[Prevention, Diagnosis, Therapy, and Follow-up of Lung Cancer - Interdisciplinary Guideline of the German Respiratory Society and the German Cancer Society - Abridged Version]

The current S3 Lung Cancer Guidelines are edited with fundamental changes to the previous edition based on the dynamic influx of information to this field:The recommendations include de novo a mandatory case presentation for all patients with lung cancer in a multidisciplinary tumor board before initiation of treatment, furthermore CT-Screening for asymptomatic patients at risk (after federal approval), recommendations for incidental lung nodule management , molecular testing of all NSCLC independent of subtypes, EGFR-mutations in resectable early stage lung cancer in relapsed or recurrent disease, adjuvant TKI-therapy in the presence of common EGFR-mutations, adjuvant consolidation treatment with checkpoint inhibitors in resected lung cancer with PD-L1 ≥ 50%, obligatory evaluation of PD-L1-status, consolidation treatment with checkpoint inhibition after radiochemotherapy in patients with PD-L1-pos. tumor, adjuvant consolidation treatment with checkpoint inhibition in patients withPD-L1 ≥ 50% stage IIIA and treatment options in PD-L1 ≥ 50% tumors independent of PD-L1status and targeted therapy and treatment option immune chemotherapy in first line SCLC patients.Based on the current dynamic status of information in this field and the turnaround time required to implement new options, a transformation to a "living guideline" was proposed.

Natural Language Processing to Automatically Extract the Presence and Severity of Esophagitis in Notes of Patients Undergoing Radiotherapy

PURPOSE

Radiotherapy (RT) toxicities can impair survival and quality of life, yet remain understudied. Real-world evidence holds potential to improve our understanding of toxicities, but toxicity information is often only in clinical notes. We developed natural language processing (NLP) models to identify the presence and severity of esophagitis from notes of patients treated with thoracic RT.

METHODS

Our corpus consisted of a gold-labeled data set of 1,524 clinical notes from 124 patients with lung cancer treated with RT, manually annotated for Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) v5.0 esophagitis grade, and a silver-labeled data set of 2,420 notes from 1,832 patients from whom toxicity grades had been collected as structured data during clinical care. We fine-tuned statistical and pretrained Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers-based models for three esophagitis classification tasks: task 1, no esophagitis versus grade 1-3; task 2, grade ≤1 versus >1; and task 3, no esophagitis versus grade 1 versus grade 2-3. Transferability was tested on 345 notes from patients with esophageal cancer undergoing RT.

RESULTS

Fine-tuning of PubMedBERT yielded the best performance. The best macro-F1 was 0.92, 0.82, and 0.74 for tasks 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Selecting the most informative note sections during fine-tuning improved macro-F1 by ≥2% for all tasks. Silver-labeled data improved the macro-F1 by ≥3% across all tasks. For the esophageal cancer notes, the best macro-F1 was 0.73, 0.74, and 0.65 for tasks 1, 2, and 3, respectively, without additional fine-tuning.

CONCLUSION

To our knowledge, this is the first effort to automatically extract esophagitis toxicity severity according to CTCAE guidelines from clinical notes. This provides proof of concept for NLP-based automated detailed toxicity monitoring in expanded domains.

Epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors in early-stage nonsmall cell lung cancer

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Targeted molecular therapy is playing an increasingly important role in the treatment of nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) have demonstrated efficacy in the advanced disease setting. Preliminary findings suggest that EGFR-TKIs may also be beneficial as adjuvant therapy following complete resection in patients with EGFR-mutation-positive early-stage I-III NSCLC; however, many questions remain unanswered.

RECENT FINDINGS

Single-arm trials of adjuvant EGFR-TKI therapy in patients with tumors harboring activating EGFR mutations show impressive 2-year disease-free survival (DFS). Phase III randomized trial data do not support adjuvant EGFR-TKI therapy in unselected completely resected stage I-III NSCLC, but show improved DFS in patients with completely resected EGFR-mutated NSCLC. Adverse events leading to treatment withdrawal and dose reductions are frequent with adjuvant EGFR-TKI therapy, and relapse following treatment withdrawal is common. Adjuvant EGFR-TKIs have not yet been shown to improve the overall survival (OS) in patients with tumors harboring activating EGFR mutations.

SUMMARY

There are no data to support the use of adjuvant EGFR-TKIs in unselected early-stage NSCLC. Although EGFR-TKIs hold promise as adjuvant therapy in patients whose tumors harbor EGFR mutations, in the absence of definitive data confirming an OS benefit eligible patients should continue to receive adjuvant chemotherapy following complete resection.

Impact of the 7th TNM staging lung cancer in surgery

Accurate staging of lung cancer is very critical to determine the proper management approach of each patient and to address prognosis issues. In this manuscript, we will discuss the impact of the most recent staging categories (7th TNM staging) on the management of non-small cell lung cancer.

