Trimodality therapy for stage IIIA non-small cell lung cancer: Benchmarking multi-disciplinary team decision-making and function

Evaluation of treatment strategies for patients with stage IIIA non-small cell lung cancer in the immunotherapy era

BACKGROUND

Optimal treatment for patients with stage IIIA NSCLC is controversial. Growing evidence indicates surgery with adjuvant or neoadjuvant chemotherapy (SC) may be superior to non-surgical treatments. Direct comparisons have not been performed between SC and chemoradiation with immunotherapy (CRI) among patients diagnosed with stage IIIA NSCLC since consolidation immunotherapy was added to treatment guidelines.

METHODS

This retrospective study compared surgical and systemic non-surgical treatments (except targeted therapy) among adults diagnosed with stage IIIA NSCLC 2017-2021. Data was from ConcertAI's curated EHR Patient360™ NSCLC real-world care product. Real-world progression-free survival (rwPFS) and overall survival (rwOS) were evaluated among patients treated with SC or CRI using Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazard methods. Baseline differences were balanced using propensity score-derived inverse probability treatment weights (IPTW).

RESULTS

Among 1718 eligible, the two main comparator groups (SC and CRI) had 431 (25%) and 576 (34%) patients; 711 patients received chemoradiation or monotherapy. A wide range of treatment strategies was observed across included oncology clinics (e.g., 0-67% clinic patients received surgery). IPTW-adjusted analyses showed reduced hazards in the SC group vs. CRI for rwPFS (HR 0.78, 95% CI: 0.63-0.97) and rwOS (HR 0.63, 95% CI: 0.49-0.82). SC was similarly beneficial for patients across nodal status groups and appeared especially beneficial for patients with resectable squamous-cell tumors.

CONCLUSION

Stage IIIA NSCLC treatment is highly variable. Real-world studies can provide valuable evidence to support surgery as a treatment option for stage IIIA patients, who currently may only be offered chemoradiation with or without immunotherapy.

Real-World Treatment Patterns and Clinical Outcomes in Patients With Stage III NSCLC: Results of KINDLE, a Multicountry Observational Study

INTRODUCTION

Stage III NSCLC is a heterogeneous disease requiring a multimodal management approach. We conducted a real-world, global study to characterize patients, treatment patterns, and their associated clinical outcomes for stage III NSCLC.

METHODS

KINDLE was a retrospective study in patients with stage III NSCLC (American Joint Committee on Cancer, seventh edition) diagnosed between January 2013 and December 2017, with at least 9 months of documented follow-up since index diagnosis. In addition to descriptive statistics, Kaplan-Meier methodology evaluated survival estimates; two-sided 95% confidence interval was computed. Cox proportional hazards model was used for univariate and multivariate analyses.

RESULTS

A total of 3151 patients from more than 100 centers across 19 countries from Asia, Middle East, Africa, and Latin America were enrolled. Median age was 63.0 years (range: 21.0-92.0); 76.5% were males, 69.2% had a smoking history, 53.7% had adenocarcinoma, and 21.4% underwent curative resection. Of greater than 25 treatment regimens, concurrent chemoradiotherapy was the most common (29.4%). The overall median progression-free survival (95% confidence interval) and median overall survival (mOS) were 12.5 months (12.06-13.14) and 34.9 months (32.00-38.01), respectively. Significant associations (p < 0.05) were observed for median progression-free survival and mOS with respect to sex, region, smoking status, stage, histology, and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group status. In univariate and multivariate analyses, younger age, stage IIIA, better Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group status, concurrent chemoradiotherapy, and surgery as initial therapy predicted better mOS.

CONCLUSIONS

KINDLE reveals the diversity in treatment practices and outcomes in stage III NSCLC in a real-world setting in the preimmuno-oncology era. There is a high unmet medical need, necessitating novel approaches to optimize outcomes.

Locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer: the place of specialist thoracic surgery in the multidisciplinary team

One reason that lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide, is that surgical intervention is highly dependent on earlier tumor stage and good patient condition. As large proportion of cases are already metastatic at presentation and many are locally advanced, curative surgery is only possible in a minority of fit patients. Increasing the number of patients achieving complete resection is one of the avenues to increase overall survival using our existing technology. In the past, complex cases may have been sporadically discussed between various specialists in order to achieve better outcomes. More recently, the idea of discussing those cases on a routine basis, rather than an accident of geography or referral pattern, gave rise to the multidisciplinary team. Lung cancer management is now increasingly complex, especially with novel modalities such as targeted therapies, immune checkpoint inhibitors and stereotactic body radiotherapy delivery. Likewise, in thoracic surgery, minimally invasive techniques, early recovery after surgery protocols and complex techniques for resecting locally advanced tumours or preserving lung parenchyma must all be deployed appropriately to continue our incremental gains in survival and quality of life. To highlight the role of specialist thoracic surgeon in the multidisciplinary care of locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer, we conducted a search of English language publications for its multidisciplinary-based surgical management. We limited our search to the last decade, then hand-searched relevant references. In addition, we used our large prospective database as a team-oriented specialized thoracic surgical service to benchmark and demonstrate the benefits of specialist surgeons in the modern multidisciplinary team. In conclusion, patients with locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer should have any surgical option withheld without a specialist thoracic surgical opinion as part of the multidisciplinary team discussion.

