Impact of patient selection and treatment strategies on outcomes after lobectomy for biopsy-proven stage IIIA pN2 non-small cell lung cancer

Dynamic BH3 profiling identifies pro-apoptotic drug combinations for the treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) has relatively ineffective first/second-line therapy for advanced disease and only 18% five-year survival for early disease. Drug-induced mitochondrial priming measured by dynamic BH3 profiling identifies efficacious drugs in multiple disease settings. We use high throughput dynamic BH3 profiling (HTDBP) to identify drug combinations that prime primary MPM cells derived from patient tumors, which also prime patient derived xenograft (PDX) models. A navitoclax (BCL-xL/BCL-2/BCL-w antagonist) and AZD8055 (mTORC1/2 inhibitor) combination demonstrates efficacy in vivo in an MPM PDX model, validating HTDBP as an approach to identify efficacious drug combinations. Mechanistic investigation reveals AZD8055 treatment decreases MCL-1 protein levels, increases BIM protein levels, and increases MPM mitochondrial dependence on BCL-xL, which is exploited by navitoclax. Navitoclax treatment increases dependency on MCL-1 and increases BIM protein levels. These findings demonstrate that HTDBP can be used as a functional precision medicine tool to rationally construct combination drug regimens in MPM and other cancers.

Neoadjuvant immunotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer: State of the art

Lung cancer mortality has decreased over the past decade and can be partly attributed to advances in targeted therapy and immunotherapy. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have rapidly evolved from investigational drugs to standard of care for the treatment of metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In particular, antibodies that block inhibitory immune checkpoints, such as programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) and programmed cell death 1 ligand 1 (PD-L1), have revolutionized the treatment of advanced NSCLC, when administered alone or in combination with chemotherapy. Immunotherapy is associated with higher response rates, improved overall survival (OS), and increased tolerability compared with conventional cytotoxic chemotherapy. These benefits may increase the utility of immunotherapy and its combinational use with chemotherapy in the neoadjuvant treatment of patients with NSCLC. Early findings from various ongoing clinical trials suggest that neoadjuvant ICIs alone or combined with chemotherapy may significantly reduce systemic recurrence and improve long-term OS or cure rates in resectable NSCLC. Here we further summarize the safety and efficacy of various neoadjuvant treatment regimens including immunotherapy from ongoing clinical trials and elaborate the role of neoadjuvant immunotherapy in patients with resectable NSCLC. In addition, we discuss several unresolved challenges, including the evaluations to assess neoadjuvant immunotherapy response, the role of adjuvant treatment after neoadjuvant immunotherapy, the efficacy of treatment for oncogenic-addicted tumors, and predictive biomarkers. We also provide our perspective on ways to overcome current obstacles and establish neoadjuvant immunotherapy as a standard of care.

Surgery after neoadjuvant immunotherapy in patients with resectable non-small cell lung cancer

Surgery is the standard of care for patients with operable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, as a single modality, surgery for early stage or locally advanced NSCLC remains associated with high rates of local and distant recurrence. The addition of neoadjuvant or adjuvant chemotherapy has modestly improved outcomes. While systemic therapy paired with surgery for other malignancies such as breast cancer have resulted in far better outcomes for equivalent stage designations, outcome improvements for operable NSCLC have lagged in part as a result of trials where adjuvant chemotherapy seemed to incur harm for stage IA patients and only modest survival benefit for stage IB–IIIA patients (AJCC 7^th ed.). In recent years, immunotherapy for NSCLC has emerged as a systemic therapy with significant benefit over traditional chemotherapy regimens. These advances with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have opened the door to administering peri-operative immunotherapy for operable NSCLC. As a result, a great multitude of studies investigating the use of immunotherapy in combination with surgery for NSCLC as well as several other malignancies have emerged. In this review, we outline the rationale for neoadjuvant immunotherapy in the treatment of operable NSCLC and summarize the available evidence that include preoperative ICI as a single modality or in combination with systemic agents and/or radiotherapy. Further, we summarize how such treatment trajectories open multiple unique windows of opportunity for scientific discovery and potential therapeutic gains for these vulnerable patients.