The potential role of bevacizumab in early stages and locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer

Improving outcomes for early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a major research area considering that a significant percentage of such patients develop recurrent disease within 5 years of complete lung resection. Adjuvant chemotherapy prolongs survival, with an absolute improvement in 5-year overall survival of about 5% with drawbacks such as treatment toxicity. Approximately, one third of patients with newly diagnosed NSCLC have locally advanced disease not amenable for surgical resection - in this setting of patients concurrent chemoradiation is the standard of therapy. However, the treatment of locally advanced NSCLC is still controversial and clinical outcomes are disappointing, and so new approaches are required to improve the clinical benefit in this setting of patients. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a key angiogenic factor implicated in tumor blood vessels formation and permeability, and tumor VEGF overexpression in patients with early stage lung cancer has been associated with worse relapse free and overall survival. Several agents have been developed that inhibit VEGF or its receptor signalling system. Bevacizumab is the first recombinant humanized monoclonal antibody binding VEGF to demonstrate clinical benefit or rather a survival prolongation in combination with chemotherapy in the treatment of non-squamous advanced NSCLC patients. These positive results led to a large number of clinical trials to evaluate bevacizumab in combination with other targeted agents in advanced disease, and to define the role of this agent in early stage NSCLC such as the impact of bevacizumab integration in chemoradiotherapy strategy for locally advanced disease.

Perspectives in adjuvant chemotherapy in NSCLC

In 2007 the long-term outcome of lung cancer is still disappointing, with a 5-year survival rate not exceeding 15%. However, small but significant improvements in survival times have been achieved in the last decade. This progress has been achieved through the improvement of surgical techniques and following the introduction of more effective anticancer agents, mainly cisplatin in combination with newer agents (vinorelbine, taxanes, gemcitabine). The benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy in stage II-IIIA disease has been clearly demonstrated. Hints of some efficacy have also emerged for stage IB, while data on active adjuvant chemotherapy in stage IA, mostly from Japanese studies with oral uracil-tegafur, need to be confirmed in non-Asian patients. Optimal chemotherapy regimens and the role of targeted agents in the adjuvant setting are currently unknown. Increasing numbers of patients must be enrolled in adjuvant trials with a design based on pharmacogenomics profiles. Therefore, efforts should be directed toward the collection of surgical specimens to define biomolecular markers to select patients who will benefit from adjuvant treatments on an individual basis.

Updating clinical recommendations for breast, colorectal and lung cancer treatments: an opportunity to improve methodology and clinical relevance

BACKGROUND

clinical guidelines can improve quality of care summarising available knowledge and proposing recommendations for health care decisions. Being up to date is one of their quality requisites. Little experience is available on when and how guidelines should be updated. We report on the update process of evidence-based clinical recommendations on anticancer drugs.

METHODS

three multidisciplinary panels, supported by methodology experts, updated the recommendations. The methodologists were in charge of the qualitative and quantitative synthesis of the evidence. The panels were responsible for the final decision about risk/benefit profile of the drugs and strength of the recommendations. The GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation) approach was used.

RESULTS

six recommendations out of 15 were completely updated in 8 months time. In four cases, the strength of the recommendation changed; in two of them, we moved from a weak to a strong positive one. Despite the increased certainty about the positive risk/benefit profile, this was translated in a change in the strength of the recommendation only in one case out of three. Three recommendations were refined making them more clinically specific.

CONCLUSIONS

accumulation of evidence is an opportunity for guideline panels to refine methodological rigour, clinical relevance and to foster consensus on recommendations. This requires time and resource investments.

A critical appraisal of the adjuvant chemotherapy guidelines for patients with completely resected T3N0 non-small-cell lung cancer

BACKGROUND

A Joint Expert Panel recently published guidelines for adjuvant cisplatin-based chemotherapy, recommending routine use in patients with completely resected stage II (T1-2N1 and T3N0) non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, these two tumor subgroups should be considered as different entities. While the efficacy of adjuvant chemotherapy has been established in patients with T1-2N1 NSCLC, its benefit in patients with T3N0 tumor remains questionable.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

We performed an extensive review of the literature using the Joint Expert Panel guidelines as a start point. Altogether, we identified 76 potentially relevant articles. Basing on inclusion and exclusion criteria, 23 of the 76 articles were eventually included in this review.

RESULTS

After careful evaluation of the selected articles, we found no information on the effect of adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with T3N0 NSCLC.

DISCUSSION

In the absence of evidence-based data, we recommend that the lack of information on the efficacy of adjuvant chemotherapy for T3N0 tumors be discussed with patients and propose chemotherapy as an individual option. While the efficacy of adjuvant chemotherapy will be difficult to assess prospectively through a large randomized clinical trial, a pooled-analysis of the existing data would quickly and with a limited effort provide a preliminary answer.

