Journal of thoracic oncology : official publication of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
A randomized controlled trial of postthoracotomy pulmonary rehabilitation in patients with resectable lung cancer.
Little is known about the effects of rehabilitation for patients with lung cancer after thoracotomy. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of a multidisciplinary rehabilitation program on quality of life (QOL) and secondary objectives were to determine its effects on pain and exercise capacity and the feasibility of combining rehabilitation with adjuvant chemotherapy. ⋯ Rehabilitation did not result in a better QOL. Exercise tolerance improved at the cost of more pain and more limitations because of physical problems. We suggest that rehabilitation is better postponed for 3 to 4 months after hospital discharge.
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We investigated safety, efficacy, and recurrence after postoperative hemithoracic intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) in patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma treated with extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP), during the past decade at a single institution. ⋯ IMRT after EPP is associated with low rates of locoregional recurrence, though some patients experience life-threatening lung toxicity. Tumor histology and nodal status can be helpful in identifying patients for this aggressive treatment.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Symptom and quality of life benefit of afatinib in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer patients previously treated with erlotinib or gefitinib: results of a randomized phase IIb/III trial (LUX-Lung 1).
Patient-reported symptom and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) benefit of afatinib, a novel, irreversible, ErbB Family Blocker, was investigated in a double-blind, randomized, phase IIb/III trial (LUX-Lung 1). ⋯ In the LUX-Lung 1 trial, the addition of afatinib to BSC significantly improved non-small-cell lung cancer-related symptoms (cough, dyspnea, and pain), fatigue, physical functioning, and HRQoL and significantly delayed time to deterioration of cough.
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Literature concerning primary pulmonary sarcomas (PPS) is limited to small case series. This study examines, in a large cohort, the clinical characteristics and therapeutic strategies of PPS and their impact on overall survival (OS). ⋯ This large study examining PPS patients reveals a high rate of nodal involvement and a markedly worse OS than patients with extremity soft-tissue sarcomas. Thus, given the poor overall prognosis, it is recommended that PPS patients undergo a thorough mediastinal nodal evaluation to rule out locoregional metastasis and proceed with aggressive treatment.