Invasive adenocarcinoma with bronchoalveolar features: A population-based evaluation of the extent of resection in bronchoalveolar cell carcinoma

Lobe-Specific Analysis of Sublobar Lung Resection for NSCLC Patients with Tumors ≤ 2 cm

Simple Summary

With the increase of the use of sublobar resection, the optimal strategy for early-stage NSCLC patients is essential. Previous studies showed tumors in different lobes are associated with different prognoses after radiotherapy and immunotherapy, inspiring us that each lobes had a different prognosis. Thus, we investigated the best surgical procedure for sublobar resection in patients with NSCLC ≤ 2 cm based on a lobe-specific analysis using propensity score matching. The results of this study will make it easier for surgeons to screen out patients with NSCLC ≤ 2 cm for segmentectomy or wedge resection, although this must be validated in larger cohorts.

Abstract

(1) Background: Sublobar resection can be used as an alternative surgical strategy for early-stage non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. However, the choice between wedge resection and segmentectomy remains contentious. In this study, we investigated the optimal surgical procedure for sublobar resection in patients with NSCLC ≤ 2 cm with a lobe-specific analysis; (2) Methods: Data for patients with T1N0M0 with a diameter of ≤2 cm who had undergone sublobar resection were retrieved. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to reduce the inherent bias, and the Kaplan–Meier method and log-rank tests were used to assess the differences in survival; (3) Results: A total of 1882 patients were identified after the PSM. Patients with NSCLC ≤ 2 cm who had undergone segmentectomy showed better survival than those who had undergone wedge resection. However, when NSCLC was ≤1 cm, there was no significant difference in OS between the two groups. This demonstrated an OS advantage of segmentectomy over wedge resection for patients with NSCLC tumors of 1–2 cm (p = 0.024). Further analysis indicated that this survival benefit was only observed in patients with right upper NSCLC of 1–2 cm, but not with NSCLC in the other four lobes; (4) Conclusions: Segmentectomy showed a greater survival benefit than wedge resection only in patients with NSCLC of 1–2 cm, particularly those with primary tumors in the right upper lobe. Therefore, we propose a lobe-specific sublobar resection strategy for early-stage NSCLC patients (tumors of 1–2 cm) who cannot tolerate lobectomy.

Surgical Options for Resectable Lung Adenosquamous Carcinoma: A Propensity Score-Matched Analysis

Background

Surgery is the primary treatment option for Lung adenosquamous carcinoma (ASC) patients. However, no study compares the benefits of lobectomy and sublobar resection in ASC patients.

Methods

A total of 1379 patients in the Surveillance, epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database and 466 patients in Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital (SPH) were enrolled. Survival benefits were evaluated after possible confounders were eliminated by propensity score matching (PSM).

Results

After 1:3 PSM, 463 SEER database patients and 244 SPH patients were enrolled. Lobectomy was associated with better overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) than sublobar resection for ASC patients (5-year OS of SEER: 46.9% vs. 33.3%, P =0.017; 5-year OS of SPH: 35.0% vs. 16.4%, P =0.002; 5-year DFS of SPH: 29.5% vs. 14.8%, P =0.002). Similar results were observed in stage I patients. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses showed that sublobar resection was an adverse prognostic factor independently (SEER: HR: 1.40, 95%CI: 1.08-1.81, P =0.012; SPH: HR: 1.73, 95%CI: 1.11-2.70, P =0.015). Subgroup analysis showed that all of the ASC patient subtypes tended to benefit more from lobectomy than sublobar resection.

Conclusions

Lobectomy remains the primary option for ASC patients compared to sublobar resection, including stage I.

A guide for managing patients with stage I NSCLC: deciding between lobectomy, segmentectomy, wedge, SBRT and ablation-part 3: systematic review of evidence regarding surgery in compromised patients or specific tumors

Background

Clinical decision-making for patients with stage I lung cancer is complex. It involves multiple options [lobectomy, segmentectomy, wedge, stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT), thermal ablation], weighing multiple outcomes (e.g., short-, intermediate-, long-term) and multiple aspects of each (e.g., magnitude of a difference, the degree of confidence in the evidence, and the applicability to the patient and setting at hand). A structure is needed to summarize the relevant evidence for an individual patient and to identify which outcomes have the greatest impact on the decision-making.

