Gender Difference as a Prognostic Factor in Patients Undergoing Resection of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Clinical characteristics and prognosis of non-small cell lung cancer patients with liver metastasis: A population-based study

BACKGROUND

The presence of liver metastasis (LM) is an independent prognostic factor for shorter survival in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. The median overall survival of patients with involvement of the liver is less than 5 mo. At present, identifying prognostic factors and constructing survival prediction nomogram for NSCLC patients with LM (NSCLC-LM) are highly desirable.

AIM

To build a forecasting model to predict the survival time of NSCLC-LM patients.

METHODS

Data on NSCLC-LM patients were collected from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database between 2010 and 2018. Joinpoint analysis was used to estimate the incidence trend of NSCLC-LM. Kaplan-Meier curves were constructed to assess survival time. Cox regression was applied to select the independent prognostic predictors of cancer-specific survival (CSS). A nomogram was established and its prognostic performance was evaluated.

RESULTS

The age-adjusted incidence of NSCLC-LM increased from 22.7 per 1000000 in 2010 to 25.2 in 2013, and then declined to 22.1 in 2018. According to the multivariable Cox regression analysis of the training set, age, marital status, sex, race, histological type, T stage, metastatic pattern, and whether the patient received chemotherapy or not were identified as independent prognostic factors for CSS (P < 0.05) and were further used to construct a nomogram. The C-indices of the training and validation sets were 0.726 and 0.722, respectively. The results of decision curve analyses (DCAs) and calibration curves showed that the nomogram was well-discriminated and had great clinical utility.

CONCLUSION

We designed a nomogram model and further constructed a novel risk classification system based on easily accessible clinical factors which demonstrated excellent performance to predict the individual CSS of NSCLC-LM patients.

Assessment of Pediatric Cancer and Its Relationship to Environmental Contaminants: An Ecological Study in Idaho

The primary aim of this study was to determine the degree to which a multivariable principal component model based on several potentially carcinogenic metals and pesticides could explain the county-level pediatric cancer rates across Idaho. We contend that human exposure to environmental contaminants is one of the reasons for increased pediatric cancer incidence in the United States. Although several studies have been conducted to determine the relationship between environmental contaminants and carcinogenesis among children, research gaps exist in developing a meaningful association between them. For this study, pediatric cancer data was provided by the Cancer Data Registry of Idaho, concentrations of metals and metalloids in groundwater were collected from the Idaho Department of Water Resources, and pesticide use data were collected from the United States Geological Survey. Most environmental variables were significantly intercorrelated at an adjusted P-value <0.01 (97 out of 153 comparisons). Hence, a principal component analysis was employed to summarize those variables to a smaller number of components. An environmental burden index (EBI) was constructed using these principal components, which categorized the environmental burden profiles of counties into low, medium, and high. EBI was significantly associated with pediatric cancer incidence (P-value <0.05). The rate ratio of high EBI profile to low EBI profile for pediatric cancer incidence was estimated as 1.196, with lower and upper confidence intervals of 1.061 and 1.348, respectively. A model was also developed in the study using EBI to estimate the county-level pediatric cancer incidence in Idaho (Nash-Sutcliffe Efficiency = 0.97).

Trends and risk factors of lung cancer in China

China is faced with heavy burdens caused by lung cancer, which has climbed to the top of both cancer incidence and mortality spectrums. The age-standardized rates of incidence and mortality have shown a trend of gradual up-trends in the last decades, while the crude rates rise much quickly due to the aging of population. Although the improvement in health care has contributed to better survival of lung cancer, its prognosis is still challenging. Apart from the common risk factors such as tobacco use, air pollution, and occupational hazards, some specific factors like Chinese-style cooking also have posed great threats to human health. In light of such national conditions, specific interventions should be conducted to curb the burden of lung cancer including smoking cessation, improvement of air quality, early detection and effective treatment of lung cancer.

Survival after adjuvant radiation therapy in localized small cell lung cancer treated with complete resection

OBJECTIVES

To determine whether there is an overall survival (OS) benefit to the addition of thoracic radiation therapy (RT) following R0 resection of pathologic (p) T1 or pT2 N0 M0 small cell lung cancer.