A prospective analysis of touch preparation cytology for intraoperative detection of mediastinal lymph node metastases

INTRODUCTION

Patients diagnosed with lung cancer may require immediate evaluation of mediastinal lymph nodes to determine treatment plan. Typically, frozen section (FS) analysis has been used, but this analysis can be time-consuming and uses more tissue than touch preparation (TP) cytologic analysis. TP accuracy has been studied in other organs, but no prospective studies comparing TP to FS have been performed on mediastinal lymph nodes in lung cancer. Our goal was to compare the accuracy of TP to FS in these cases.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

After obtaining institutional review board approval, all patients undergoing mediastinal lymph node evaluation for a diagnosis of lung cancer were asked to participate. If consent was given, TP and FS analyses were performed on all mediastinal lymph node stations in all patients and compared to permanent hematoxylin and eosin analysis. Data were collected prospectively.

RESULTS

Twenty patients were enrolled. Mean age was 67.7 years. Fifty-five percent (11 of 20) of patients were men. The mean number of lymph node stations sampled in each patient was 3.4. In predicting the stage of the patient, TP had a sensitivity and specificity of 95% and 100%, respectively. FS had a lower sensitivity, 85%, and a specificity of 100%. On permanent analysis, metastatic foci ranged in size from 0.15 mm to 1.5 mm.

CONCLUSIONS

TP was more sensitive than FS in detecting mediastinal lymph node metastases. The technical difficulty of obtaining full-thickness sections without creating significant artifact may contribute to the lower sensitivity of FS in detecting micrometastases.

Implications of Pathologic Complete Response Beyond Mediastinal Nodal Clearance With High-Dose Neoadjuvant Chemoradiation Therapy in Locally Advanced, Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

PURPOSE

To determine, in a retrospective analysis of a large cohort of stage III non-small cell lung cancer patients treated with curative intent at our institution, whether having a pathologic complete response (pCR) influenced overall survival (OS) or freedom from recurrence (FFR) in patients who underwent definitive (≥60 Gy) neoadjuvant doses of chemoradiation (CRT).

METHODS AND MATERIALS

At our institution, 355 patients with locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer were treated with curative intent with definitive CRT (January 2000-December 2013), of whom 111 underwent mediastinal reassessment for possible surgical resection. Ultimately 88 patients received trimodality therapy. Chi-squared analysis was used to compare categorical variables. The Kaplan-Meier analysis was performed to estimate OS and FFR, with Cox regression used to determine the absolute hazards.

RESULTS

Using high-dose neoadjuvant CRT, we observed a mediastinal nodal clearance (MNC) rate of 74% (82 of 111 patients) and pCR rate of 48% (37 of 77 patients). With a median follow-up of 34.2 months (range, 3-177 months), MNC resulted in improved OS and FFR on both univariate (OS: hazard ratio [HR] 0.455, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.272-0.763, P = .004; FFR: HR 0.426, 95% CI 0.250-0.726, P = .002) and multivariate analysis (OS: HR 0.460, 95% CI 0.239-0.699, P = .001; FFR: HR 0.455, 95% CI 0.266-0.778, P = .004). However, pCR did not independently impact OS (P = .918) or FFR (P = .474).

CONCLUSIONS

Mediastinal nodal clearance after CRT continues to be predictive of improved survival for patients undergoing trimodality therapy. However, a pCR at both the primary and mediastinum did not further improve survival outcomes. Future therapies should focus on improving MNC to encourage more frequent use of surgery and might justify use of preoperative CRT over chemotherapy alone.

Impact of a Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Educational Program for Interdisciplinary Teams

BACKGROUND

Successful implementation of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) evidence-based guideline recommendations requires effective educational programs that target all clinicians from interdisciplinary teams. This study describes and evaluates the Engaging an Interdisciplinary Team for NSCLC (GAIN 3.0) experiential learning-based educational curriculum.

METHODS

GAIN 3.0 was designed to enhance interdisciplinary collaboration for effective NSCLC diagnosis, assessment, and treatment. The program used a flipped classroom model that included an e-learning component prior to a live 6-hour interactive program. The interactive program included hands-on simulations, small group workshops, gamification, and case discussions. Participants included academic and community members of multidisciplinary lung cancer teams. Assessments included an online baseline survey, a pretest and posttest, a program evaluation, a long-term survey (LTS), and on-site faculty evaluation of participants.

RESULTS

Of 416 attendees to 13 live GAIN 3.0 programs (nine in the United States and four in Europe), 304 (73%) completed the pretest and 187 (45%) completed the posttest. Out of a perfect score of 12 points, program participants had a mean test score of 6.3 ± 2.1 on the pretest (52%) and 7.8 ± 2.1 on the posttest (65%) (P = .03). There was an overall knowledge increase of 13% from pretest to posttest. Most LTS respondents (65%) rated the GAIN 3.0 live programs as "high impact." On the LTS, the areas with the greatest gains in participants who had very high confidence were communication across disciplines, use of a team-based approach, and personalized treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

GAIN 3.0 was a highly successful interdisciplinary activity that improved participants' knowledge, competence, and likely the clinical care provided to patients with NSCLC.

