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
Four-year results of low-dose CT screening and nodule management in the ITALUNG trial.
Recruitment and nodule management are critical issues of lung cancer screening with low-dose computed tomography (LDCT). We report subjects' compliance and results of LDCT screening and management protocol in the active arm of the ITALUNG trial. ⋯ High-risk subjects recruited by mail who entered LDCT screening showed a high and stable compliance. Efficacy of screening is, however, weakened by low detection rate and specificity. Adhesion to management protocol might lessen surgery for benign lesions.
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Optimal management of clinical stage IIIA-N2 non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is controversial. This study examines whether neoadjuvant chemoradiation plus surgery improves survival rates when compared with other recommended treatment strategies. ⋯ This large study demonstrates that patients with clinical stage IIIA-N2 NSCLC, who underwent neoadjuvant chemoradiation followed by lobectomy, were associated with an improved survival.
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Multicenter Study
Phase 2 study of sorafenib in malignant mesothelioma previously treated with platinum-containing chemotherapy.
The incidence of mesothelioma is rising. First-line cisplatin and pemetrexed confers a survival benefit, with a median progression-free survival (PFS) of 5.7 months. Sorafenib inhibits tyrosine kinases, including receptors for vascular endothelial growth factor, which are implicated in mesothelioma pathogenesis by preclinical and clinical data. ⋯ Sorafenib is well tolerated in patients with mesothelioma after completion of platinum-containing chemotherapy. PFS of sorafenib compares favorably with that reported for other targeted agents, and suggests moderate activity in this disease.
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Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is an aggressive malignancy that although initially sensitive to chemo- and radiation therapy, inevitably relapses resulting in poor survival. Increasing evidence suggests that immune responses against SCLC cells make immunotherapy a viable therapeutic approach. Furthermore, preclinical data have shown that certain chemotherapeutic regimens may augment the immunotherapeutic response in SCLC. This review discusses current evidence supporting immunotherapy for SCLC, progress made, and ongoing clinical trials. ⋯ Treatment options for SCLC are limited and prognosis poor, emphasizing the need for novel treatments. Although current strategies successfully induce a response, the response is not durable. Evidence of an immune response in SCLC and a better understanding of the immunosuppressive tumor environment support the combinatorial use of immunomodulators, such as ipilimumab, with traditional chemotherapy regimens to improve patient outcomes and potentially sustain the effect from chemotherapeutic induction.
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In the 7th tumor, node, metastasis (TNM) classification, visceral pleural invasion (VPI) is defined as invasion beyond the elastic layer, including invasion to the visceral pleural surface, and T1 tumors with VPI are upgraded to T2a. To validate this, we analyzed the survival of non-small-cell lung cancer patients from a nationwide database and evaluated the prognostic impact of VPI. ⋯ In addition to the current TNM classification recommendations, in which T1 tumors with VPI are upgraded to T2a, T2a tumors with VPI should be classified as T2b.