Methods

A PubMed systematic review from 2000-2021 of outcomes after lobectomy, segmentectomy and wedge resection in older patients, patients with limited pulmonary reserve and favorable tumors is the focus of this paper. Evidence was abstracted from randomized trials and non-randomized comparisons (NRCs) with adjustment for confounders. The analysis involved careful assessment, including characteristics of patients, settings, residual confounding etc. to expose degrees of uncertainty and applicability to individual patients. Evidence is summarized that provides an at-a-glance overall impression as well as the ability to delve into layers of details of the patients, settings and treatments involved.

Results

In older patients, perioperative mortality is minimally altered by resection extent and only slightly affected by increasing age; sublobar resection may slightly decrease morbidity. Long-term outcomes are worse after lesser resection; the difference is slightly attenuated with increasing age. Reported short-term outcomes are quite acceptable in (selected) patients with severely limited pulmonary reserve, not clearly altered by resection extent but substantially improved by a minimally invasive approach. Quality-of-life (QOL) and impact on pulmonary function hasn't been well studied, but there appears to be little difference by resection extent in older or compromised patients. Patient selection is paramount but not well defined. Ground-glass and screen-detected tumors exhibit favorable long-term outcomes regardless of resection extent; however solid tumors <1 cm are not a reliably favorable group.

Conclusions

A systematic, comprehensive summary of evidence regarding resection extent in compromised patients and favorable tumors with attention to aspects of applicability, uncertainty and effect modifiers provides a foundation for a framework for individualized decision-making.

Equivalent Survival Between Lobectomy and Segmentectomy for Clinical Stage IA Lung Cancer

BACKGROUND

The oncologic efficacy of segmentectomy is controversial. We compared long-term survival in clinical stage IA (T1N0) Medicare patients undergoing lobectomy and segmentectomy in The Society of Thoracic Surgeons database.

METHODS

The Society of Thoracic Surgeons General Thoracic Surgery Database was linked to Medicare data in 14,286 lung cancer patients who underwent segmentectomy (n = 1654) or lobectomy (n = 12,632) for clinical stage IA disease from 2002 to 2015. Cox regression was used to create a long-term survival model. Patients were then propensity matched on demographic and clinical variables to derive matched pairs.

RESULTS

In Cox modeling segmentectomy was associated with survival similar to lobectomy in the entire cohort (hazard ratio, 1.04; 95% confidence interval, 0.89-1.20; P = .64) and in the matched subcohort. A subanalysis restricted to the 2009 to 2015 population (n = 11,811), when T1a tumors were specified and positron emission tomography results and mediastinal staging procedures were accurately recorded in the database, also showed that segmentectomy and lobectomy continue to have similar survival (hazard ratio, 1.00; 95% confidence interval, 0.87-1.16). Subanalysis of the pathologic N0 patients demonstrated the same results.

CONCLUSIONS

Lobectomy and segmentectomy for early-stage lung cancer are equally effective treatments with similar survival. Surgeons from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons database appear to be selecting patients appropriately for sublobar procedures.

Propensity-Matched Analysis Comparing Survival After Sublobar Resection and Lobectomy for cT1N0 Lung Adenocarcinoma

BACKGROUND

The optimal surgical method for cT1N0 lung adenocarcinoma remains controversial.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to evaluate the differences in clinical outcomes of sublobar resection and lobectomy for cT1N0 lung adenocarcinoma patients.

METHODS

We included 1035 consecutive patients with cT1N0 lung adenocarcinoma who underwent surgery at our institute from January 2011 to December 2016. The surgical approach, either sublobar resection or lobectomy, was determined at the discretion of each surgeon. A propensity-matched analysis incorporating total tumor diameter, solid component diameter, consolidation-to-tumor (C/T) ratio, and performance status was used to compare the clinical outcomes of the sublobar resection and lobectomy groups.