The predictive value of 18F-FDG PET-CT for assessing the clinical outcomes in locally advanced NSCLC patients after a new induction treatment: low-dose fractionated radiotherapy with concurrent chemotherapy

Background

Patients with locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (LA-NSCLC) have poor prognosis despite several multimodal approaches. Recently, low-dose fractionated radiotherapy concurrent to the induction chemotherapy (IC-LDRT) has been proposed to further improve the effects of chemotherapy and prognosis. Until now, the predictive value of metabolic response after IC-LDRT has not yet been investigated. Aim: to evaluate whether the early metabolic response, assessed by ¹⁸F-fluoro-deoxyglucose positron emission-computed tomography (¹⁸F-FDG PET-CT), could predict the prognosis in LA-NSCLC patients treated with a multimodal approach, including IC-LDRT.

Methods

Forty-four consecutive patients (35males, mean age: 66 ± 7.8 years) with stage IIIA/IIIB NSCLC were retrospectively evaluated. Forty-four patients underwent IC-LDRT (2 cycles of chemotherapy, 40 cGy twice daily), 26/44 neo-adjuvant chemo-radiotherapy (CCRT: 50.4Gy), and 20/44 surgery. ¹⁸F-FDG PET-CT was performed before (baseline), after IC-LDRT (early) and after CCRT (final), applying PET response criteria in solid tumours (PERCIST). Patients with complete/partial metabolic response were classified as responders; patients with stable/progressive disease as non-responders. Progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were assessed using Kaplan-Meyer analysis; the relationship between clinical factors and survivals were assessed using uni-multivariate regression analysis.

Results

Forty-four out of 44, 42/44 and 23/42 patients underwent baseline, early and final PET-CT, respectively. SUL_peak of primary tumour and lymph-node significantly (p = 0.004, p = 0.0002, respectively) decreased after IC-LDRT with a further reduction after CCRT (p = 0.0006, p = 0.02, respectively). At early PET-CT, 20/42 (47.6%) patients were classified as responders, 22/42 (52.3%) as non-responders. At final PET-CT, 19/23 patients were classified as responders (12 responders and 7 non-responders at early PET-CT), and 4/23 as non-responders (all non-responders at early PET-CT). Early responders had better PFS and OS than early non-responders (p ≤ 0.01). Early metabolic response was predictive factor for loco-regional, distant and global PFS (p = 0.02, p = 0.01, p = 0.005, respectively); surgery for loco-regional and global PFS (p = 0.03, p = 0.009, respectively).

Conclusions

In LA-NSCLC patients, ¹⁸F-FDG metabolic response assessed after only two cycles of IC-LDRT predicts the prognosis. The early evaluation of metabolic changes could allow to personalize therapy. This multimodality approach, including both low-dose radiotherapy that increases the effects of induction chemotherapy, and surgery that removes the disease, improved clinical outcomes. Further prospective investigation of this new induction approach is warranted.

Prognostic significance of G2/M arrest signaling pathway proteins in advanced non-small cell lung cancer patients

The aim of the present study was to retrospectively assess the correlation between the expression levels of proteins involved in G2/M arrest signaling pathways in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tissue, as determined by immunohistochemical (IHC) methods, and the overall survival of patients with advanced stage NSCLC. IHC analysis of advanced NSCLC specimens was used to determine the expression levels of proteins involved in G2/M arrest signaling pathways, including ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) kinase, ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3-related (ATR) kinase, checkpoint kinase (Chk) 1, Chk2, cell division cycle 25C (Cdc25C), total cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (Cdk1) and active Cdk1 signaling pathways, the latter of which refers to dephospho-Cdk1 (Tyr15) and phospho-Cdk1 (Thr161). Patients were enrolled continuously and followed up for ≥2 years. Univariate analysis demonstrated that the protein expression levels of dephospho-Cdk1 (P=0.015) and phospho-Cdk1 (P=0.012) exhibited prognostic significance, while the expression of the other proteins was not significantly associated with patient survival (ATM, P=0.843; ATR, P=0.245; Chk1, P=0.341; Chk2, P=0.559; Cdc25C, P=0.649; total Cdk1, P=0.093). Furthermore, the patients with tumors exhibiting low expression levels of active Cdk1 survived significantly longer than those with tumors exhibiting high active Cdk1 expression levels (P<0.05). In addition, Cox regression analysis demonstrated that the expression of active Cdk1 [odds ratio (OR), 0.624; 95% confidence ratio (CI), 0.400–0.973; P=0.038] and the pathological tumor-node-metastasis stage (OR, 0.515; 95% CI, 0.297–0.894; P=0.018) were significant independent prognostic factors for NSCLC. Therefore, the results of the present study indicated that active Cdk1 protein is an independent prognostic factor for advanced NSCLC and may validate Cdk1 as a therapeutic target for advanced NSCLC patients.