Small-cell lung cancer van Meerbeeck, Jan P, Prof; Fennell, Dean A, FRCP; De Ruysscher, Dirk KM, Prof
The Lancet (British edition),
11/2011, Volume:
378, Issue:
9804
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
Summary The incidence and mortality of small-cell lung cancer worldwide make this disease a notable health-care issue. Diagnosis relies on histology, with the use of immunohistochemical studies to ...confirm difficult cases. Typical patients are men older than 70 years who are current or past heavy smokers and who have pulmonary and cardiovascular comorbidities. Patients often present with rapid-onset symptoms due to local intrathoracic tumour growth, extrapulmonary distant spread, paraneoplastic syndromes, or a combination of these features. Staging aims ultimately to define disease as metastatic or non-metastatic. Combination chemotherapy, generally platinum-based plus etoposide or irinotecan, is the mainstay first-line treatment for metastatic small-cell lung cancer. For non-metastatic disease, evidence supports early concurrent thoracic radiotherapy. Prophylactic cranial irradiation should be considered for patients with or without metastases whose disease does not progress after induction chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Despite high initial response rates, most patients eventually relapse. Except for topotecan, few treatment options then remain. Signalling pathways have been identified that might yield new drug targets.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
To compare neurocognitive functioning in patients with SCLC who received prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI) with or without hippocampus avoidance (HA).
In a multicenter, randomized phase 3 trial ...(NCT01780675), patients with SCLC were randomized to standard PCI or HA-PCI of 25 Gy in 10 fractions. Neuropsychological tests were performed at baseline and 4, 8, 12, 18, and 24 months after PCI. The primary end point was total recall on the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test—Revised at 4 months; a decline of at least five points from baseline was considered a failure. Secondary end points included other cognitive outcomes, evaluation of the incidence, location of brain metastases, and overall survival.
From April 2013 to March 2018, a total of 168 patients were randomized. The median follow-up time was 26.6 months. In both treatment arms, 70% of the patients had limited disease and baseline characteristics were well balanced. Decline on the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised total recall score at 4 months was not significantly different between the arms: 29% of patients on PCI and 28% of patients on HA-PCI dropped greater than or equal to five points (p = 1.000). Performance on other cognitive tests measuring memory, executive function, attention, motor function, and processing speed did not change significantly different over time between the groups. The overall survival was not significantly different (p = 0.43). The cumulative incidence of brain metastases at 2 years was 20% (95% confidence interval: 12%–29%) for the PCI arm and 16% (95% confidence interval: 7%–24%) for the HA-PCI arm.
This randomized phase 3 trial did not find a lower probability of cognitive decline in patients with SCLC receiving HA-PCI compared with conventional PCI. No increase in brain metastases at 2 years was observed in the HA-PCI arm.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Radiotherapy toxicity De Ruysscher, Dirk; Niedermann, Gabriele; Burnet, Neil G ...
Nature reviews. Disease primers,
02/2019, Volume:
5, Issue:
1
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Radiotherapy is used in >50% of patients with cancer, both for curative and palliative purposes. Radiotherapy uses ionizing radiation to target and kill tumour tissue, but normal tissue can also be ...damaged, leading to toxicity. Modern and precise radiotherapy techniques, such as intensity-modulated radiotherapy, may prevent toxicity, but some patients still experience adverse effects. The physiopathology of toxicity is dependent on many parameters, such as the location of irradiation or the functional status of organs at risk. Knowledge of the mechanisms leads to a more rational approach for controlling radiotherapy toxicity, which may result in improved symptom control and quality of life for patients. This improved quality of life is particularly important in paediatric patients, who may live for many years with the long-term effects of radiotherapy. Notably, signs and symptoms occurring after radiotherapy may not be due to the treatment but to an exacerbation of existing conditions or to the development of new diseases. Although differential diagnosis may be difficult, it has important consequences for patients.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
Radiation dose escalation has been shown to improve local control and survival in patients with non-small cell lung cancer in some studies, but randomized data have not supported this premise, ...possibly owing to adverse effects. Because of the physical characteristics of the Bragg peak, proton therapy (PT) delivers minimal exit dose distal to the target volume, resulting in better sparing of normal tissues in comparison to photon-based radiation therapy. This is particularly important for lung cancer given the proximity of the lung, heart, esophagus, major airways, large blood vessels, and spinal cord. However, PT is associated with more uncertainty because of the finite range of the proton beam and motion for thoracic cancers. PT is more costly than traditional photon therapy but may reduce side effects and toxicity-related hospitalization, which has its own associated cost. The cost of PT is decreasing over time because of reduced prices for the building, machine, maintenance, and overhead, as well as newer, shorter treatment programs. PT is improving rapidly as more research is performed particularly with the implementation of 4-dimensional computed tomography-based motion management and intensity modulated PT. Given these controversies, there is much debate in the oncology community about which patients with lung cancer benefit significantly from PT. The Particle Therapy Co-operative Group (PTCOG) Thoracic Subcommittee task group intends to address the issues of PT indications, advantages and limitations, cost-effectiveness, technology improvement, clinical trials, and future research directions. This consensus report can be used to guide clinical practice and indications for PT, insurance approval, and clinical or translational research directions.
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GEOZS, IJS, NUK, OILJ, UL, UM, UPUK
Lung cancer is the most lethal cancer, and 85% of cases are classified as non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Metabolic rewiring is a cancer hallmark that causes treatment resistance, and lacks ...insights into serine/glycine pathway adaptations upon radiotherapy.