RESULTS

Sublobar resection and lobectomy were performed for 604 (58.4%; wedge resection/segmentectomy: 470/134) and 431 (41.6%) patients, respectively. Patients in the sublobar resection group had smaller total tumor diameters, smaller solid component diameters, lower C/T ratios, and better performance status. More lymph nodes were dissected in the lobectomy group. Patients in the sublobar resection group had better perioperative outcomes. A multivariable analysis revealed that the solid component diameter and serum carcinoembryonic antigen level are independent risk factors for tumor recurrence. After propensity matching, 284 paired patients in each group were included. No differences in overall survival (OS; p = 0.424) or disease-free survival (DFS; p = 0.296) were noted between the two matched groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Sublobar resection is not inferior to lobectomy regarding both DFS and OS for cT1N0 lung adenocarcinoma patients. Sublobar resection may be a feasible surgical method for cT1N0 lung adenocarcinoma.

18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography in the evaluation of clinically node-negative non-small cell lung cancer

One in four non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients are diagnosed at an early-stage. Following the results of the National Lung Screening Trial that demonstrated a survival benefit for low-dose computed tomography screening in high-risk patients, the incidence of early-stage NSCLC is expected to increase. Use of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography during initial diagnosis of these early-stage lesions has been increasing. Traditionally, positron emission tomography/computed tomography scans have been utilized for mediastinal nodal staging and to rule out distant metastases in suspected early-stage NSCLC. In clinically node-negative NSCLC, the use of sublobar resection and selective lymph node dissection has been increasing as a therapeutic option. The higher rate of locoregional recurrences after limited resection and the significant incidence of occult lymph node metastases underscores the need to further stratify clinically node-negative NSCLC in order to select patients for limited resection versus lobectomy with complete mediastinal lymph node dissection. In this report, we review the published data, and discuss the significance and potential role of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography evaluation for clinically node-negative NSCLC. Consequently, the literature review demonstrates that maximum standardized uptake value is a predictive factor for occult nodal metastasis with an accuracy of 55-77%. In addition, maximum standardized uptake value is a predictor for worse overall, as well as disease-free, survival.

Favorable response to pemetrexed, cisplatin and bevacizumab in invasive mucinous adenocarcinoma: A case report and literature review

Invasive mucinous adenocarcinoma (IMA) was formerly referred to as mucinous bronchioloalveolar carcinoma. The lack of effective chemotherapy and comprehensive treatment for this type of tumor poses a great challenge in clinical practice. We herein report the case of a male patient with IMA who was treated with a combination of pemetrexed (500 mg/m²), cisplatin (75 mg/m²) and bevacizumab (15 mg/kg) as first-line chemotherapy. The patient achieved significant radiological improvement with 6 courses of this regimen. After the tumor progressed, the patient again achieved marked improvement with an additional 4 courses of the same regimen. The patient survived for a total of 30 months after the first chemotherapy. Therefore, bevacizumab in combination with pemetrexed/cisplatin may be an effective strategy for the treatment of IMA. The available literature on this chemotherapy regimen was also reviewed and discussed in the present study.

Prognosis in Resected Invasive Mucinous Adenocarcinomas of the Lung: Related Factors and Comparison with Resected Nonmucinous Adenocarcinomas

INTRODUCTION

In the 2015 World Health Organization classification, invasive mucinous adenocarcinoma (IMA) is categorized as one of various subtypes of lung invasive adenocarcinoma (ADC). However, no comprehensive analysis regarding the clinicoradiologic and prognostic features of IMA has been reported. We aimed to report prognostic factors in IMA and to compare the prognosis of IMAs with that of nonmucinous ADCs.

METHODS

We included 81 patients with a solitary IMA of the lung and analyzed them from the standpoint of clinicoradiologic presentation. Survival rates were assessed and compared with those of 646 resected solitary invasive nonmucinous ADCs.

