well-tolerated agent for Chinese women with pretreated advanced NSCLC.