Trends and Outcomes in Minimally Invasive Surgery for Locally Advanced Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer With N2 Disease

Few studies examine outcomes by surgical approach in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with N2 disease. We examined time trends in surgical approach and outcomes among patients undergoing minimally invasive (MIS, robotic and video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery [VATS]) vs open lobectomy in this patient population. We performed a retrospective analysis of patients from the National Cancer Database diagnosed with clinical Stage IIIA-N2 NSCLC from 2010 to 2016. We examined the yearly proportion of MIS vs open resections. Multivariable regression was used to assess the association of surgical approach with length of stay, unplanned readmissions, 30-day and 90-day mortality. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards modeling was used to assess the association of surgical approach with 5-year overall mortality. We identified 5741 patients who underwent lobectomy for Stage IIIA-N2 NSCLC (459 robotic, 1403 VATS, 3879 open). From 2010 to 2016, the proportion of minimally invasive procedures increased from 20% to 45%. MIS patients, on average, stayed 1 day less in the hospital (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.7, 1.5) and had lower odds of 90-day (odds ratio [OR] 0.74; 95% CI 0.54, 0.99) and 5-year mortality (OR 0.82; 95% CI 0.75, 0.91), compared to open resections. There was no difference in odds of readmission by surgical approach (OR 0.97; 95% CI 0.71, 1.33). Among MIS procedures, robotic resections had lower odds of 90-day mortality (OR 0.42; 95% CI 0.18, 0.97) than VATS. Among patients undergoing lobectomy for locally advanced N2 NSCLC robotic and VATS techniques appear safe and effective compared to open surgery and may offer short- and long-term advantages.

Resectable IIIA-N2 Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC): In Search for the Proper Treatment

Locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer accounts for one third of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) at the time of initial diagnosis and presents with a wide range of clinical and pathological heterogeneity. To date, the combined multimodality approach involving both local and systemic control is the gold standard for these patients, since occult distant micrometastatic disease should always be suspected. With the rapid increase in treatment options, the need for an interdisciplinary discussion involving oncologists, surgeons, radiation oncologists and radiologists has become essential. Surgery should be recommended to patients with non-bulky, discrete, or single-level N2 involvement and be included in the multimodality treatment. Resectable stage IIIA patients have been the subject of a number of clinical trials and retrospective analysis, discussing the efficiency and survival benefits on patients treated with the available therapeutic approaches. However, most of them have some limitations due to their retrospective nature, lack of exact pretreatment staging, and the involvement of heterogeneous populations leading to the awareness that each patient should undergo a tailored therapy in light of the nature of his tumor, its extension and his performance status.

Prognostic Value of Tumor Size in Resected Stage IIIA-N2 Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer

The eighth edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) staging system for lung cancer was introduced in 2017 and included major revisions, especially of stage III. For the subgroup stage IIIA-N2 non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), surgical resection remains controversial due to heterogeneous disease entity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinicopathologic features and prognostic factors of patients with completely resected stage IIIA-N2 NSCLC. We retrospectively evaluated 77 consecutive patients with pathologic stage IIIA-N2 NSCLC (AJCC eighth edition) who underwent surgical resection with curative intent in China Medical University Hospital between 2006 and 2014. Survival analysis was conducted, using the Kaplan–Meier method. Prognostic factors predicting overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were analyzed, using log-rank tests and multivariate Cox proportional hazards models. Of the 77 patients with pathologic stage IIIA-N2 NSCLC examined, 35 (45.5%) were diagnosed before surgery and 42 (54.5%) were diagnosed unexpectedly during surgery. The mean age of patients was 59 years, and the mean length of follow-up was 38.1 months. The overall one-, three-, and five-year OS rates were 91.9%, 61.3%, and 33.5%, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that tumor size <3 cm (hazards ratio (HR): 0.373, p = 0.003) and video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) approach (HR: 0.383, p = 0.014) were significant predictors for improved OS. For patients with surgically treated, pathologic stage IIIA-N2 NSCLC, tumor size <3 cm and the VATS approach seemed to be associated with better prognosis.

