PET-CT-guided versus CT-guided biopsy in suspected malignant pleural thickening: a randomised trial

BACKGROUND

Pleural biopsy is the gold standard for diagnosis of pleural malignancy but a significant proportion will have an inconclusive biopsy despite ongoing clinical suspicion of malignancy. We investigated whether positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) targeted pleural biopsy is superior to standard CT-guided pleural biopsy following an initial non-diagnostic biopsy.

METHODS

The TARGET trial was a multicentre, parallel group randomised trial. Patients with a previous inconclusive pleural biopsy but an ongoing suspicion of pleural malignancy were randomised (1:1) to receive either CT-guided biopsy (standard care) or PET-CT followed by a targeted CT biopsy (intervention). The primary outcome was pleural malignancy correctly identified from the trial biopsy.

RESULTS

Between September 2015 and September 2018, 59 participants were randomised from eight UK hospital sites: 29 to CT-only followed by targeted biopsy and 30 to PET-CT followed by targeted biopsy. The proportion of pleural malignancy correctly identified was similar between the groups (risk ratio 1.03 (95% CI 0.83-1.29); p=0.77). The sensitivity of the trial biopsy to identify pleural malignancy was 79% (95% CI 54-94%) in the CT-only group versus 81% (95% CI 54-96%) in the PET-CT group.

CONCLUSIONS

The results do not support the practice of PET-CT to guide pleural biopsies in patients with a previous non-diagnostic biopsy. The diagnostic sensitivity in the CT-only group was higher than anticipated and supports the practice of repeating a CT-guided biopsy following an inconclusive result if clinical suspicion of malignancy persists.

Prospective validation of the RAPID clinical risk prediction score in adult patients with pleural infection: the PILOT study

BACKGROUND

Over 30% of adult patients with pleural infection either die and/or require surgery. There is no robust means of predicting at baseline presentation which patients will suffer a poor clinical outcome. A validated risk prediction score would allow early identification of high-risk patients, potentially directing more aggressive treatment thereafter.

OBJECTIVES

To prospectively assess a previously described risk score (the RAPID (Renal (urea), Age, fluid Purulence, Infection source, Dietary (albumin)) score) in adults with pleural infection.

METHODS

Prospective observational cohort study that recruited patients undergoing treatment for pleural infection. RAPID score and risk category were calculated at baseline presentation. The primary outcome was mortality at 3 months; secondary outcomes were mortality at 12 months, length of hospital stay, need for thoracic surgery, failure of medical treatment and lung function at 3 months.

RESULTS

Mortality data were available in 542 out of 546 patients recruited (99.3%). Overall mortality was 10% at 3 months (54 out of 542) and 19% at 12 months (102 out of 542). The RAPID risk category predicted mortality at 3 months. Low-risk mortality (RAPID score 0-2): five out of 222 (2.3%, 95% CI 0.9 to 5.7%); medium-risk mortality (RAPID score 3-4): 21 out of 228 (9.2%, 95% CI 6.0 to 13.7%); and high-risk mortality (RAPID score 5-7): 27 out of 92 (29.3%, 95% CI 21.0 to 39.2%). C-statistics for the scores at 3 months and 12 months were 0.78 (95% CI 0.71-0.83) and 0.77 (95% CI 0.72-0.82), respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The RAPID score stratifies adults with pleural infection according to increasing risk of mortality and should inform future research directed at improving outcomes in this patient population.

South-West of England's Experience of the Safety and Tolerability Pirfenidone and Nintedanib for the Treatment of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF)

Purpose: Pirfenidone and nintedanib are two novel antifibrotic agents licensed for the treatment IPF. Prior to being approved for use in England for patients with FVC >50% and <80%, these were made available for all IPF patients under the Mild Patient Program (MPP) and Patient In Need Scheme (PIN). Prescribing of these medications is restricted to specialist centers. We sought to characterize the population of patients prescribed antifibrotics and determine the drug tolerability of these medications in the Northern hub of the Southwest of England regional ILD network. Methods: A retrospective analysis of all patients treated with antifibrotics between August 2012 and July 2017 was undertaken. Baseline characteristics including patient demographics and pulmonary physiology, in addition to drug tolerability and reasons for treatment cessation were collated. Data were compared using unpaired student's t-test, Chi-squared, Mann-Whitney rank sum or ANOVA as appropriate. Logistic regression analysis evaluated clinical characteristics associated with discontinuation of pirfenidone therapy. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Findings: A total of 164 patients, all with consensus diagnoses of IPF, were identified. Of these, 70.1% (115/164) received pirfenidone as their initial therapy. Baseline age, gender and pulmonary physiology did not differ significantly between groups. Drug discontinuation occurred most commonly due to adverse drug reactions events (ADRs) for both pirfenidone [40.0% (46/115)] and nintedanib [16.3% (8/49)]. Anorexia, rash and gastrointestinal disturbance were reported most commonly as the reason for cessation of pirfenidone; anorexia, nausea and weight loss for nintedanib. Duration of therapy prior to discontinuation because of ADRs did not differ significantly between medication groups but patients with a baseline FVC < 65% predicted, had a significantly shorter duration of pirfenidone prior to discontinuation due to ADRs, compared to those with a FVC 65-80% predicted. Multivariate logistic regression did not identify any independent baseline characteristics that predicted discontinuation of pirfenidone therapy prior to 52 weeks. Implications: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) patients treated with nintedanib had comparable treatment emergent adverse event (TEAE) profiles in clinical practice to those reported in clinical trials. The TEAE profile of pirfenidone was higher than clinical trial data would suggest, although comparable to real-world datasets. Further work is required to explore the possible reasons underpinning this finding, including whether this is related to population co-morbidities or center threshold. No new safety concerns were identified.

A case of bronchiolitis obliterans organising pneumonia associated with SAPHO (synovitis-acne-pustulosis-hyperostosis-osteitis) syndrome

A 57-year-old woman with SAPHO (synovitis-acne-pustulosis-hyperostosis-osteitis) syndrome presented with recurrent episodes of pneumonia. She was treated with multiple courses of antibiotics with no success. The transbronchial biopsy undertaken via bronchoscopy revealed organising pneumonia (OP). She was treated with steroids and responded well with full clinical recovery and normalisation of her chest X-ray.To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of OP in association with SAPHO syndrome. This case report highlights the importance of considering OP in patients with SAPHO syndrome who present with chest infection.

PD-L2 is predominantly expressed by Th2 cells

In response to a recently published article by Messal et al. (2011) in which the authors show that PD-L2 is expressed by activated T cells and ligation results in suppression of T cell proliferation and cytokine secretion, we here report that PD-L2 is differentially expressed by the diverse Th subsets, with predominant expression by Th2 cells.