RESULTS

Patients with IMA showed longer disease-free survival (DFS) than did those with nonmucinous ADCs, whereas overall survival (OS) did not differ significantly (p = 0.023 and p = 0.824, respectively). The DFS of patients with IMA was between that of patients with lepidic predominant (low-grade) and acinar/papillary predominant (intermediate-grade) ADC. In terms of OS, the survival curve of IMA was similar to that of acinar/papillary predominant ADC. Multivariate analysis revealed that tumor size (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.370, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.141-1.645, p = 0.001) and maximum standardized uptake value (HR = 1.338, 95% CI: 1.160-1.544, p < 0.001) were independent poor prognostic predictors for DFS. Regarding OS, tumor size (HR = 1.309, 95% CI: 1.092-1.570; p = 0.004) was the only predictor of poor prognosis.

CONCLUSION

Patients with IMA demonstrate a DFS between that of patients with low-grade nonmucinous ADC and that of patients with intermediate-grade nonmucinous ADC and an OS similar to that of patients with intermediate-grade nonmucinous ADC. In IMA, tumor size and maximum standardized uptake value are the factors related to mitigating DFS and tumor size is the only predictor for reduced OS.

Comparison of outcomes for patients with lepidic pulmonary adenocarcinoma defined by 2 staging systems: A North American experience

OBJECTIVE

Application of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer/American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society (IASLC/ATS/ERS) classification of lepidic adenocarcinomas in conjunction with American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) staging has been challenging. We aimed to compare IASLC/ATS/ERS and AJCC classifications, to determine if they could be integrated as a single staging system.

METHODS

We reviewed patients from 2001-2013 who had AJCC stage I lepidic adenocarcinomas, and categorized them according to IASLC/ATS/ERS guidelines: adenocarcinoma in situ (AIS); minimally invasive adenocarcinoma (MIA); or invasive adenocarcinoma (IA). We integrated the 2 classification systems by separating AIS and MIA as being stage 0, and routinely classifying IA as stage I.

RESULTS

Median follow-up was 52 months in 138 patients. The IASLC/ATS/ERS classification demonstrated a higher disease-free survival (DFS) in AIS (100%) and MIA (96%) versus IA (80%) (P = .022), and higher overall survival (OS): 100% for AIS and MIA, versus 90% for IA (P = .049). The AJCC classification identified a DFS of 87% and an OS of 94% for stage I patients. Integration of the 2 systems demonstrated higher DFS in stage 0 (98%) versus I (80%) (P = .006), and higher OS: 100% for stage 0 versus 90% for stage I (P = .014).

CONCLUSIONS

The IASLC/ATS/ERS classification better discriminates AIS and MIA compared with current AJCC staging; however, integration suggests that these categories may be collectively classified in AJCC staging, based on similarly favorable outcomes and distinctive survival rates.

Lung excision of non-small-cell lung cancer leaves cancer cells in residual lobe: cytological detection using pulmonary vein blood

OBJECTIVES

Lung excision to treat non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is associated with a worse prognosis when compared with a lobectomy. Cancer relapse may be caused by tumour cells remaining in the residual lobe, the possibility of dislodged cancer cells in the residual lobe is assessed using pulmonary vein blood (PVB) from the resected lung.

METHODS

Twenty-eight patients with pathological stage I NSCLC who underwent lung excision followed by a lobectomy were evaluated according to the status of isolated tumour cells (ITCs) (origin of circulating tumour cells) in PVB from the resected lobe. Survival was also assessed according to the status of ITCs.

RESULTS

The rate of ITC presence was 60.7% and depended on margin distance/tumour size (M/T) with a threshold of 1.0-30.8% (4/13) in M/T greater than or equal to 1.0 and 86.7% (13/15) in M/T smaller than 1.0 (P = 0.001). PVB-ITC status was no ITCs (N) in 11 (39.3%), only singular cells (S) in 13 (50.0%) and clustered cells (C) in 4 (14.3%). In addition, the survival status of patients with clustered cells was exclusively wrong.

CONCLUSION

After pulmonary excision for lung cancer, tumour cells remain in the residual lobe and the morphology of which may indicate recurrence.

The Demise of the Term Bronchioloalveolar Carcinoma

CONTEXT

Bronchioloalveolar carcinoma is a term that has served lung pathology well for almost a century; however, more accurate terms have recently been suggested to better characterize the various lesions that have formerly all been considered bronchioloalveolar carcinoma.