METHODS

Using the National Cancer Database, we performed a retrospective cohort analysis. Patients who underwent R0 resection for pT1 or p2 N0 M0 small cell lung cancer, stratified by receipt of adjuvant thoracic RT, were compared on the basis of OS using hierarchical Cox Proportional hazards models.

RESULTS

Of 4969 patients diagnosed with pT1or pT2 N0 M0 SCLC from 2004 to 2014, 1617 (33%) underwent R0 resection of their primary tumor; of these resected patients, 146 (9.0%) had adjuvant thoracic RT. In unadjusted analysis, there was no significant difference in OS between groups (median survival: surgery alone, 62.2 months vs surgery+RT, 43.8 months; P = .1436). In multivariable analysis, RT was not associated with improved survival (P = .099). There was no significant difference in unadjusted or adjusted survival associated with receipt of RT in both a young and healthy cohort (P = .647 for unadjusted and P = .858 for adjusted) and a matched cohort (P = .867 and P = .954). In the matched cohort, improved OS was associated with younger patient age (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.07; 95% confidence interval, 1.04-1.10; P < .001), female sex (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.68, 95% confidence interval, 0.47-0.97; P = .035), and smaller tumors (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.02; 95% confidence interval, 1.01-1.03; P = .005). Having 2 or more comorbidities was associated with worse OS (adjusted hazard ratio, 2.16; 95% confidence interval, 1.21-3.86; P = .009).

CONCLUSIONS

Although complete resection was accomplished in a minority of patients, for these patients, survival was good. The addition of thoracic RT to complete resection does not appear to confer additional survival benefit.

Combining data from TCGA and GEO databases and reverse transcription quantitative PCR validation to identify gene prognostic markers in lung cancer

Background

The aim of this study was to predict and explore the possible mechanism and clinical value of genetic markers in the development of lung cancer with a combined database to screen the prognostic genes of lung cancer.

Materials and methods

Common differential genes in two gene expression chips (GSE3268 and GSE10072 datasets) were investigated by collecting and calculating from Gene Expression Omnibus and The Cancer Genome Atlas databases using R language. Five markers of gene composition (ribonucleotide reductase regulatory subunit M2 [RRM2], trophoblast glycoprotein [TPBG], transmembrane protease serine 4[TMPRFF4], chloride intracellular channel 3 [CLIC3], and WNT inhibitory factor-1 [WIF1]) were found by the stepwise Cox regression function when we further screened combinations of gene models, which were more meaningful for prognosis. By analyzing the correlation between gene markers and clinicopathological parameters of lung cancer and its effect on prognosis, the TPBG gene was selected to analyze differential expression, its possible pathways and functions were predicted using gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA), and its protein interaction network was constructed using the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes/Proteins (STRING) database; then, quantitative PCR and the Oncomine database were used to verify the expression differences of TPBG in lung cancer cells and tissues.

Results

The expression levels of five genetic markers were correlated with survival prognosis, and the total survival time of the patients with high expression of the genetic markers was shorter than those with low expression (P<0.001). GSEA showed that these high-expression samples enriched the gene sets of cell adhesion, cytokine receptor interaction pathway, extracellular matrix receptor pathway, adhesion pathway, skeleton protein regulation, cancer pathway and TGF-β pathway.

Conclusion

The high expression of five gene constituent markers is a poor prognostic factor in lung cancer and may serve as an effective biomarker for predicting metastasis and prognosis of patients with lung cancer.

Survival Impact of Stations of Pathological Lymph Nodes in N2 Non-small Cell Lung Cancer in a French Hospital

BACKGROUND

The prognosis of lung cancer remains poor; only 20% of patients can undergo surgery. N2 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a heterogeneous disease. We conducted a retrospective study to analyze the impact of N2 location on survival.

METHODS

This study included 342 NSCLC with N2 involvement between 1988 and 2014. Patient-related data were collected through the CRB biobank and included demographic, therapeutic, and survival data. Survival was analyzed according to Kaplan-Maier method. Cox's regression analysis and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to determine factors significantly associated with survival.

