Feasibility and prognostic benefit of induction chemoradiotherapy followed by surgery in patients with locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer

Predictive Value of 18F-FDG PET/CT Using Machine Learning for Pathological Response to Neoadjuvant Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy in Patients with Stage III Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

We investigated predictions from 18F-FDG PET/CT using machine learning (ML) to assess the neoadjuvant CCRT response of patients with stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and compared them with predictions from conventional PET parameters and from physicians. A retrospective study was conducted of 430 patients. They underwent 18F-FDG PET/CT before initial treatment and after neoadjuvant CCRT followed by curative surgery. We analyzed texture features from segmented tumors and reviewed the pathologic response. The ML model employed a random forest and was used to classify the binary outcome of the pathological complete response (pCR). The predictive accuracy of the ML model for the pCR was 93.4%. The accuracy of predicting pCR using the conventional PET parameters was up to 70.9%, and the accuracy of the physicians’ assessment was 80.5%. The accuracy of the prediction from the ML model was significantly higher than those derived from conventional PET parameters and provided by physicians (p < 0.05). The ML model is useful for predicting pCR after neoadjuvant CCRT, which showed a higher predictive accuracy than those achieved from conventional PET parameters and from physicians.

Sleeve lobectomy versus lobectomy for primary treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer: A single-center retrospective analysis

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

It is unclear how much additional perioperative risk a sleeve lobectomy could pose in comparison to lobectomy. The objective of this analysis was to compare the complication rate, 30-day mortality, and overall survival between lobectomy and sleeve lobectomy without prior neoadjuvant treatment in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

METHODS

This is a retrospective study using our prospective database for quality assurance in our hospital. Inclusion criteria for our study was a completed lobectomy or sleeve lobectomy for primary treatment of NSCLC.

RESULTS

In 506 patients, the tumor was treated by means of standard lobectomy. In 252 patients with central tumor localization, sleeve lobectomy was performed. Postoperative complications occurred in n:148 (29.24%) patients of the lobectomy group and in n = 76 (30.15%) of the sleeve group. The mortality rate difference between the two groups was statistically significant and favored the lobectomy group (0.78% vs. 4.76%, p = .007). Five year survival was 69.97% for the lobectomy and 65.59% for the sleeve group (p = .829).

CONCLUSION

Sleeve lobectomy for primary surgical treatment of NSCLC has comparable perioperative complications with lobectomy. Sleeve lobectomy does not seem to negatively influence survival. Postoperative mortality was higher in the sleeve group.