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the origin and history of the term bronchioloalveolar carcinoma and to compare the term's traditional uses with current understanding and terminology of lung lesions formerly termed bronchioloalveolar carcinoma.

DATA SOURCES

Review of the literature pertaining to bronchioloalveolar carcinoma.

CONCLUSIONS

Bronchioloalveolar carcinoma has been an extremely useful term for many decades; however, it has now obtained respected obsolescence. Novel, more medically appropriate terms have been suggested for the group of lesions formerly termed bronchioloalveolar carcinoma, and these newer terms should now be routinely used.

The theory, practice, and future of process improvement in general thoracic surgery

Process improvement, in its broadest sense, is the analysis of a given set of actions with the aim of elevating quality and reducing costs. The tenets of process improvement have been applied to medicine in increasing frequency for at least the last quarter century including thoracic surgery. This review outlines the theory underlying process improvement, the currently available data sources for process improvement and possible future directions of research.

Comparison of the oncologic outcomes of anatomic segmentectomy and lobectomy for early-stage non-small cell lung cancer

Interest has been renewed in segmentectomy for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, whether the oncologic outcomes are comparable with lobectomy is conflicting. To assess the evidence base, a systematic search identified 31 comparative studies for meta-analysis. No higher local or distant recurrence in segmentectomy compared with lobectomy. Nevertheless, worse outcomes in overall and recurrence-free survival for patients treated with segmentectomy were found. Lobectomy conferred a significant survival advantage compared with segmentectomy for stage I. However, segmentectomy was more suitable for stage IA NSCLC, with survivals equivalent to lobectomy. Further randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm the results.

Comparative outcomes of elderly stage I lung cancer patients treated with segmentectomy via video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery versus open resection

INTRODUCTION

Video-assisted thorcacic surgery (VATS) is considered an alternative to open lobectomy for the treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Limited data are available, however, regarding the equivalence of open versus VATS segmental resections, particularly among elderly patients.

METHODS

From the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare database we identified 577 stage I NSCLC patients aged more than 65 years treated with VATS or open segmentectomy. We used propensity score methods to control for differences in the baseline characteristics of patients treated with VATS versus open segmentectomy. Outcomes included perioperative complications, need for intensive care unit, extended hospital stay, perioperative mortality, and survival.

RESULTS

Overall, 27% of patients underwent VATS. VATS-treated patients had lower rates of postoperative complications (odds ratio [OR]: 0.55, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.37-0.83), intensive care unit admissions (OR: 0.18, 95% CI: 0.12-0.28), and decreased length of stay (OR: 0.41, 95% CI: 0.21-0.81) after adjusting for propensity scores. Postoperative outcomes were not significantly different across groups after adjusting for surgeon characteristics. Overall (hazard ratio: 0.80, 95% CI: 0.60-1.06) and lung cancer-specific (hazard ratio: 0.71, 95% CI: 0.45-1.12) survival was similar across groups.

CONCLUSIONS

VATS segmentectomy can be safely performed among elderly NSCLC patients and is associated with equivalent postoperative and oncologic outcomes.

Current readings: sublobar resection for non-small-cell lung cancer

The Lung Cancer Study Group consensus recommending lobectomy for stage I non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) to reduce local recurrence associated with sublobar resections has directed NSCLC care since its 1995 publication. However, enhancements in imaging technology and in our understanding of the molecular biology of NSCLC over the past 2 decades have produced large cohorts of patients with smaller, better staged, and more indolent tumors than evaluated by the Lung Cancer Study Group. Numerous single-institution trials have demonstrated that in well-selected patients, sublobar resection can afford comparable survival and recurrence rates with lobectomy with a more favorable risk profile. This review of recent literature will focus on 2 separate issues with regard to the use of sublobar resections for stage I NSCLC: (1) a comparison to nonoperative ablative therapies in medically unfit patients, and (2) identifying in which subset of the noncompromised standard-risk population, sublobar resections provide equivalent outcome to lobectomy.