Surgery with or without preoperative paclitaxel and carboplatin in early-stage non-small-cell lung cancer: Southwest Oncology Group Trial S9900, an intergroup, randomized, phase III trial

PURPOSE Patients with early-stage non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have a poor prognosis even after complete resection. Earlier studies of preoperative (induction) chemotherapy in resectable NSCLC demonstrated feasibility and encouraging survival data. This randomized phase III trial compared overall survival (OS) for preoperative paclitaxel and carboplatin followed by surgery with surgery alone in patients with early-stage NSCLC. PATIENTS AND METHODS Patients with clinical stage IB-IIIA NSCLC (excluding superior sulcus tumors and N2 disease) were eligible. Patients were randomly assigned to surgery alone or to three cycles of paclitaxel (225 mg/m(2)) and carboplatin (area under curve, 6) followed by surgical resection. The primary end point was OS; secondary end points were progression-free survival (PFS), chemotherapy response, and toxicity. RESULTS The trial closed early with 354 patients after reports of a survival benefit for postoperative chemotherapy in other studies. The median OS was 41 months in the surgery-only arm and 62 months in the preoperative chemotherapy arm (hazard ratio, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.60 to 1.06; P = .11.) The median PFS was 20 months for surgery alone and 33 months for preoperative chemotherapy (hazard ratio, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.61 to 1.04; P = .10.) Major response to chemotherapy was seen in 41% of patients; no unexpected toxicity was observed. CONCLUSION This trial closed prematurely after compelling evidence supporting postoperative chemotherapy emerged. Although OS and PFS were higher with preoperative chemotherapy, the differences did not reach statistical significance. At present, stronger evidence exists for postoperative chemotherapy in early-stage NSCLC.

Pack-years of cigarette smoking as a prognostic factor in patients with stage IIIB/IV nonsmall cell lung cancer

BACKGROUND

This study was undertaken to characterize the relation between the survival of patients with stage IIIB/IV nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and pack-years of cigarette smoking (graded according to the American Joint Committee on Cancer staging system).

METHODS

Data were analyzed from patients with stage IIIB/IV NSCLC who had completed a prospective smoking questionnaire. The impact of pack-years of cigarette smoking, age, sex, Karnofsky performance status (KPS), and the presence of weight loss >5% was evaluated on overall survival using univariate and multivariate analyses.

RESULTS

Smoking history and clinical data were available for 2010 patients with stage IIIB/IV NSCLC (1004 women and 1006 men). Approximately 70% of patients (1409 patients) had smoked >15 pack-years, 13% (270) were former and current smokers who had smoked < or = 15 pack-years, and 16% (331) were never-smokers (<100 lifetime cigarettes). Never-smokers had a longer median survival compared with former or current smokers (17.8 months vs 11.3 months; log-rank P < .001). Among smokers, patients with a < or = 15 pack-year history of smoking had a longer median survival than patients who had smoked >15 pack-years (14.6 months vs 10.8 months; log-rank P = .03). As the number of pack-years increased, the median overall survival decreased (log-rank P < .001). Multivariate analysis indicated that a history of smoking was an independent prognostic factor (hazard ratio, 1.36; P < .001).

CONCLUSIONS

More cigarette smoking, measured in pack-years, was associated with decreased survival after a diagnosis of stage IIIB/IV NSCLC. Trials assessing survival in patients with stage IIIB/IV NSCLC should report a detailed cigarette smoking history for all patients.

[Neoadjuvant chemotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer: current state and future]

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) continues to be the leading cause of cancer-related mortality in the world. The combination of chemotherapy and surgery is a standard of care for resectable NSCLC. If the adjuvant chemotherapy is a standard, the role of neoadjuvant chemotherapy is still debated. Most trials of neoadjuvant chemotherapy were closed when the positive studies of adjuvant chemotherapy were published. Only the Spanish trial NATCH, designed to compare the neoadjuvant chemotherapy in the adjuvant chemotherapy, was fully completed. Therefore, the trials of preoperative chemotherapy lack strength to become proof of concept. Confirmation will come from meta-analyses. Two of them are positive. Others are in progress. The current research is to select the patients according to predictive factors to chemotherapy response.

Phase II study of preoperative gefitinib in clinical stage I non-small-cell lung cancer

PURPOSE

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) have proven efficacy in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Their role in early-stage NSCLC has not been established. Our purpose was to explore the use of preoperative gefitinib in clinical stage I NSCLC to assess tumor response, toxicity, and clinical and molecular predictors of response.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Patients received gefitinib 250 mg/d for up to 28 days, followed by mediastinoscopy and surgical resection in an open-label, single-arm study. Tumor response was evaluated by Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors. Blood samples and tumor biopsies were collected and analyzed for transforming growth factor alpha level, EGFR protein expression, EGFR gene copy number, and EGFR (exon 19 to 21) and KRAS mutations.

