Distribution of interstitial pneumonia: a new radiological predictor of 90-day mortality after resection of lung cancer

Survival after surgery for clinical stage I non-small-cell lung cancer with interstitial pneumonia

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the surgical outcomes after surgery in patients with stage I lung cancer and idiopathic interstitial pneumonia (IIP).

MATERIAL AND METHODS

This retrospective cohort study was conducted in 2131 patients with clinical stage I non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who underwent pulmonary resection between 2009 and 2018. Based on computed tomography (CT) findings, 233 patients had IIP. Lobectomy was performed in 180 patients with IIP and 1227 patients without IIP. Surgical outcomes, recurrence sites, and cause of death were investigated. In addition, we measured the distance between the tumor and hilum in patients with IIP and assessed the feasibility of sublobar resection.

RESULTS

The overall survival and cancer-specific survival of patients with IIP were significantly poorer than those of non-IIP patients. The five-year overall survival rates of patients with clinical stage IA/IB lung cancer with and without IIP were 58.1%/47.3% and 88.8%/68.9%, respectively. Furthermore, 9.4% of patients with IIP and 0.9% of patients without IIP died from respiratory-related causes within 2 years after surgery. Multivariate analyses revealed that volume capacity <80% (odds ratio: 3.259), usual interstitial pneumonia pattern by CT finding (odds ratio: 1.891), and nodal metastasis (odds ratio: 3.304) were prognostic factors for overall survival in patients with IIP. Unexpected nodal metastases were observed in 22.3% of patients with IIP. By CT judgment, sublobar resection was not feasible in 68% of patients with IIP who underwent lobectomy.

CONCLUSIONS

The overall survival of patients with early NSCLC after pulmonary resection with IIP was poor; this is related to the high prevalence of cancer-specific and respiratory-related deaths. Sublobar resection is not always feasible, the procedure on patients with IIP should be selected carefully according to the characteristics of each case. Nodal dissection should be performed to evaluate for metastasis, regardless of the extent of lung resection.

Advantages and disadvantages of corticosteroid use for acute exacerbation of interstitial pneumonia after pulmonary resection

OBJECTIVES

Acute exacerbation of interstitial pneumonia (AE-IP) is the top cause of 30-day mortality in surgery for lung cancer patients. The general treatment for AE-IP is corticosteroid; however, there are some disadvantages of corticosteroid use after surgery. This study was conducted to report the clinical course of AE-IP after surgery and evaluate the effect of corticosteroid use.

METHODS

This retrospective study was performed on 337 patients with interstitial pneumonia who underwent surgical resection for lung cancer at our institute between 2009 and 2018. AE-IP were observed in 14 patients (4.2%) and their management and clinical outcome were investigated.

RESULTS

All patients received methylprednisolone pulse therapy. Six patients (42.9%) became convalescent after pulse therapy and eight (57.1%) died within 90 days after surgery due to lack of therapeutic efficacy. Oxygenation and ground-glass opacities of the survivors improved within 3 days after starting pulse therapy. Patients who responded to the first pulse also responded to the second pulse. Four patients developed complications including two with bronchopulmonary fistulas that may be related to steroid treatment. Even if the corticosteroid was effective, all AE-IP patients died within 1 year after surgery.

CONCLUSIONS

Corticosteroid therapy is effective for AE-IP after surgery; however, it may lead to severe complications after surgery.

Lobe-specific outcomes of surgery for lung cancer patients with idiopathic interstitial pneumonias

OBJECTIVE

Idiopathic interstitial pneumonias (IIPs) are predominantly encountered in the lower lobe, and frequently with concomitant emphysema that is predominantly in the upper lobe. However, the impact of the resection site on surgical outcomes of lung cancer with IIPs remains unclear. This study was conducted to evaluate the surgical outcome between patients undergoing upper or lower lobe resection.

METHODS

This retrospective study was performed on 1972 patients who underwent surgical resection for lung cancer at our institute between 2009 and 2018. Review of CT findings revealed that 337 (14.1%) patients had IIPs. Morbidity, mortality, and postoperative pulmonary function test (PFT) were compared between patients who underwent upper or lower lobectomy and stratified by presence or absence of emphysema (CPFE and non-CPFE).

RESULTS

Surgical mortality and morbidity were not statistically different between the two groups regardless of CPFE. The difference between actual and predicted postoperative PFTs was statistically larger in the upper lobectomy compared to the lower lobectomy among the non-CPFE patients. (FVC: p = 0.019, FEV_1.0: p = 0.001, %DLCO: p = 0.090) CONCLUSIONS: Site of the resected lobe in lung cancer is not a prognostic factor of surgical mortality and morbidity in patients with IIPs. However, the impact of upper lobectomy on postoperative respiratory function reduction is larger than lower lobectomy in non-CPFE patients.

The maximum dimension of the inferior vena cava is a significant predictor of postoperative mortality in lung cancer patients with idiopathic interstitial pneumonia

PURPOSE

Several vascular measurements in computed tomography (CT) were reported to be indicators of pulmonary hypertension in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. We evaluated the usefulness of these parameters as predictors of postoperative mortality in lung cancer patients with IIP.

METHODS

This retrospective study was performed on 1888 patients. The following CT findings were evaluated: diameter of the main pulmonary artery, ascending aorta, and the short axis of the inferior vena cava (IVC). Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to determine predictors of surgical mortality.

RESULTS

In the IIP patients, the 90-day mortality was 0.8%, and the 2-year mortality was 5.8%. Regarding the 90-day mortality in patients with IIP, a multivariate analysis revealed a short axis of IVC > 21 mm [odds ratio (OR) 6.4, p < 0.01) and the risk score reported by Japanese Association for Chest Surgery (JACS) (OR 1.4, p = 0.01) as independent predictors. Regarding the 2-year mortality in patients with IIP, a multivariate analysis revealed IVC > 21 mm (OR 2.3, p < 0.04), %VC < 80% (OR 2.4, p = 0.02), and pathological cancer stages II and III vs. I (OR 7.2, p < 0.001) as independent predictors.

CONCLUSIONS

Enlargement of the IVC as measured by CT was a significant predictor of mortality after surgery for lung cancer with IIP patients.

Severity of lung fibrosis affects early surgical outcomes of lung cancer among patients with combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema

Combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema (CPFE) is defined as upper lobe emphysema and lower lobe fibrosis, which are representative lung disorders that increase the prevalence of lung cancer. This unique disorder may affect the morbidity and mortality during the early period after surgery. The present study aimed to identify which clinicopathological features significantly affect early surgical outcomes after lung resection in nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients and in those with CPFE.We retrospectively assessed 2295 patients with NSCLC and found that 151 (6.6%) had CPFE. All were surgically treated between January 2008 and December 2010 at 4 institutions.The postoperative complication rates for patients with and without CPFE were 39% and 17%, respectively. The 90-day mortality rates were higher among patients with than without CPFE (7.9% vs 1%). Acute exacerbation of interstitial pneumonia was the main cause of death among 12 patients with CPFE who died within 90 days after surgery. Multivariate logistic regression analysis selected CPFE, gender, age, and clinical stage as independent predictive factors for postoperative complications, and CPFE, clinical stage, and sex for 90-day mortality. The severity of lung fibrosis on preoperative CT images was an independent predictive factor for 90-day mortality among patients with CPFE.The key predictive factor for postoperative mortality and complications of lung resection for NSCLC was CPFE. The severity of lung fibrosis was the principal predictor of early outcomes after lung surgery among patients with CPFE and NSCLC.