[Treatment of non-small cell lung carcinoma in early stages]

Treatment of lung carcinoma is multidisciplinary. There are different therapeutic strategies available, although surgery shows the best results in those patients with lung carcinoma in early stages. Other options such as stereotactic radiation therapy are relegated to patients with small tumors and poor cardiopulmonary reserve or to those who reject surgery. Adjuvant chemotherapy is not justified in patients with stage i of the disease and so double adjuvant chemotherapy should be considered. This adjuvant chemotherapy should be based on cisplatin after surgery in those patients with stages ii and IIIA.

Potential errors in staging primary pulmonary adenocarcinomas by sublobar resection

INTRODUCTION

There is increasing interest in treating patients with stage I pulmonary adenocarcinoma with sublobar resection and staging lymphadenectomy (StLN), but there is no information on the potential impact of this approach on staging.

METHODS

A total of 241 consecutive wedge resections followed by immediate completion lobectomy (n = 225), bilobectomy (n = 3), or trisegmentectomy (n = 13) ("second specimens") and StLN were retrieved from our database. Tumor location, size, pT, and distance to closest margin (D) in the wedge specimens were compared with the presence of residual and/or additional tumor nodules in the lung and metastatic tumor in N1 lymph nodes of the "second specimens."

RESULTS

Residual tumor (n = 14), additional tumor nodules (n = 9), and both (n = 1) were present in the lung parenchyma of 24 "second specimens." Problems orienting residual tumor to tumor in the wedge made it difficult to accurately determine overall tumor size and final pT in some cases. In 10 of the 241 cases, metastatic tumor was present only in N1 lymph nodes in the "second specimen."

CONCLUSIONS

Sublobar resections with StLN would have potentially understaged 19 (7.9%) of 241 patients (9 as pT1 or pT2 instead of pT3, 9 as pN0 instead of pN1, and 1 as pT1N0 instead of pT3N1). Preoperative positron emission tomography/computed tomography suggested the presence of more than 1 parenchymal tumor nodule and/or metastatic tumor in N1 lymph nodes of the "second specimen" in only 5 of these cases. Sublobar resections may miss additional tumor nodules and positive lymph nodes and understage a small proportion of pulmonary adenocarcinoma patients.

Differences in the prognosis of resected lung adenocarcinoma according to the histological subtype: a retrospective analysis of Japanese lung cancer registry data

OBJECTIVES

This study intended to assess the clinicopathological features of the histological subtypes of adenocarcinoma of the lung in a large registry population.

METHODS

The Japanese Joint Committee of Lung Cancer Registry performed a nationwide retrospective registry study on the prognosis and clinicopathological profiles of 11 663 patients who underwent resection for primary lung neoplasm in 2004. The registry data of 7921 (62.5%) patients with adenocarcinoma were analysed regarding the prognosis and clinicopathological features according to the histological subtype of adenocarcinoma. The histological subtypes were defined according to the 1999 World Health Organization classification (third edition), where bronchioloalveolar carcinoma (BAC) is defined as adenocarcinoma with a pure bronchioloalveolar growth pattern without invasion.

RESULTS

The distribution of the histological subtype was acinar in 471 patients (7.5%), papillary in 2004 (32.2%), BAC in 1385 (22.3%), solid adenocarcinoma with mucin in 103 (1.7%) and adenocarcinoma with mixed subtypes (AMS) in 2257 (36.3%). The 5-year overall survival rates according to histological subtype were 63.4% for acinar, 72.9% for papillary, 90.3% for BAC, 54.4% for solid adenocarcinoma with mucin and 73.7% for AMS. While the survival rate in patients with BAC was significantly better than those for the other histological subtypes, acinar and solid adenocarcinoma with mucin had significantly worse prognoses than the other histological subtypes. The histological subtype was an independent predictor of survival in a multivariate analysis (P < 0.001). Regarding BAC, the pathological stage included not only Stage IA/IB (n = 1275; 92.1%), but also Stage II-IV (n = 110; 7.9%). One hundred twenty-five patients (9.0%) with BAC had recurrence, including both local and distant recurrence.