RESULTS

The population average age was 61.6 years; 82.2% were men, a majority were former smokers (87.1%), and 45.3% had adenocarcinoma. The main prognostic factors were male gender (p = 0.01), number of nodes (p < 0.0001), and tumor size (p < 0.0001). N2 disease had a poor survival (16 months) compared with N0 (32 months) and N1 (21.1 months) disease (p < 0.0001). The patients with involvement of station 4 (survival = 17.8 months) seemed to have a prognosis between those with station 7 (survival = 10.5 months) and N1 (survival = 22.6 months), p = 0.0005.

CONCLUSIONS

N2 location has a prognostic impact in surgically NSCLC, and station 4 involvement has a better prognostic than station 7.

Treatment and survival of supratentorial and posterior fossa ependymomas in adults

Ependymoma is a rare primary brain or spinal cord tumor that arises from the ependyma, a tissue of the central nervous system. This study analyzed a large cohort of adult supratentorial and posterior fossa ependymoma tumors in order to elucidate factors associated with overall survival. We utilized the USA National Cancer Database to study adult World Health Organization grade II/III supratentorial and posterior fossa ependymoma patients treated between 1998 and 2011. Overall survival was estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method and factors associated with survival were determined using a multivariate Cox proportional hazards model. Among 1318 patients, 1055 (80.0%) had grade II and 263 (20.0%) anaplastic tumors located in the posterior fossa (64.3%) and supratentorial region (35.7%). Overall average age was 44.3years, 48.0% of patients were female, 86.5% were Caucasian, and 36.8% underwent near/gross total surgical resection. Radiotherapy was given to 662 patients (50.8%) and 75 (5.9%) received chemotherapy. Older age at diagnosis (hazard ratio [HR] 1.51, p<0.0001), high tumor grade (HR 1.82, p=0.005), and large tumor size (HR 1.66, p=0.008) were associated with poor survival. Females compared to males (HR 0.67, p=0.03) and patients with posterior fossa tumors versus supratentorial (HR 0.64, p=0.04) had a survival advantage. Our study showed that older patients, with supratentorial tumors, and high histological grade had an increased risk of mortality. A survival benefit was captured in females and patients with posterior fossa tumors. Adjuvant radiotherapy and chemotherapy did not confer a survival benefit among all patients, even after stratification by tumor grade or anatomical location.

Predicting postoperative exercise capacity after major lung resection

PURPOSE

This study investigates whether postoperative exercise capacity can be predicted from preoperative lung perfusion scintigraphy and the number of subsegments resected.

METHODS

We studied 315 patients, with 158 being assigned odd numbers and 157 being assigned even numbers. In the 158 patients assigned odd numbers, the predicted postoperative VO2 max/m2 (ppo VO2 max/m2) was obtained from the results of lung perfusion scintigraphy and the number of subsegments scheduled for resection. We then examined correlations with the actual values, 2 weeks and 1 month postoperatively, to obtain a regression equation (Series 1). In the 157 patients assigned even numbers, the ppo VO2 max/m2 corrected by the regression equation derived from Series 1 (corrected-ppo VO2 max/m2) was compared with the actual values, 2 weeks and 1 month postoperatively, to establish whether the postoperative VO2 max/m2 could be predicted.

RESULTS

The regression equation between the ppo VO2 max/m2 and its actual value was y = 0.83x + 103, 2 weeks postoperatively, and y = 0.923x + 82, 1 month postoperatively. The difference between the corrected-ppo VO2 max/m2 and the actual postoperative value was small.

CONCLUSIONS

Calculating the residual [Formula: see text]o2 max/m2 preoperatively from the results of lung perfusion scintigraphy and the number of segments scheduled for resection is useful for predicting postoperative exercise capacity.

Role of gender in the survival of surgical patients with nonsmall cell lung cancer

PURPOSE

There are reports of greater survival rates in nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients of female gender. The objective of this study was to evaluate the role of gender in survival of NSCLC patients treated surgically with curative intent (stage I/II).

