Older patients more likely to die from cancer-related diseases than younger with stage IA non-small cell lung cancer: a SEER database analysis

Background

Various reports showed some conflicting data on survival at different ages. This study aimed to investigate the main cause of death in older patients with lung cancer and to perform a comparison with younger patients in order to observe the differences between these two cohorts.

Methods

Outcomes of patients with stage IA non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) ≤3 cm who underwent lobectomy without induction therapy in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-18 (SEER-18; January 2004 to December 2016) database were evaluated using multivariable Cox proportional hazards modeling and propensity score-matched analysis.

Results

A total of 16,672 eligible NSCLC cases were found in the SEER database. The number of patients aged ≤60, 61–70, and ≥71 years was 3,930, 6,391, and 6,351, respectively. Among these patient groups, 527 (13.4%), 1,018 (15.9%), and 1,235 (19.4%) died of lung cancer during follow-up, while 357 (9.1%), 964 (15.1%) and 1,579 (25.2%) died of non-lung cancer diseases, respectively. The overall survival (OS) and lung cancer-specific survival (LCSS) rates of younger patients showed a significant survival advantage over older patients. After propensity-score matching (PSM) of patients aged ≤60 and ≥71 years using a ratio of 1:1, we found that 403 (12.9%) and 584 (18.7%) patients in the ≤60 and ≥71 years age groups died of lung cancer, respectively. The OS and LCSS rates of younger patients still exhibited a significant survival advantage over older patients.

Conclusions

Older patients with stage IA NSCLC have a worse prognosis compared with younger patients. Also, cancer-related causes were more frequent in older patients than non-cancer-related causes.

Oncologic Outcomes of Surgery Versus SBRT for Non-Small-Cell Lung Carcinoma: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

The optimal treatment of stage I non-small-cell lung carcinoma is subject to debate. The aim of this study was to compare overall survival and oncologic outcomes of lobar resection (LR), sublobar resection (SR), and stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT).

METHODS

A systematic review and meta-analysis of oncologic outcomes of propensity matched comparative and noncomparative cohort studies was performed. Outcomes of interest were overall survival and disease-free survival. The inverse variance method and the random-effects method for meta-analysis were utilized to assess the pooled estimates.

RESULTS

A total of 100 studies with patients treated for clinical stage I non-small-cell lung carcinoma were included. Long-term overall and disease-free survival after LR was superior over SBRT in all comparisons, and for most comparisons, SR was superior to SBRT. Noncomparative studies showed superior long-term overall and disease-free survival for both LR and SR over SBRT. Although the papers were heterogeneous and of low quality, results remained essentially the same throughout a large number of stratifications and sensitivity analyses.

CONCLUSION

Results of this systematic review and meta-analysis showed that LR has superior outcomes compared to SBRT for cI non-small-cell lung carcinoma. New trials are underway evaluating long-term results of SBRT in potentially operable patients.

Outcomes of pulmonary resection in non-small cell lung cancer patients older than 70 years old

BACKGROUND

An appropriate treatment of older lung cancer patients has become an important issue. The aim of this study is to evaluate the short and long-term surgical outcomes in lung cancer patients using 70 years as a cut-point, and to identify prognostic factors of cancer-specific mortality in patients older than 70 years.

METHODS

Medical records of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients who underwent pulmonary resection at Chiang Mai University Hospital from January 2002 through December 2016 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were divided into age less than 70 years (control group) and 70 years or more (study group). Primary outcomes were major post-operative complications and in-hospital death (POM); secondary outcome was long-term survival. Multivariable regression analysis was used.

RESULTS

This study included 583 patients, 167 for study group, and 416 for control group. There were no differences in POM, both at univariable and multivariable analyses, however, for long-term cancer-specific mortality, the study group was more likely to die (HR_adj = 1.40, 95%CI = 1.03-1.89). Adverse prognostic factors for long-term mortality in study group were having universal coverage scheme (HR_adj = 1.70, 95%CI = 1.03-2.79), the presence of intratumoral lymphatic invasion (HR_adj = 2.83, 95%CI = 1.28-6.29), perineural invasion (HR_adj = 2.80, 95%CI = 1.13-6.94), underwent lymph node sampling (HR_adj = 2.23, 95%CI = 1.16-4.30) and higher stage of disease (HR_adj = 2.02, 95%CI = 1.06-3.85 for stage III, HR_adj = 3.40, 95%CI = 1.29-8.94 for stage IV).

CONCLUSIONS

In-hospital mortality and composite post-operative complications are acceptable in pulmonary resection for NSCLC patients older than 70 years. However, these patients had shorter long-term survival, especially who have some adverse prognostic factors. Further studies with larger sample size are warranted.