RESULTS

Thirty-six patients completed preoperative treatment (median duration, 28 days; range, 27 to 30 days). Median follow-up time is 2.1 years (range, 0.86 to 3.46 years). Three patients experienced grade 3 toxicities (rash, diarrhea, and elevated ALT). Tumors demonstrated EGFR-positive protein expression in 83%, high gene copy number in 59%, EGFR mutations in 17%, and KRAS mutations in 17%. Tumor shrinkage was more frequent among women and nonsmokers. Partial response was seen in four patients (11%), and disease progression was seen in three patients (9%). The strongest predictor of response was EGFR mutation.

CONCLUSION

Preoperative window therapy with gefitinib is a safe and feasible regimen in early NSCLC and provides a trial design that may better inform predictors of treatment response or sensitivity.

Adjuvant Chemotherapy for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Nearly half of all patients who undergo surgical resection of localized non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) will develop and ultimately die of recurrent disease. The postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) meta-analysis showed adjuvant thoracic radiotherapy to have a detrimental effect on survival in this patient population. A meta-analysis of early trials of adjuvant chemotherapy by the Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Collaborative Group showed that while chemotherapy with alkylating agents was also detrimental, chemotherapy with cisplatin-based adjuvant chemotherapy was associated with an improved hazard ratio for death (HR = 0.87), equating to a 5 percent survival benefit at 5 years. However, the result was not statistically significant (p = 0.08). Recently, results have been reported for several large Phase III trials of adjuvant chemotherapy which differed with respect to the stage of resected disease included, the type of chemotherapy used and the use of post-operative radiotherapy. Three trials (IALT, JBR 10, and ANITA) that utilized cisplatin-based doublets showed a significantly positive survival benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with Stage II-IIIA NSCLC. The magnitude of this benefit, which was suggested to be 4-5 percent at 5 years in the meta-analysis and by the IALT study, may be as large as 8-15 percent as indicated by more recent studies with modern platinum-based doublet chemotherapy. These data indicate that medically fit patients with resected Stage II-IIIA NSCLC should be offered adjuvant chemotherapy with a modern cisplatin-based doublet.

Interpreting trial results in light of conflicting evidence: a Bayesian analysis of adjuvant chemotherapy for non-small-cell lung cancer

PURPOSE

When successive randomized trials contradict prior evidence, clinicians may be unsure how to evaluate them: Does accumulating evidence warrant changing practice? An increasingly popular solution, Bayesian statistics quantitatively evaluate new results in context. This study provides a clinically relevant example of Bayesian methods.

METHODS

Three recent non-small-cell lung cancer adjuvant chemotherapy trials were evaluated in light of prior conflicting data. Results were used from International Adjuvant Lung Trial (IALT), JBR.10, and Adjuvant Navelbine International Trialist Association (ANITA). Prior evidence was sequentially updated to calculate the probability of each survival benefit level (overall and by stage) and variance. Sensitivity analysis was performed using expert opinion and uninformed estimates of survival benefit prior probability.

RESULTS

The probability of a 4% survival benefit increased from 33% before IALT to 64% after IALT. After sequential updating with JBR.10 and ANITA, this probability was 82% (hazard ratio = 0.84; 95% CI, 0.77 to 0.91). IALT produced the largest decrease in variance (61%) and decreased the chance of survival decrement to 0%. Sensitivity analysis did not support a survival benefit after IALT. However, sequential updating substantiated a 4% survival benefit and, for stage II and III, more than 90% probability of a 6% benefit and 50% probability of a 12% benefit.

CONCLUSION

When evaluated in context with prior data, IALT did not support a 4% survival benefit. However, sequential updating with JBR.10 and ANITA did. A model for future assessments, this study demonstrates the unique ability of Bayesian analysis to evaluate results that contradict prior evidence.

Adjuvant chemotherapy for early-stage non-small-cell lung cancer. Single-centre experience and literature review

BACKGROUND

In recent years platinum-based chemotherapy has become the standard of care for patients with good performance status after complete resection in stages IB-IIIA non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), although the benefit is mainly in stages II and IIIA.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

In a retrospective trial we evaluate the clinical efficacy and toxicity profile of a platinum- and taxanes-based adjuvant chemotherapy in completely resected IB-IIIA NSCLC. The primary end point was relapse- free survival (RFS); principal secondary end points were overall survival (OS) and safety of the regimen. Potential predictive factors of efficacy and clinical patterns of relapse were also analysed.