METHODS

In a retrospective cohort design, we screened 498 NSCLC patients submitted to thoracotomies at the hospital Sγo Lucas, in Porto Alegre, Brazil from 1990 to 2009. After exclusion of patients that did not fit to all the inclusion criteria, we analyzed survival rates of 385 subjects. Survival was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method. The Cox regression model was used to evaluate potential confounding factors.

RESULTS

Survival rates at 5 and 10 years were 65.3% and 49.5% for women and 46.5% and 33.2% for men, respectively (P = 0.006). Considering only stage I patients, the survival rates at 5 and 10 years were 76.2% and 55.1% for women and 50.7% and 35.4% for men, respectively (P = 0.011). No significant differences in survival rates were found among stage II patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results show female gender as a possible protective factor for better survival of stage I NSCLC patients, but not among stage II patients. This study adds data to the knowledge that combined both genders survival rates for NSCLC is not an adequate prognosis.

Female gender is an independent prognostic factor in non-small-cell lung cancer: a meta-analysis

PURPOSE

It is not clear whether women with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) live significantly longer than men. Thus, we conducted a meta-analysis of published studies to quantitatively compare NSCLC survival data between genders.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A MEDLINE Web search for computer-archived bibliographic data regarding overall survival differences between genders was performed. DerSimonian-Laird random effects analysis was used to estimate the pooled hazard ratio (HR).

RESULTS

We selected 39 articles as appropriate data sources, involving 86 800 patients including 32 701 women and 54 099 men. Combined HRs for women vs. men in studies using univariate and multivariate analyses respectively were 0.79 (p <0.0001) and 0.78 (p <0.0001). Pooled HRs for 3 study subgroups having (1) fewer than 30% stage I cases, (2) fewer than 50% adenocarcinoma cases, and (3) statistical adjustment for smoking status all indicated the survival advantage of women.

CONCLUSION

This meta-analysis of published data concerning NSCLC patients indicated significantly better survival for women.

Selection of pulmonary resection procedures to reduce postoperative complications in 200 patients

PURPOSE

We previously demonstrated in a pilot study that postoperative cardiopulmonary complications could be reduced by selecting pulmonary resection procedures based on the results of a combination of specific preoperative cardiopulmonary function tests. The present study reports a re-examination of the criteria for preoperative screening and prospectively assessed whether the selected surgical procedures were appropriate in 200 patients who underwent the planned extent of pulmonary resection.

METHODS

In 200 patients requiring lung tumor resection, five preoperative parameters (forced expiratory volume in 1 s on the intact side, maximal oxygen uptake, ejection fraction, occluded pulmonary artery pressure, and occluded total pulmonary vascular resistance index) were used to assign each patient to one of five risk categories in order to select the optimal resection procedure. Thereafter, the postoperative course was investigated to determine the value of this selection method.

RESULTS

Thoracotomy was performed in 195 of the 200 patients (97.5%). Two patients (1%) died; one patient succumbed to acute exacerbation of interstitial pneumonia and the other patient died from pulmonary embolism. Six patients (3.1%) developed major complications after surgery and 12 patients (6.2%) had mild complications, while 175 (89.7%) showed a good postoperative course.

CONCLUSION

The use of five preoperative parameters to select the pulmonary resection procedure minimized postoperative death and major complications.

Genetic variations in the transforming growth factor-beta pathway as predictors of survival in advanced non-small cell lung cancer