Optimal Surgical Timing After Neoadjuvant Therapy for Stage IIIa Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

BACKGROUND

Patients with clinically/pathologically diagnosed stage IIIa non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) considered for surgery are recommended to undergo neoadjuvant chemotherapy with or without radiation. The timing of an operation after therapy is not standardized; therefore, we investigated the timing of intervention after neoadjuvant therapy and the impact on outcomes in this demographic.

METHODS

The National Cancer Database was queried between 2010 and 2015 for patients with clinical/pathologic stage IIIa NSCLC. Patients were then divided into short (<77 days), mid (77-114 days), and long delay (>114 days) groups based on interquartile values. These groups were then compared for age, race, gender, insurance type, Charlson-Deyo score, length of stay, readmission rate, and overall survival based on timing of operation.

RESULTS

There were 31,357 patients with clinical/pathologic stage IIIa NSCLC, and 5946 patients underwent surgical intervention. Preoperatively 3593 patients underwent chemoradiotherapy, 2185 underwent chemotherapy only, and 168 received radiation alone. The short, mid, and long delay groups were clinically and statistically similar in age, gender, insurance type, comorbidity index, treating facility type, and distance from home. Long delay groups had larger tumor size compared with other groups. Postoperative length of stay, rates of 30-day readmission, and 30- and 90-day mortality were similar across all groups. Cox modeling demonstrated a significant difference in survival when patients underwent earlier operative intervention compared with late operative intervention and when patients received chemoradiation compared with chemotherapy alone. Short, mid, and long delay group 1-year survivals were 82%, 83%, and 80% and 3-year survival 59%, 58%, and 52%, respectively (P = .0003).

CONCLUSIONS

The delay in surgical resection of stage IIIa NSCLC is not associated increased early mortality; however, it is associated with worse 3-year postresection survival.

Mid-term survival outcome of single-port video-assisted thoracoscopic anatomical lung resection: a two-centre experience

OBJECTIVES

Single-port video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (SPVATS) anatomical resection has been shown to be a feasible technique for lung cancer patients. Whether SPVATS has equivalent or better oncological outcomes for lung cancer patients remains controversial. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the perioperative and mid-term survival outcomes of SPVATS in 2 different medical centres.

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed patients who underwent SPVATS anatomical resections between January 2014 and February 2017 in Coruña University Hospital's Minimally Invasive Thoracic Surgery Unit (Spain) and Chang Gung Memorial Hospital (Taiwan). Survival outcomes were assessed by pathological stage according to the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) 7th and 8th classifications.

RESULTS

In total, 307 patients were enrolled in this study. Mean drainage days and postoperative hospital stay were 3.90 ± 2.98 and 5.03 ± 3.34 days. The overall 30-day mortality, 90-day morbidity and mortality rate were 0.7%, 20.1% and 0.7%, respectively. The 2-year disease-free survival and 2-year overall survival of the cohort were 80.6% and 93.4% for 1A, 68.8% and 84.6% for 1B, 51.0% and 66.7% for 2A, 21.6% and 61.1% for 2B, 47.6% and 58.5% for 3A, respectively, following the AJCC 7th classification. By the AJCC 8th classification, these were 92.3% and 100% for 1A1, 73.7% and 91.4% for 1A2, 75.2% and 93.4% for 1A3, 62.1% and 85.9% for 1B, 55.6% and 72.7% for 2A, 47.1% and 64.2% for 2B and 42.1% and 60.3% for 3A.