RESULTS

From January 2003 to December 2006, 41 patients met the inclusion criteria and were evaluable. Median age at diagnosis was 68.1 years (CI 95% 54-72; range 45-78). Most patients were males (87.7%) and had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status score (PS) of 0-1 (87.8%), and 53.6% had adenocarcinomas. Pathological stages were as follow: 48.7% stage IB, 24.3% stage II and 26.8% stage IIIA. 75.6% of patients underwent a lobectomy and mediastinal lymphadenectomy and were treated with a combination of carboplatin AUC6 and paclitaxel 200 mg/m2 (85.36%) for 3 or 4 cycles. With a median follow-up of 18.2 months (range 5.1-46.5), 26 patients (63%) were free of disease and 32 of them were alive (78%). Median RFS was 12.1 months (CI 95% 9.8-14.9) and median OS had not been reached at the time of analysis. Patients with PS< or =1 at diagnosis had a higher RFS [p=0.051 (CI 95% 0.90-0.96)]. Toxicity was generally mild and haematologic events were the most frequent. Non-haematologic toxic effects of chemotherapy were asthenia/ anorexia (12.2%), nausea/vomiting (12.2%) and peripheral neuropathy (17%), but severe toxic effects (grade 3 or greater) were uncommon (<10%). We did not observe treatment-related deaths.

CONCLUSIONS

Platinum-taxane-based adjuvant chemotherapy in IB-IIIA NSCLC following complete resection is feasible, well tolerated and can be delivered in most patients in the adjuvant setting. Ongoing molecular studies may have value in determining which patients will benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy.

Adjuvant paclitaxel plus carboplatin compared with observation in stage IB non-small-cell lung cancer: CALGB 9633 with the Cancer and Leukemia Group B, Radiation Therapy Oncology Group, and North Central Cancer Treatment Group Study Groups

PURPOSE

Adjuvant chemotherapy for resected non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is now accepted on the basis of several randomized clinical trials (RCTs) that demonstrated improved survival. Although there is strong evidence that adjuvant chemotherapy is effective in stages II and IIIA NSCLC, its utility in stage IB disease is unclear. This report provides a mature analysis of Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB) 9633, the only RCT designed specifically for stage IB NSCLC.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Within 4 to 8 weeks of resection, patients were randomly assigned to adjuvant chemotherapy or observation. Eligible patients had pathologically confirmed T2N0 NSCLC and had undergone lobectomy or pneumonectomy. Chemotherapy consisted of paclitaxel 200 mg/m(2) intravenously over 3 hours and carboplatin at an area under the curve dose of 6 mg/mL per minute intravenously over 45 to 60 minutes every 3 weeks for four cycles. The primary end point was overall survival.

RESULTS

Three hundred-forty-four patients were randomly assigned. Median follow-up was 74 months. Groups were well-balanced with regard to demographics, histology, and extent of surgery. Grades 3 to 4 neutropenia were the predominant toxicity; there were no treatment-related deaths. Survival was not significantly different (hazard ratio [HR], 0.83; CI, 0.64 to 1.08; P = .12). However, exploratory analysis demonstrated a significant survival difference in favor of adjuvant chemotherapy for patients who had tumors > or = 4 cm in diameter (HR, 0.69; CI, 0.48 to 0.99; P = .043).

CONCLUSION

Because a significant survival advantage was not observed across the entire cohort, adjuvant chemotherapy should not be considered standard care in stage IB NSCLC. Given the magnitude of observed survival differences, CALGB 9633 was underpowered to detect small but clinically meaningful improvements. A statistically significant survival advantage for patients who had tumors > or = 4 cm supports consideration of adjuvant paclitaxel/carboplatin for stage IB patients who have large tumors.

Cancer immunotherapy targeting tumour-specific antigens: towards a new therapy for minimal residual disease

BACKGROUND

Clinical investigation of cancer immunotherapy has been very active and several approaches have been evaluated in Phase III trials. In particular, the characterisation at the molecular level of tumour-specific antigens, together with expert knowledge from GSK Biologicals in recombinant protein manufacturing and immunological Adjuvant Systems, has led the company to develop Antigen-Specific Cancer Immunotherapeutic (ASCI).

OBJECTIVE/METHODS

This paper reviews the different cancer immunotherapy approaches that have reached Phase III clinical development. A special attention is given to GSK's ASCI approach.

CONCLUSION

Based on encouraging data in a double-blind Phase II trial in non-small-cell lung cancer, the selection of the most suitable adjuvant system in melanoma and the choice of the adequate clinical setting for the clinical development of cancer immunotherapy, the ASCI approach offers the perspective that the long quest towards a new cancer treatment approach is about to succeed.