The magnitude of benefit is variable for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients receiving platinum-based chemotherapy. The purpose of this study is to determine whether genetic variations in the transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) pathway are associated with clinical outcomes in NSCLC patients receiving first-line platinum-based chemotherapy. Five hundred and ninety-eight advanced-stage NSCLC patients who received first-line platinum-based chemotherapy with or without radiotherapy were recruited at the MD Anderson Cancer Center between 1995 and 2007. DNA from blood was genotyped for 227 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 23 TGF-β pathway-related genes to evaluate their associations with overall survival. In individual SNP analysis, 22 variants were significantly associated with overall survival, of which the strongest associations were found for BMP2:rs235756 [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.45; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.11-1.90] and SMAD3:rs4776342 (HR = 1.25; 95% CI, 1.06-1.47). Fifteen and 18 genetic loci displayed treatment-specific associations for chemotherapy and chemoradiation, respectively, identifying a majority of the cases who would be predicted to respond favorably to a specific treatment regimen. BMP2:rs235753 and a haplotype in SMAD3 were associated with overall survival for both treatment modalities. Cumulative effect analysis showed that multiple risk genotypes had a significant dose-dependent effect on overall survival (P(trend) = 2.44 x 10(-15)). Survival tree analysis identified subgroups of patients with dramatically different median survival times of 45.39 versus 13.55 months and 18.02 versus 5.89 months for high- and low- risk populations when treated with chemoradiation and chemotherapy, respectively. These results suggest that genetic variations in the TGF-β pathway are potential predictors of overall survival in NSCLC patients treated with platinum-based chemotherapy with or without radiation.

Gefitinib and a ventriculo-peritoneal shunt to manage carcinomatous meningitis from non-small-cell lung cancer: report of two cases

The prognosis of patients with carcinomatous meningitis from non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains poor, and the available treatment options for the lung cancer do not relieve the severe symptoms of this sequela. We report the successful treatment of two cases of carcinomatous meningitis caused by NSCLC, using gefitinib and a ventriculo-peritoneal (V-P) shunt. The first patient was a 43-year-old woman with pT1N0M0 adenocarcinoma. Multiple brain and vertebral metastases were found 13 months after surgery. She had undergone gamma-knife radiosurgery for the brain metastases, radiotherapy for the vertebral metastases, and two regimens of systemic chemotherapy, before carcinomatous meningitis was diagnosed. She was given gefitinib, and then a V-P shunt was placed. She continued to take gefitinib and was free of subjected symptoms for 5 months until she died. The second patient was a 64-year-old woman with cT4N0M0 adenocarcinoma. After local chemotherapy using cisplatin and OK-432 for carcinomatosis pleuritis and two regimens of systemic chemotherapy, carcinomatous meningitis was detected. A V-P shunt was placed, and she was sequentially given gefitinib. At her 15-month follow-up, she was free of symptoms of carcinomatous meningitis. No adverse effects or shunt problems were detected in either patient. This therapeutic modality may liberate carcinomatous meningitis patients with severe symptoms from hospitalization and improve their quality of life.

Association between estrogen receptor-beta expression and epidermal growth factor receptor mutation in the postoperative prognosis of adenocarcinoma of the lung

PURPOSE

Adenocarcinoma of the lung unrelated to a smoking habit occurs more frequently in women than men, thus suggesting an association between female hormones and development of these tumors. The aim of this study was to elucidate the correlation between expression of estrogen receptor (ER) and clinicopathologic factors, including a mutation in the tyrosine kinase domain of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), and prognosis in adenocarcinoma of the lung.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This study evaluated 447 resected primary lung adenocarcinoma specimens. The expression of ERalpha and ERbeta was evaluated with an immunohistochemical method. The EGFR mutation was evaluated with polymerase chain reaction.

RESULTS

A strong cytoplasmic expression of ERalpha and nuclear expression of ERbeta were detected in 49.4% and 48.5% of all patients, respectively. A strong nuclear expression of ERbeta was independently associated with the EGFR mutations (odds ratio = 2.947; 95% CI, 1.97 to 4.57; P < .001) and good differentiation (odds ratio = 1.84; 95% CI, 1.21 to 2.80; P = .004) and was correlated with an increasing disease-free survival in patients with EGFR mutations (hazard ratio = 2.18; 95% CI, 1.18 to 4.06; P = .014). However, no prognostic significance was identified in patients without EGFR mutations. No clinicopathologic and/or prognostic significance of a strong expression of cytoplasmic ERalpha was found.

CONCLUSION

A strong nuclear expression of ERbeta correlates with EGFR mutations, and its favorable prognostic significance was influenced by the EGFR mutations in adenocarcinoma of the lung.