CONCLUSIONS

Our preliminary results revealed that SPVATS anatomical resection achieves acceptable 2-year survival outcomes for early-stage lung cancer and is consistent with AJCC 8th staging system 2-year survival data. For advanced stage non-small-cell lung cancer patients, further evaluation is warranted.

Initial results of pulmonary resection after neoadjuvant nivolumab in patients with resectable non-small cell lung cancer

OBJECTIVE

We conducted a phase I trial of neoadjuvant nivolumab, a monoclonal antibody to the programmed cell death protein 1 checkpoint receptor, in patients with resectable non-small cell lung cancer. We analyzed perioperative outcomes to assess the safety of this strategy.

METHODS

Patients with untreated stage I-IIIA non-small cell lung cancer underwent neoadjuvant therapy with 2 cycles of nivolumab (3 mg/kg), 4 and 2 weeks before resection. Patients underwent invasive mediastinal staging as indicated and post-treatment computed tomography. Primary study end points were safety and feasibility of neoadjuvant nivolumab followed by pulmonary resection. Data on additional surgical details were collected through chart review.

RESULTS

Of 22 patients enrolled, 20 underwent resection. One was unresectable; another had small cell histologic subtype. There were no delays to surgical resection. Median time from first treatment to surgery was 33 (range, 17-43) days. There were 15 lobectomies, 2 pneumonectomies, 1 bilobectomy, 1 sleeve lobectomy, and 1 wedge resection. Of 13 procedures attempted via a video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery or robotic approach, 7 (54%) required thoracotomy. Median operative time was 228 (range, 132-312) minutes; estimated blood loss was 100 (range, 25-1000) mL; length of hospital stay was 4 (range, 2-17) days. There was no operative mortality. Morbidity occurred in 10 of 20 patients (50%). The most common postoperative complication was atrial arrhythmia (6/20; 30%). Major pathologic response was identified in 9 of 20 patients (45%).

CONCLUSIONS

Neoadjuvant therapy with nivolumab was not associated with unexpected perioperative morbidity or mortality. More than half of the video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery/robotic cases were converted to thoracotomy, often because of hilar inflammation and fibrosis.

Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for lung cancer after induction therapy

Background

Although thoracoscopic surgery is widely performed for early-stage lung cancer, only a few small studies have evaluated the role of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery in patients with locally advanced lung cancer who had received preoperative chemotherapy.

Methods

Among 1655 patients who underwent anatomical lung resection for lung cancer between January 2009 and December 2014 in our institution, we retrospectively examined the short- and long-term outcomes of 110 (6.6%) who had undergone induction therapy. Thoracoscopic surgery was performed in 79 of these patients and thoracotomy in 31.

Results

In the thoracoscopic group, conversion to a thoracotomy was required in 4 patients. More combined resections were included in the thoracotomy group, and combined resection of large vessels or the carina was carried out only via a thoracotomy. Postoperative complications of grade 3 or above were found in 15 (13.6%) patients, and there was no significant difference in the incidence of postoperative complications between the 2 groups. The 3- and 5-year survival rates for the patients overall were 58.6% and 50.3%, respectively. Although there was no significant difference in overall outcome between the 2 groups, the patients with postoperative ypN2 status in the thoracoscopic group had a significantly better outcome than those in the thoracotomy group.

Conclusion

Although video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery was not suitable for central advanced lung cancer requiring angioplasty or carinal resection, it seems to be useful for patients with locally advanced lung cancer who had undergone induction therapy, especially patients with peripheral lung cancer and mediastinal lymph node metastasis.

Thoracoscopic lobectomy after induction therapy-a paradigm shift?

Video-assisted thoracoscopic approaches (or VATS) have gained significant momentum in the management of locally advanced NSCLC in the current era. Accrual of experiences and concurrent improvements in instrumentation and video technology have further enhanced its role in patients with stage IIIA (N2) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, substantial controversy exists around the notion of mediastinal staging and restaging after induction therapy, the utility of induction chemotherapy versus chemoradiation for N2 disease, and subsequent role of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) lobectomy following induction therapy. This perspective will closely examine these issues in the context of existing guidelines and contemporary studies.