Tumor expression of S100A6 correlates with survival of patients with stage I non-small-cell lung cancer

BACKGROUND

In a previously published in vitro study based on top-down proteomics we found that the calcium-binding proteins S100A6 and S100A4 were affected by exposure to ionizing radiation in a p53-dependent fashion. Both proteins showed post-translational modification changes, and S100A6 also showed increased expression and translocation in response to irradiation. Aim of the present study was to evaluate the expression of S100A6 and S100A4 in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

METHODS

S100A6 expression on archival tumor cell lysates from 39 patients with radically resected NSCLC was assessed with SELDI-TOF-MS. S100A6 identity was confirmed using a SELDI-based antibody-capture method on lysates from the A549 lung cancer cell line, cell lysates from two freshly prepared NSCLC samples, four plasma samples and one pleural effusion sample. Immunostainings for S100A6, S100A4 and p53 were performed on tissue microarrays containing 103 stage I surgically resected NSCLC cases and 14 normal lung parenchyma specimens.

RESULTS

The presence of post-translationally modified S100A6 forms was confirmed with SELDI-MS on enriched tumor cell lysates, as well as in plasma and pleural effusion samples. In addition, high S100A6 peak intensity was associated with longer median survival (35 months vs. 18 months for high and low peak intensity, respectively; p=n.s.). The immunohistochemical analysis showed that 25% of tumors were S100A6 positive. S100A6 expression correlated directly with non-squamous histology (p<0.0001) and S100A4 expression (p=0.005), and inversely with p53 expression (p=0.01). S100A6-positive cases showed a trend of longer survival compared with S100A6-negative cases (p=0.07). This difference became significant when the analysis was restricted to p53-negative cases (n=72). In this subgroup of patients, whose tumors likely exhibit a functional p53, S100A6 was an independent prognostic factor of improved survival at multivariate analysis (HR 0.49, 95% CI 0.27-0.81, p=0.017).

CONCLUSIONS

In this study we have validated on clinical material our previous findings on cell lines in terms of S100A6 expression and post-translational modifications pattern in NSCLC. Moreover, the survival results obtained in p53-negative stage I NSCLC cases support the proposed pro-apoptotic function of S100A6 and suggest the hypothesis of a cross regulation between these two proteins.

Complete mediastinal lymphadenectomy: the core component of the multidisciplinary therapy in resectable non-small cell lung cancer

There is a great deal of concern about metastasis of lung cancer to regional lymph nodes, due partly to the work of groups of thoracic surgeons in Japan and North America beginning in the 1970s. The classification of regional lymph node stations for lung cancer staging published by Mountain and Dresler has been widely adopted for more than ten years. Anatomic landmarks for 14 levels of intrapulmonary, hilar, and mediastinal lymph nodes stations are designated. Skip transfer and occult lymph node metastasis, confirmed by studies regarding the mode of spread of intrathoracic lymphatic metastasis, are two theoretical bases for complete mediastinal lymphadenectomy of lung cancer. However, whether or not the degree of the dissection influences prognosis, the role of systematic nodal dissection (SND) vs mediastinal lymph node sampling (MLD) in resectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains controversial. A systematic literature search was performed to identify relevant reports, making full use of the 'Cited by,' 'Related Records,' 'References,' and 'Author Index' functions in the PubMed and ISI Web of Science databases. This paper presents a review of the role of mediastinal lymph node distribution and methods of determining suitability for hilar and mediastinal lymphadenectomy based on the four subsets of stage IIIA-N2, balancing the cost vs effect of mediastinal lymph node dissection in resectable NSCLC, focusing on the stage migration bias in clinical trials comparing SND and MLS, recommending a reasonable node dissection sequence, improving the prospects for the perioperative anti-tumor therapy based on mediastinal lymphadenectomy, and evaluating the various preoperative staging techniques. Finally, we believe that, besides the role of complete resection and accurate staging, the complete mediastinal lymphadenectomy is the core component of the lung cancer multidisciplinary therapy, and suggest that the values of lymphadenectomy should be further assessed using decision-tree analysis based on large-scale prospective randomized trials and pooled analysis to evaluate the costs vs effects.

Diagnostics and staging procedures in non-small cell lung cancer - is less more?

INTRODUCTION

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a common cancer with approximately 85% of patients dying of the disease. The only chance for cure is in the early stages, when surgery or definite chemoradiotherapy can be performed. Diagnosis and staging of lung cancer can sometimes be difficult, particularly because the intrathoracic structures are not easy to reach.

OBJECTIVE

This review discusses the diagnosis and staging of lung cancer.