CONCLUSIONS

The histological subtype in adenocarcinoma significantly correlated with the prognosis. In BACs with recurrence or pathological stage II-IV, these tumours might have been classified as invasive adenocarcinoma rather than as BAC. The need for the rigorous pathological evaluation of adenocarcinomas that are considered to be a preinvasive or minimally invasive tumour should be addressed in the new lung adenocarcinoma classification to be proposed by the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer, the American Thoracic Society and the European Respiratory Society.

Stereotactic body radiation therapy for the treatment of early-stage minimally invasive adenocarcinoma or adenocarcnioma in situ (formerly bronchioloalveolar carcinoma): a patterns of failure analysis

Introduction

Ongoing prospective trials exploring stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for early stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) often exclude minimally invasive adenocarcinoma or adenocarcnioma in situ, formerly bronchioloalveolar carcinoma (BAC), due to concerns for accurate target delineation on CT. We performed a patterns of failure analysis to compare outcomes between BAC and other NSCLC subtypes.

Methods

One hundred twenty patients with early stage NSCLC were treated with SBRT from 2004–2009. Pathologic confirmation of NSCLC was obtained in 97 patients. Radiotherapy was delivered according to RTOG guidelines. The log-rank test was used to compare outcomes between BAC and other NSCLC.

Results

Median follow-up was 29 months. The median SBRT dose was 5400 cGy. Thirteen patients had radiographically diagnosed BAC and five patients had biopsy confirmed BAC, of which two had both. The three-year local control was 100% for biopsy-proven or radiographically diagnosed BAC (n = 18) and 86% for all other NSCLC subtypes (n = 102) (p = 0.13). Likewise, no significant difference was detected between BAC and other NSCLC for 3-year regional failure (12% vs. 20%, p = 0.45), progression-free survival (57.6% vs. 53.5%, p = 0.84) or overall survival (35% vs. 47%, p = 0.66). There was a trend towards lower three-year rates of freedom from distant failure in patients with any diagnosis of BAC compared to those without (26% vs. 38%, p = 0.053).

Conclusions

Compared to other NSCLC subtypes, BAC appears to have similar patterns of failure and survival after treatment with SBRT, however there may be an increased risk of distant metastases with BAC. RTOG guideline-based target delineation provides encouraging local control rates for patients with BAC.

T1/T2 non-small-cell lung cancer treated by lobectomy: does tumor anatomic location matter?

BACKGROUND

The effect of tumor location on long-term survival after lobectomy for stage I non-small-cell lung cancer is unclear. Current data are limited to a retrospective single-institution series. We sought to determine if tumor anatomic location (i.e., the particular lobe that was involved) confers a survival advantage based on population-based data.

METHODS

Using the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results database (1988-2007), we identified patients who underwent lobectomy for pathologic T1/T2 adenocarcinoma or squamous cell carcinomas. Wedge resections, segmentectomies, and pneumonectomies were excluded. We evaluated the association between the particular lobe that was involved, lymph node (LN) yield, and survival using the Kaplan-Meier method. To adjust for potential confounders, we used a Cox proportional hazards regression model.

RESULTS

We identified 13,650 patients who met our inclusion criteria. There were significant differences in unadjusted overall (P=0.03) and cancer-specific survivals (P=0.03) based on tumor location. However, after adjusting for patient factors, geographic location of treatment, and tumor characteristics, we found that tumor location was not associated with significant differences in survival. We found that male gender, black race, squamous cell histology, increasing grade, and age were independent negative predictors of survival. Higher LN yields were independently associated with improved survival. Although adjusted survival rates were not significantly different, there were significant differences (P<0.0001) in LN yield based on tumor location; right middle lobe had the lowest yield (5.1 nodes), and left upper lobe had the highest yield (eight nodes).

CONCLUSIONS

LN counts are independent predictors of survival. Although it is associated with significant difference in LN yield, tumor location is not an independent predictor of survival. Age, race, gender, tumor size, histology, and grade appear to be more important prognostic factors. These data suggest that treatment of T1/T2 non-small-cell lung cancer should be dictated by the same oncologic principles, regardless of tumor location.