We analyzed radiotherapy responses using mass-spectrometry-based metabolomics in NSCLC patient's plasma and cell lines. Efficacy of serine/glycine conversion inhibitor sertraline with radiotherapy was investigated by proliferation, clonogenic and spheroid assays, and in vivo using a serine/glycine dependent NSCLC mouse model by assessment of tumor growth, metabolite and cytokine levels, and immune signatures.
Serine/glycine pathway metabolites were significantly consumed in response to radiotherapy in NSCLC patients and cell models. Combining sertraline with radiotherapy impaired NSCLC proliferation, clonogenicity and stem cell self-renewal capacity. In vivo, NSCLC tumor growth was reduced solely in the sertraline plus radiotherapy combination treatment group. Tumor weights linked to systemic serine/glycine pathway metabolite levels, and were inhibited in the combination therapy group. Interestingly, combination therapy reshaped the tumor microenvironment via cytokines associated with natural killer cells, supported by eradication of immune checkpoint galectin-1 and elevated granzyme B levels.
Our findings highlight that targeting serine/glycine metabolism using sertraline restricts cancer cell recovery from radiotherapy and provides tumor control through immunomodulation in NSCLC.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
Among patients with advanced NSCLC, there is a group of patients with synchronous oligometastatic disease (sOMD), defined as a limited number of metastases detected at the time of diagnosis. As ...cachexia and sarcopenia are linked to poor survival, incorporating this information could assist clinicians in determining whether a radical treatment should be administered. In a retrospective multicenter study, including all patients with adequately staged (FDG-PET, brain imaging) sOMD according to the EORTC definition, we aimed to assess the relationship between cachexia and/or sarcopenia and survival. Of the 439 patients that were identified between 2015 and 2021, 234 met the criteria for inclusion and were included. The median age of the cohort was 67, 52.6% were male, and the median number of metastasis was 1. Forty-six (19.7%) patients had cachexia, thirty-four (14.5%) had sarcopenia and twenty-one (9.0%) had both. With a median follow-up of 49.7 months, median PFS and OS were 8.6 and 17.3 months, respectively. Moreover, a trend toward longer PFS was found in patients without cachexia and sarcopenia compared to those with cachexia and/or sarcopenia. In multivariate analysis, cachexia and sarcopenia were not associated with an inferior survival, irrespective of receiving radical treatment. High CRP was associated with inferior survival and could be a prognostic factor, helping the decision of clinicians in selecting patients who may benefit from the addition of LRT. However, despite the homogeneous definition of oligometastatic disease and the adequate staging, our subgroups were small. Therefore, further studies are needed to better understand our hypothesis and generating findings.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Background
Assessment of handgrip strength and fat‐free mass provides quick and objective information on muscle performance and mass that might complement subjective World Health Organization ...Performance Status (WHO PS). We investigated to what extent the presence of pre‐treatment handgrip weakness and low fat‐free mass index (FFMI) provides additional prognostic information on top of well‐established prognostic factors (including WHO PS) in non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients selected for curative‐intent (chemo)radiation.
Methods
Prospectively, patients with early and locally advanced NSCLC (stages I‐III) treated with (chemo)radiation were enrolled. Handgrip weakness and low FFMI, derived from bioelectrical impedance analysis, were defined using normative values and were correlated with overall survival (OS).
Results
We included 936 patients (age 68 ± 10 years; 64% male; 19% stage I, 9% stage II, and 72% stage III disease; 26% handgrip weakness; 27% low FFMI). In patients with good performance status (WHO PS 0 or 1), handgrip weakness and low FFMI were significant prognostic factors for OS, after adjustment for age, gender, disease stage, and co‐morbidities. The combined presence of handgrip weakness and low FFMI was a strong prognostic factor for OS when compared with patients with normal handgrip strength and FFMI (hazard ratio: 1.79, 95% confidence interval: 1.34–2.40, P < 0.0001). In patients with impaired performance status (WHO PS ≥ 2, 19% of sample), handgrip weakness and low FFMI were not related to OS.
Conclusions
In early and locally advanced NSCLC patients treated with curative‐intent (chemo)radiation who have good WHO PS, patients with combined handgrip weakness and low FFMI have the worst prognosis.
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FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
The European Respiratory Society (ERS)/European Society of Thoracic Surgeons (ESTS)/European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS)/European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO) ...task force brought together experts to update previous 2009 ERS/ESTS guidelines on management of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM), a rare cancer with globally poor outcome, after a systematic review of the 2009-2018 literature. The evidence was appraised using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach. The evidence syntheses were discussed and recommendations formulated by this multidisciplinary group of experts. Diagnosis: pleural biopsies remain the gold standard to confirm the diagnosis, usually obtained by thoracoscopy but occasionally
image-guided percutaneous needle biopsy in cases of pleural symphysis or poor performance status. Pathology: standard staining procedures are insufficient in ∼10% of cases, justifying the use of specific markers, including
and
(
) for the separation of atypical mesothelial proliferation from MPM. Staging: in the absence of a uniform, robust and validated staging system, we advise using the most recent 2016 8th TNM (tumour, node, metastasis) classification, with an algorithm for pre-therapeutic assessment. Monitoring: patient's performance status, histological subtype and tumour volume are the main prognostic factors of clinical importance in routine MPM management. Other potential parameters should be recorded at baseline and reported in clinical trials. Treatment: (chemo)therapy has limited efficacy in MPM patients and only selected patients are candidates for radical surgery. New promising targeted therapies, immunotherapies and strategies have been reviewed. Because of limited data on the best combination treatment, we emphasise that patients who are considered candidates for a multimodal approach, including radical surgery, should be treated as part of clinical trials in MPM-dedicated centres.
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