RESULTS

When performing lung cancer diagnostics, both invasive and noninvasive procedures, such as computed tomogram of the chest, bronchoscopy and abdominal ultrasound, are mandatory. Suspected mediastinal involvement should be differentiated: bulky disease, contralateral or high mediastinal nodes need further clarification by endoscopic ultrasound, endobronchial ultrasound or mediastinoscopy. In opposition to current guidelines, in all other cases, surgery should be performed. Positron emission tomography will gain even more importance when becoming widely accessible and might replace other imaging techniques in the future. In case of advanced disease, staging should be limited to those examinations with impact on symptom control.

CONCLUSION

The diagnosis and staging of lung cancer should involve both invasive and noninvasive diagnostic procedures. In the case of advanced disease, staging should be limited to those examinations with impact on symptom control, whereas early stages call for rapid and thorough diagnosis.

Cetuximab in non-small cell lung cancer

Advanced non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) remains a challenge to treat due to its high local and systemic recurrence. The overall survival remains poor despite the approval of several new chemotherapeutic agents in the management of advanced NSCLC. Overexpression or mutations in the EGFR have been shown to be associated with a significant percentage of NSCLC. The development of targeted agents, such as cetuximab, against the EGFR is therefore a rational objective. Several preclinical and clinical studies suggest that cetuximab is active against NSCLC. This paper reviews the application of cetuximab in NSCLC.

Cancer Care Ontario and American Society of Clinical Oncology adjuvant chemotherapy and adjuvant radiation therapy for stages I-IIIA resectable non small-cell lung cancer guideline

PURPOSE

To determine the role of adjuvant chemotherapy and radiation therapy in patients with completely resected stage IA-IIIA non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

METHODS

The Cancer Care Ontario Program in Evidence-Based Care and the American Society of Clinical Oncology convened a Joint Expert Panel in August 2006 to review the evidence and draft recommendations for these therapies.

RESULTS

Available data support the use of adjuvant cisplatin-based chemotherapy in completely resected NSCLC; however, the strength of the data and consequent recommendations vary by disease stage. Adjuvant radiation therapy appears detrimental to survival in stages IB and II, with a possible modest benefit in stage IIIA.

CONCLUSION

Adjuvant cisplatin-based chemotherapy is recommended for routine use in patients with stages IIA, IIB, and IIIA disease. Although there has been a statistically significant overall survival benefit seen in several randomized clinical trials (RCTs) enrolling a range of people with completely resected NSCLC, results of subset analyses for patient populations with stage IB disease were not significant, and adjuvant chemotherapy in stage IB disease is not currently recommended for routine use. To date, very few patients with stage IA NSCLC have been enrolled onto RCTs of adjuvant therapy; adjuvant chemotherapy is not recommended in these cases. Evidence from RCTs demonstrates a survival detriment for adjuvant radiotherapy with limited evidence for a reduction in local recurrence. Adjuvant radiation therapy appears detrimental to survival in stage IB and II, and may possibly confer a modest benefit in stage IIIA.

The IASLC Lung Cancer Staging Project: proposals for the revision of the TNM stage groupings in the forthcoming (seventh) edition of the TNM Classification of malignant tumours

INTRODUCTION

The seventh edition of the TNM Classification of Malignant Tumors is due to be published early in 2009. In preparation for this, the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer established its Lung Cancer Staging Project in 1998. The recommendations of this committee for changes to the T, N, and M descriptors have been published. This report contains the proposals for the new stage groupings.

METHODS

Data were contributed from 46 sources in more than 19 countries. Adequate data were available on 67,725 cases of non-small cell lung cancer treated by all modalities of care between 1990 and 2000. The recommendations for changes to the T, N, and M descriptors were incorporated into TNM subsets. Candidate stage groupings were developed on a training subset and tested in a validation subset.

RESULTS

The suggestions include additional cutoffs for tumor size, with tumors >7 cm moving from T2 to T3; reassigning the category given to additional pulmonary nodules in some locations; and reclassifying pleural effusion as an M descriptor. In addition, it is suggested that T2b N0 M0 cases be moved from stage IB to stage IIA, T2a N1 M0 cases from stage IIB to stage IIA, and T4 N0-1 M0 cases from stage IIIB to stage IIIA.

CONCLUSIONS

Such changes, if accepted, will involve a reassessment of existing treatment algorithms. However, they are based on an intensive and validated analysis of the largest database to date. The proposed changes would improve the alignment of TNM stage with prognosis and, in certain subsets, with treatment.

