A prospective observational study of postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer in elderly patients (≥ 75 years)

Peri- and postoperative morbidity and mortality in older patients with non-small cell lung cancer: a matched-pair study

BACKGROUND

Reports from case series suggest that operative outcomes are comparable amongst different age groups following surgery with curative intent for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The purpose of this study was to compare morbidity and mortality after NSCLC surgery in older patients (≥ 75 years) versus younger patients (< 75 years) and identify independent predictive risk factors.

METHODS

We identified 2015 patients with postoperative stages IA to IIIA according to AJCC/UICC 7th edition who had undergone NSCLC surgery with curative intent at a single specialized lung cancer center from January 2010 to December 2015. A matched-pair analysis was performed on 227 older patients and corresponding 227 younger patients. Short-term surgical outcomes were postoperative morbidity, length of hospital stay, 30-day and 90-day mortality. Long-term operative outcomes were disease-free and overall survival.

RESULTS

454 patients were included in the matched-pair analysis. 36% of younger patients developed postoperative complications versus 42% in older patients (p = 0.163). Age was not significantly associated with the occurrence of postoperative complications. Median length of hospital stay was 14 days in older patients and 13 days in younger patients (p = 0.185). 90-day mortality was 2.2% in younger patients compared to 4% in older patients (p = 0.424). In patients aged 75 and older impaired performance status (ECOG ≥ 1) was associated with decreased overall survival (HR = 2.15, CI 1.34-3.46), as were preoperative serum C-reactive protein / albumin ratio ≥ 0.3 (HR = 1.95, CI 1.23-3.11) and elevated preoperative serum creatinine levels ≥ 1.1 mg/dl (HR = 1.84, CI 1.15-2.95). In the younger cohort male sex (HR = 2.26, CI 1.17-4.36), postoperative stage III disease (HR 4.61, CI 2.23-9.54) and preoperative anemia (hemoglobin < 12 g/dl) (HR 2.09, CI 1.10-3.96) were associated with decreased overall survival.

CONCLUSIONS

Lung resection for NSCLC in older patients is associated with postoperative morbidity and mortality comparable to those of younger patients. In older patients, physical activity, comorbidities and nutritional status are related to survival and should influence the indication for surgery rather than age alone.

Phase II Trial of Adjuvant Atezolizumab Therapy in Elderly Patients with Completely Resected Stage II/III Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: RELIANCE Trial

INTRODUCTION

Atezolizumab following platinum chemotherapy and complete pulmonary resection has become the new standard of adjuvant care for patients with stage II-III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) expressing programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1). However, the efficacy and safety of postoperative adjuvant therapy and subsequent atezolizumab in patients aged 75 and older have not been established.

METHODS

Patients with completely resected stage II-III NSCLC aged 75 and older will be prospectively registered in this single-arm phase II study. The enrolled patients will receive cisplatin plus vinorelbine (CDDP + VNR) followed by atezolizumab for up to 12 months. PD-L1 expression in at least 1% of cells will be confirmed by immunohistochemical staining. We plan to enroll 33 patients over 1 year at 25 institutions in Japan. The primary endpoint is the completion rate of adjuvant treatment (CDDP + VNR initiation to atezolizumab completion).

CONCLUSION

The present study represents the first prospective trial of the tolerability of postoperative adjuvant therapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors in elderly individuals. The results of this trial might help promote postoperative adjuvant immunotherapy in the future for the elderly.

Clinical efficacy and safety of Chinese herbal injections in combination with platinum-based chemotherapy for advanced non-small cell lung cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis of 140 randomized controlled trials

Background and aim

Chinese herbal injection (CHI) is a widely used preparation for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treatment to alleviate the adverse drug reactions and enhance the clinical efficacy of chemotherapy. However, its efficacy and safety in combination with platinum-based chemotherapy (PBC) remain poorly understood owing to the lack of high-level evidence in the face of a wide variety of CHIs. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to explore the efficacy and safety of CHIs in combination with PBC regimens in the treatment of mid- and advanced NSCLC.

Methods

Systematic evaluation and meta-analysis were conducted as per the Preferred Reporting Project for Systematic Evaluation and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P). Seven databases were comprehensively searched for relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) through August 1, 2022. The quality of each study was evaluated based on the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions. Statistical analysis was performed using Revman 5.3, with dichotomies expressed as risk ratio (RR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). Objective response rate (ORR) and disease control rate (DCR) were selected as the primary outcomes, with quality of life (QoL) and toxic side effects as secondary outcomes.

Results

A total of 140 RCTs were included in this study. The results of the meta-analysis suggested that, compared with PBC alone, PBC combined with CHIs significantly improved the ORR (RR=1.35, 95% CI: 1.30-1.41, P<0.001), DCR (RR=1.15, 95% CI: 1.13-1.18, P<0.001) and QoL (RR=1.29, 95% CI: 1.24-1.33, P<0.001). Moreover, the combination treatment reduced chemotherapy-induced leukopenia (RR=0.69, 95% CI: 0.64-0.75, P<0.001), anemia (RR=0.70, 95% CI: 0.62-0.79, P<0.001), thrombocytopenia (RR=0.68, 95% CI: 0.62-0.75, P<0.001), nausea and vomiting (RR=0.69, 95% CI: 0.63-0.76, P<0.001), diarrhea (RR=0.59, 95% CI: 0.48-0.73, P<0.001), and constipation (RR=0.68, 95% CI: 0.54-0.86, P=0.001).

Conclusion

According to the available evidence, CHIs in combination with PBC can improve clinical efficacy and reduce the toxic side effects in the treatment of advanced NSCLC. However, considering the study's limitations, more rigorous and high-quality studies are needed to further confirm the results.

Systematic review registration

https://inplasy.com/inplasy-2022-1-0104/, identifier INPLASY202210104.

Postoperative chemotherapy significantly improves survival of elderly patients with stage IB-II non-small cell lung cancer: A population-based study

BACKGROUND

There is scant evidence-based information about survival benefits of postoperative chemotherapy in elderly patients with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The purpose of this study is to compare the overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) rates of surgery alone versus postoperative chemotherapy in patients aged ≥70 years with stage I-II NSCLC.

METHODS

Elderly patients aged ≥70 years diagnosed with stage I-II NSCLC were selected from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2015. OS and CSS were compared between the two groups utilizing overlap weighting analysis, inverse probability of treatment weight (IPTW), and propensity score matching (PSM).

RESULTS

Of the 7193 included patients with stage I-II NSCLC who are more than 70 years old, 681 patients (9.5%) received postoperative chemotherapy and 6512 patients (90.5%) received surgery-alone. Median OS was 77 months in postoperative chemotherapy group versus 79 months in surgery-alone group (p = 0.89). The result of IPTW analysis showed the similar results. The probability of patients choosing chemotherapy increased with the AJCC stage and Grade increasing (p < 0.001) and decreased with the growth of age (p < 0.001). The results of subgroup analysis showed that the survival rate of stage IA patients decreased significantly after postoperative chemotherapy (p < 0.01) while the survival rate of stage IB-II patients increased significantly (p < 0.01). At the same time, we found that patients in the postoperative chemotherapy group tended to have better OS than those in the surgery-alone group with the grade and tumor size increasing.

CONCLUSION

The results of this study indicated that postoperative chemotherapy could significantly improve the survival of stage IB-II NSCLC patients aged ≥70 years, and decrease the survival of stage IA patients.