Thorac Cancer
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The current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is associated with a heavy burden on the mental and physical health of patients, regional healthcare resources, and global economic activity. Many patients with lung cancer are thought to be affected by this situation. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on lung cancer treatment scheduling. ⋯ The treatments of most of the patients were delayed at their request. We determined that 9.1% lung cancer patients suffered anxiety and requested a treatment delay during the COVID-19 pandemic. Oncologists should bear in mind that patients with cancer have more anxiety than expected under unprecedented circumstances such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have significant clinical efficacy in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC); however, the incidence of immune-related adverse events (irAEs) of up to 50% has prevented their widespread use. With the increase in the use of ICIs alone or as combination therapy, clinicians are required to have a better understanding of irAEs and be able to manage them systematically. In this study, we aimed to assess the incidence of irAEs associated with ICIs. ⋯ This meta-analysis confirmed that anti-PD-1 and anti-PD-L1 inhibitors had a lower incidence of irAEs compared with anti-CTLA-4 inhibitors.
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CalliSpheres are drug-eluting beads used for tumor artery embolization, with clinical benefits in a number of cancer types. The aim of the study was to examine the clinical benefits and complications of patients with stage II-IV lung cancer treated with CalliSpheres drug-eluting beads for embolization versus conventional vascular interventional treatment. ⋯ The ORR, PFS, OS was better in the CalliSphere group than that of infusion group; CEA and CYFRA21-1 were significant lower in CalliSphere group.
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Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial lung biopsy (EBUS-TBLB) and fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) have been widely used in the diagnosis of peripheral pulmonary lesions (PPLs). This study was conducted to determine the diagnostic value of EBUS-TBLB combined with FDG-PET in the assessment of PPLs. ⋯ An integrated approach combining EBUS-TBLB with FDG-PET is particularly useful for diagnosing PPLs, and the improved diagnostic yields were especially evident for PPLs >20 mm.
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Pleurodesis is the standard of care for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with symptomatic malignant pleural effusion (MPE). However, there is no standard management for MPE uncontrolled by pleurodesis. Most patients with unsuccessful MPE control are unable to receive effective chemotherapy. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays an important role in the pathogenesis of MPE. This multicenter, phase II study investigated the effects of bevacizumab plus chemotherapy in nonsquamous NSCLC patients with unsuccessful management of MPE. ⋯ UMIN000006868 was a phase II study of efficacy of bevacizumab plus chemotherapy for the management of malignant pleural effusion (MPE) in nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer patients with MPE unsuccessfully controlled by tube drainage or pleurodesis (North East Japan Study Group Trial NEJ-013B) (http://umin.sc.jp/ctr/).