Phase II trial of carboplatin and paclitaxel in non-small cell lung cancer patients previously treated with chemotherapy

The purpose of this phase II trial was to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of carboplatin plus paclitaxel in the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) previously treated with chemotherapy. Patients with a performance status (PS) of 0 or 1 who had received one or two previous chemotherapy regimens for advanced NSCLC were eligible. Paclitaxel 200mg/m(2) was infused over 3h and followed by carboplatin (area under the curve 6) infusion over 1h, once every 3 weeks. Thirty patients were enrolled. A complete response was observed in 1 patient and a partial response in 10 patients, for an overall response rate of 36.7%. The median time to progression was 5.3 months. The median survival time was 9.9 months, and the 1-year survival rate was 47%. Hematological toxicity in the form of grade 3/4 neutropenia occurred in 54%, but grade 3 febrile neutropenia developed in only 3%. Non-hematological grade 3 toxicities were less frequent. There were no treatment-related deaths. The combination of carboplatin plus paclitaxel is an active and well-tolerated regimen for the treatment of NSCLC patients who have previously been treated with chemotherapy and have a good PS.

Multidrug resistance proteins do not predict benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with completely resected non-small cell lung cancer: International Adjuvant Lung Cancer Trial Biologic Program

PURPOSE

The purpose of our study was to determine whether multidrug resistance proteins (MRP) are of prognostic and/or predictive value in patients who were enrolled into the International Adjuvant Lung Cancer Trial (IALT).

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN

Expression of MRP1 and MRP2 was immunohistochemically assessed in tumor specimens obtained from 782 IALT patients. Prognostic and predictive analyses were based on Cox models adjusted for clinical and pathologic variables.

RESULTS

MRP1 expression was considered positive in 364 (47%) patients and MRP2 expression in 313 (40%) patients. MRP2-positive patients had a significantly shorter overall survival than MRP2-negative patients in the total patient population [adjusted hazard ratio for death, 1.37; 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 1.09-1.72; P = 0.007]. There was no significant association between MRP1 expression and overall survival. Neither MRP1 nor MRP2 predicted response to adjuvant cisplatin-based chemotherapy.

CONCLUSIONS

MRP2 expression is an independent prognostic factor in patients with completely resected non-small cell lung cancer but neither MRP1 nor MRP2 was of predictive value in patients enrolled into the IALT.

Treatment of Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Stage I and Stage II

BACKGROUND

The surgical treatment of stage I and II non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) continues to evolve in the areas of intraoperative lymph node staging (specifically the issue of lymph node dissection vs sampling), the role of sublobar resections instead of lobectomy for treatment of smaller tumors, and the use of video-assisted techniques to perform anatomic lobectomy. Adjuvant therapy (both chemotherapy and radiation therapy) and the use of larger fractions of radiotherapy delivered to a smaller area for nonoperative treatment of early stage NSCLC have shown promising results.

METHODS

The panel selected the following areas for review based on clinical relevance and the amount and quality of data available for analysis: surgical approaches to resecting early stage NSCLC, methods of lymph node staging at the time of surgical resection, adjuvant chemotherapy in the treatment of early stage NSCLC, and the use of radiation therapy for primary treatment of early stage NSCLC as well as in the adjuvant setting. Recommendations by the multidisciplinary writing committee were based on literature review using established methods.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS

Surgical resection remains the treatment of choice for stage I and II NSCLC, although surgical methods continue to evolve. Adjuvant chemotherapy for patients with stage II, but not stage I, NSCLC is well established. Radiotherapy remains an important treatment for either cases of early stage NSCLC that are medically inoperable or patients who refuse surgery.

Adjuvant chemotherapy of stage I non-small cell lung cancer in North America

The utility of adjuvant chemotherapy after surgical resection for early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is now well established. Although a number of randomized clinical trials have demonstrated the efficacy of platinum-based chemotherapy in the overall population treated, subset analysis, excepting Japanese studies, has uniformly shown the greatest efficacy for patients with stage II and III disease and the least benefit for patient with stage I disease. We review data regarding adjuvant therapy of stage I NSCLC from clinical trials performed in North America and Europe. Pertinent trials from Japan are discussed elsewhere in this issue.

Multimodality approach to early-stage non-small cell lung cancer

The results of large randomised studies have clearly demonstrated that adjuvant chemotherapy prolongs overall survival by approximately 5% at 5 years in patients with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The benefit appears to be largely confined to patients with stage II/III disease, although approximately 25% of patients with stage I disease are at high risk of relapse within 5 years of surgery and therefore could benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy. There is an urgent need to predict more accurately which patients are likely to relapse after surgery and who, therefore, might benefit from further therapy. Preliminary studies indicate that molecular tumour markers may be able to identify tumours that are more likely to respond to chemotherapy and patients who are more likely to achieve improved survival from those who do not benefit at all from adjuvant chemotherapy. A pivotal study has shown that analysis of tumour gene expression can be used to predict the risk of relapse with greater accuracy than that which is achievable using clinical factors. In the future, pharmacogenomics may be used in this approach to identify patients for adjuvant chemotherapy, thus increasing the efficacy of treatment and reducing the burden of therapy in patients who are unlikely to benefit from further therapy.