Is Surgery Worthwhile in Locally-advanced NSCLC Patients with Persistent N2-disease After Neoadjuvant Therapy?

AIMS

To explore the long-term survival in lung cancer patients with persistent mediastinal lymph nodal disease after neoadjuvant followed by surgical resection and to analyse prognostic factors in this specific subset of patients.

BACKGROUND

Surgery in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with N2-disease after neoadjuvant therapy (NAD) has been debated and has been even more questioned with the advent of immunotherapy.

OBJECTIVE

Describe long-term results of a multimodal approach in locally-advanced NSCLC patients with persistence of N2-disease and identify prognostic factors to target the strategy of care.

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed data of 121 consecutive Stage IIIA-N2 NSCLC patients who underwent NAD (chemoradiotherapy or chemotherapy) from 01/00 to 12/19, focusing our analysis on 37 patients with persistent N2s status after surgery. Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analysis explored the associations between mortality and potential risk factors.

RESULTS

The 5-year survival was 29.8%. Cox regression analysis suggested that young age (HR=0.98, C.I.95%: 0.97- 1.00; p=0.062), male sex (HR=3.8,C.I.95%:1.06-13.73;p=0.04), and adjuvant therapy (HR=6.81,C.I.95%:0.96-53.94;p=0.06) influenced long-term outcomes in these patients.

CONCLUSION

We herein observed suboptimal long-term results in this NSCLC patient subset, and, considering emerging results adopting immunotherapy following chemoradiotherapy, surgery should be carefully considered in very selected cases (young and clinically fit patients) and combined with adjuvant therapy after surgery.

A new score predicting intraprocedural risk in patients undergoing CT-guided percutaneous needle pulmonary biopsy (CATH-score)

OBJECTIVE

To develop a new score (CATH-score) for predicting intra-procedural risk in patients undergoing CT-guided percutaneous needle pulmonary biopsy.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

100 CT-guided lung biopsies performed with a 18 Gauge (G) needle (Pilot Group) were reviewed to analyse patient-, lesion- and procedure-related variables to identify risk factors for procedural complications (pneumothorax and parenchymal bleeding) and diagnosis failure. A scoring system for predicting complications and choosing the right needle (16 G, 18 G, 21 G) was developed using risk factors weighting and prospectively applied to 153 consecutive biopsies (CATH-score Group); complications and diagnostic rates obtained were compared with a group of patients (Control Group) that underwent lung biopsy; in this group of patients the choice of the calliper of the needle was based on the operator experience.

RESULTS

lesion diameter (p=0.03), central location of lesion (p=0.02), centrilobular emphysema (p=0.04) and trans-pulmonary needle route (p=0.002) were associated with a higher complications rate in Pilot Group and were selected as risk factors to include in the CATH-score definition. Risk factors "cut-off" values were identified (Receiver Operating Characteristics curves) and risk-stratification groups were classified as follows: low (16 G, score 1), intermediate (18 G, score 2), and high procedural risk score (21 G, score 3). CATH-score usage limited complications rate despite a higher number of 16 G needle employed, with a diagnostic performance rising respect to Control Group.

CONCLUSIONS

CATH-score seems to be a valuable tool for predicting the risk of complications and choosing the right needle, in order to increase diagnostic performance in patients undergoing TTNA.