Advances in the use of surgery and multimodality treatment for N2 non-small cell lung cancer

INTRODUCTION

Stage IIIA-N2 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) represents a heterogeneous group of bronchogenic carcinomas with locoregional involvement. Different categories of N2 disease exist, ranging from unexpectedly encountered N2 involvement after detailed preoperative staging or 'surprise' N2, to potentially resectable disease treated within a combined modality setting, and finally, bulky N2 involvement treated by chemoradiation. Areas covered: Large randomised controlled trials and meta-analyses on stage IIIA-N2 NSCLC have been published but their implications for treatment remain a matter of debate. No definite recommendations can be provided as diagnostic and therapeutic algorithms vary according to local, national or international guidelines. Expert commentary: From the literature, it is clear that patients with stage IIIA-N2 NSCLC should be treated by combined modality therapy including chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery. The relative contribution of each modality has not been firmly established. For patients undergoing induction therapy, adequate restaging is important as only down-staged patients will clearly benefit from surgical resection. Each patient should be discussed within a multidisciplinary team to determine the best diagnostic and therapeutic approach according to the specific local expertise. In the near future, it might be expected that targeted therapies and immunotherapy will be incorporated as possible therapeutic options.

Perioperative outcomes and lymph node assessment after induction therapy in patients with clinical N1 or N2 non-small cell lung cancer

BACKGROUND

Induction therapy has been shown to benefit patients with resectable stage-2 or stage-3 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We aimed to determine if induction chemotherapy (CTx) with or without radiation therapy (± RT) for NSCLC with clinical lymph node (LN) involvement (cN1 or cN2) affects LN dissection or perioperative outcomes during robotic-assisted video thoracoscopic (RAVTS) lobectomy.

METHODS

We retrospectively analyzed patients who underwent RAVTS lobectomy for NSCLC over 45 months. We assessed clinical LN status by CT scan, PET scan, endobronchial ultrasound, and/or mediastinoscopy. We grouped patients with cN1 or cN2 as: "no induction therapy", "induction CTx alone" (ICTx), or "induction CTx + RT" (ICTx + RT). Intraoperative estimated blood loss (EBL), operative times, tumor size, LN status, and restaging were noted.

RESULTS

Of 256 NSCLC patients who had lobectomy, there were 52 cN1 or cN2 patients, of whom 39 patients had "no induction", 7 had ICTx, and 6 had ICTx + RT. Higher rates of recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) injury, tracheal/bronchial injury, and pulmonary embolism were observed with ICTx ± RT (P=0.02, 0.04, and 0.02, respectively). Total number of complications was not significantly different, nor were perioperative outcomes, such as EBL, operative time, and in-hospital mortality. Fewer N2 LN stations were assessed after ICTx ± RT (3.7±0.2 vs. 4.2±0.2 stations; P=0.04), but total number of LNs reported were not significantly different (13.0±2.3 vs. 16.2±1.0 LNs, P=0.22). Of "no induction" patients, 15.4% were upstaged pathologically; no patients were upstaged after induction therapy. While 30.8% of ICTx ± RT patients were downstaged, 38.5% of "no induction" patients were also downstaged on final pathology.

CONCLUSIONS

Induction CTx ± RT for cN1 or cN2 NSCLC patients did not affect EBL, operative times, or in-house mortality after RAVTS lobectomy. Patients undergoing RAVTS lobectomy after ICTx+ RT may be at greater risk for RLN injury, tracheal/bronchial injury, and pulmonary embolism. Fewer N2 LN stations, but not numbers of LNs, are assessed after ICTx ± RT. Induction therapy does not lead to increased downstaging.