Long-term results of surgical treatment of non-small cell lung cancer in patients over 75 years of age

Introduction

Patients over 75 years of age, who, in addition, often have already exceeded the average life expectancy, in the Polish population on average 77.4 years, are the subject of discussion concerning the most appropriate choice of treatment.

Aim

To analyse the long-term results in elderly patients over 75 years of age with lung cancer who underwent curative pulmonary resection.

Material and methods

166 patients aged from 75 to 85 (mean: 77.4 ±2.3) operated on for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were included in this study. There were 128 (77%) men and 38 (23%) women.

Results

Lobectomy, including bilobectomy, was performed in 122 (74%) patients, pneumonectomy in 8 (5%) patients, and wedge resections or segmentectomy in the remaining 36 patients. Squamous or adenocarcinoma was diagnosed in 46% and 42% of cases respectively. Clinical stage I A was diagnosed in 36 (22%) patients, I B in 51 (31%), IIA in 30 (18%), IIB in 19 (11%) and IIIA in 30 (18%) of our cases. The early 30-day postoperative mortality was 5% whilst postoperative morbidity occurred in 47% of cases. The five-year survival rate was 30%. In statistical analysis, the TNM classification (p = 0.0490), the number of postoperative complications (p = 0.0001) and obstructive atelectasis requiring repeat bronchofibroscopic aspirations (p = 0.0137) in the early postoperative period most negatively influenced the long-term survival in the whole study group.

Conclusions

Surgical resections for lung cancer in patients over 75 years of age are characterised by a relatively good long-term prognosis. Careful and strictly detailed preoperative selection, particularly of patients with pulmonary comorbidities and the earliest possible diagnosis of a lung tumour, can reduce the occurrence of these postoperative complications in elderly patients, which negatively influence long-term results.

Safe transection of aberrant arteries associated with pulmonary sequestrations

Background

Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) lobectomy is increasingly used for pulmonary sequestration; however, there are few descriptions of safe handling of the aberrant artery. Here we clarify the safe handling of an aberrant artery using a clinical review and an experimental model.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed the records of patients who underwent lobectomy for pulmonary sequestration with aberrant arteries at the Nippon Medical School between January 2008 and December 2010. This was supplemented by an experimental pressure test using vessels obtained from pigs.

Results

We identified four patients with aberrant arteries that were successfully occluded via either stapling. In the experimental model, we divided pig vessels into small-diameter (S) and large-diameter (L) groups. The 1.0-mm-high staples were stronger in the S group than in the L group (p = 0.028). In the L group, the 2.0-mm-high staples were stronger than the 1.0-mm staples (p = 0.015). Leakage from the staple line was associated with a poorer B-shape of inserted staples.

Conclusions

The techniques described in this report are useful in successful minimally invasive transection of an aberrant artery (other than very thin vessels) when resecting a pulmonary sequestration by stapler only. A detailed investigation should be performed to determine the most appropriate stapler or cartridge.

Stereotactic ablative body radiation therapy for tumors in the lung in octogenarians: a retrospective single institution study

Background

Treatment of cancer in the lung in octogenarians is limited by their health and functional status. Stereotactic ablative radiotherapy is an established noninvasive treatment option for medically inoperable patients, with a toxicity profile that may be more tolerable in elderly patients.

Methods

Patients more than 80 years old treated with stereotactic ablative radiotherapy for malignant tumors in the lung between January 2007 and August 2012 at a single institution were identified and retrospectively analyzed for toxicity and survival.

Results

Thirty patients were identified with a total of 32 lesions treated. Patients ranged in age from 80.8 to 90.7 years old (median 84.9) at the time of treatment. Twenty patients had ECOG performance status 0–1, and 10 had performance status 2–3. Stage distribution at treatment was: stage I (20 patients), stage III (1), stage IV (1), and 8 recurrent tumors. Patients were treated to a median total dose of 54 Gy in 3 fractions (range 20–60 Gy in 1 to 5 fractions). Median follow up was 13 months (range 2–60 months). Fifteen patients were still living at last review. There was one failure in field and one failure in the same lobe that was treated. One patient died with progressive regional disease, and four died of progressive metastatic disease. Three patients had late grade 3 pulmonary dyspnea with no grade 4 or 5 toxicities. One patient had late grade 2 pneumonitis, and 3 patients had late grade 1 pneumonitis. Three patients had grade 1 chest wall pain.

Conclusions

Octogenarians tolerated ablative treatment with minimal toxicity. Stereotactic ablative body radiotherapy is an option to consider in treatment of elderly patients.