[COPD and lung cancer: practical implications]

[New therapeutic advances in patients with lung cancer immunosuppressed with chronic lung diseases in the period 2014-2022 from the review of the literature.]

Lung cancer is a malignant neoplasm with a high prevalence and mortality, more so in patients with respiratory comorbidities, whose cells have a massive proliferation capacity in the lung tissue, managing to invade other organs, which deteriorates the patient's physical and emotional state, decreasing their quality of life and defense system; therefore, treatment today is not sufficient for patient survival and there has been evidence of a certain evolution in the treatment of the disease or early detection to prevent it. This article aimed to analyze the new therapeutic advances in patients with lung cancer associated with chronic lung diseases in the period 2014-2022 based on a review of the literature. Several parameters were used to limit the search, extrapolating the articles of interest, validating fifty three articles, six doctoral theses and two books, which were in Spanish and English.The various search strategies used were keywords, subject and author follow-up. The sections developed in this review are the concept of Lung Cancer (LC), clinical manifestations, risk factors, relationship between LC and chronic lung diseases, diagnosis, treatment, prevention and new therapeutic advances. All the filtered information of the selected articles shows us the importance that the use of various biomarkers is taking for its early detection; however, the transfer of antitumor T cells in patients with underlying lung disease had an efficiency of 48.

Management of the COPD Patient with Comorbidities: An Experts Recommendation Document

Background

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is associated with multiple comorbidities, which impact negatively on patients and are often underdiagnosed, thus lacking a proper management due to the absence of clear guidelines.

Purpose

To elaborate expert recommendations aimed to help healthcare professionals to provide the right care for treating COPD patients with comorbidities.

Methods

A modified RAND-UCLA appropriateness method consisting of nominal groups to draw up consensus recommendations (6 Spanish experts) and 2-Delphi rounds to validate them (23 Spanish experts) was performed.

Results

A panel of Spanish internal medicine experts reached consensus on 73 recommendations and 81 conclusions on the clinical consequences of the presence of comorbidities. In general, the experts reached consensus on the issues raised with regard to cardiovascular comorbidity and metabolic disorders. Consensus was reached on the use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in cases of depression and the usefulness of referring patients with anxiety to respiratory rehabilitation programmes. The results also showed consensus on the usefulness of investigating the quality of sleep, the treatment of pain with opioids and the evaluation of osteoporosis by lateral chest radiography.

Conclusion

This study provides conclusions and recommendations that are intended to improve the management of the complexity of patients with COPD and important comorbidities, usually excluded from clinical trials.

Association between human-Pneumocystis infection and small-cell lung carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Tobacco smoking is the most important but not the only risk factor in lung carcinoma. There is evidence that certain infections, which cause chronic inflammatory reactions, can also induce tumour development. It has recently been shown that patients with chronic pulmonary diseases present a high rate of subclinical Pneumocystis infection, and that the latter is able to induce inflammatory responses and alveolar cell alterations. The possible role of Pneumocystis infection in the development of lung neoplasms thus deserves consideration.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Polymerase chain reaction has been used to analyze the presence of DNA of two independent loci of the Pneumocystis genome: the mitochondrial region (mtLSU rRNA) and the gene encoding for the dihydropteroate synthase enzyme, in paraffin-embedded tissue blocks of 10 cases of small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) and 10 cases of nonsmall cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) with similar demographic and clinical characteristics. Five cases without lung pathology, and two cases of Pneumocystis pneumonia were also analyzed as controls.

RESULTS

DNA of the microorganism was found in all the cases of SCLC but in only two of the NSCLC, and in none of the controls without pulmonary disease - thus implying a statistically significant association (P < 0.0001) between subclinical Pneumocystis infection and SCLC.

CONCLUSIONS

While the nature of this association is not clear, it nevertheless constitutes an important finding - either the infection is specifically facilitated by this tumour or induces the development of this type of neoplasm in combination with other factors. Eur J Clin Invest 2004; 34 (3): 229-335