Survival Benefits for Pulmonary Adenocarcinoma With Malignant Pleural Effusion After Thoracoscopic Surgical Treatment: A Real-World Study

Objectives

Malignant cells in the pleural fluid or pleural metastasis are classified as stage IV non-small cell lung cancer. Radical surgery is generally considered not suitable for such patients. The aim of our study was to discuss the effectiveness of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) in such patients.

Methods

A retrospective analysis of the clinical records of 195 patients was performed. These patients were all diagnosed with locally advanced pulmonary adenocarcinomas with malignant pleural effusion (MPE, M1a) but no distant organ metastasis. The 195 patients included 96 patients who underwent VATS plus chemotherapy and 99 patients who received thoracic drainage plus chemotherapy. The baseline characteristics of the patients included age, gender, smoking history, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) score, and number of chemotherapy cycles (2–4 cycles or >4 cycles); we also analyzed clinical characteristics including the specific surgical options of the VATS group.

Results

In multivariate analysis, when compared to the thoracic drainage group, the VATS group remained significantly associated with the overall survival [HR=0.480 (95%CI 0.301-0.765)]; when compared to the lobectomy, the sub-lobectomy and the palliative surgery, remained significantly associated with the overall survival [HR=0.637 (95%CI 0.409-0.993) and HR=0.548 (95%CI 0.435-0.832), respectively]. The median survival time (MST) of patients who underwent VATS (n = 96, 49.2%) was 25 months (95% CI 22.373–27.627) whereas the patients who received thoracic drainage (n = 99, 50.8%) was 11 months (95% CI 9.978–12.022). For patients who underwent VATS, the MST of patients who received a lobectomy (n = 50, 52.1%) was 27 months (95% CI 22.432–31.568), the MST of patients who received a sub-lobectomy plus pleurodesis (n = 26, 27.1%) was 27 months (95% CI 19.157–34.843), and the MST of patients who received only pleurodesis (n = 20, 20.8%) was 12 months (95% CI 7.617–16.383).

Conclusion

For pulmonary adenocarcinomas with MPE, receiving a lobectomy or sub-lobectomy plus pleurodesis with VATS was associated with improved survival compared with patients who only received thoracic drainage and chemotherapy. Our results and previously published data may justify the use of VATS for treating pulmonary adenocarcinomas with MPE.

Elevations of monocyte and neutrophils, and higher levels of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor in peripheral blood in lung cancer patients

Introduction

Immune cells and molecules are considered as clinical biomarkers and potential targets for immunotherapy. Analyses of the composition of peripheral blood cells hold promise for providing a basis for diagnosing and prognosis lung cancer. In this study, we assessed correlations between immune cell subset profiles in peripheral blood and disease prognosis in patients with lung cancer.

Methods

One hundred and thirteen patients with lung cancer and 99 age‐matched healthy people were enrolled in this study. The percentage and cell count of monocytes, neutrophils, T cells, B cells, natural killer (NK), and NKT cells in peripheral blood were analyzed by flow cytometry or peripheral blood analyzer. Serum cytokines and colony‐stimulating factors were detected by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

Results

A reduction in antitumor NK cells (p < 0.0001) and an increase in the protumor MDSCs (p < 0.0001) were observed in the lung cancer patients compared with the controls. Monocyte counts were significantly higher in lung cancer patients with histories of smoking (p < 0.05) or drinking (p < 0.01) than in patients with no relevant history or healthy controls. The number of neutrophils and the neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte ratio (NLR) were particularly higher in patients with liver metastasis (p < 0.01) compared with no metastasis patients or healthy controls. Levels of the monocyte‐derived cytokine interleukin‐6 (p < 0.05), granulocyte colony‐stimulating factor (G‐CSF) (p < 0.0001), and granulocyte‐macrophage colony‐stimulating factor (GM‐CSF) (p < 0.0001) were higher in patients than in controls. G‐CSF levels decreased during the remission phase (p < 0.05), and positively correlated with carbohydrate antigen 19–9 (p < 0.05) and gene mutation (p < 0.05).

Conclusion

Monocyte and neutrophil counts were higher in peripheral blood in lung cancer patients than in controls, especially when patients had histories of smoking, drinking, and liver metastasis. Serum levels of G‐CSF and GM‐CSF were higher in lung cancer patients, and G‐CSF levels positively correlated with disease severity.

The prognosis after contraindicated surgery of NSCLC patients with malignant pleural effusion (M1a) may be better than expected

Although non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with malignant pleural effusion (M1a) is generally contraindicated for surgery, several reports have demonstrated favorable prognosis. This study aimed to describe the results of surgical intervention in this disease. In this retrospective study, we evaluated NSCLC patients with ipsilateral malignant pleural effusion selected from Surveillance Epidemiology and End-Results database (SEER). Primary tumor resection was compared to no tumor resection in the overall survival (OS) and lung cancer-specific survival (LCSS). Multivariate analyses and propensity score matching were applied to compare the two groups. The study included 2,217 eligible patients. Primary tumor resection group was significantly associated with better OS and LCSS compared to no tumor resection group (the median survival time (MST), 20 vs 7 months; OS, p <0.001; LCSS, p <0.001). Multivariable analyses indicated that no primary tumor resection was associated with decreased OS (Hazard Ratio (HR), 2.136; p<0.001) and LCSS (HR, 2.053; p<0.001). In propensity score-matched pairs, better OS and LCSS were further validated in patients with ipsilateral malignant pleural effusion who underwent primary tumor resection compared to no tumor resection (MST, 20 vs 6 months; OS, p <0.001; LCSS, p <0.001). Similarly, multivariable analyses also indicated that no primary tumor resection was associated with decreased OS (HR, 2.309; p <0.001) and LCSS (HR, 2.301; p <0.001) for patients with ipsilateral malignant pleural effusion. In conclusion, the prognosis after contraindicated surgery of NSCLC patients with malignant pleural effusion (M1a) may be better than expected. Thus, subsequent studies should aim to identify patients who could benefit from surgery.

The Eighth Edition Lung Cancer Stage Classification

Stage classification provides a nomenclature about the anatomic extent of a cancer; a consistent language provides the ability to communicate about a specific patient and about cohorts of patients in clinical studies. This paper summarizes the eighth edition of lung cancer stage classification, which is the worldwide standard as of January 1, 2017. This revision is based on a large global database, a sophisticated analysis, extensive internal validation as well as multiple assessments confirming generalizability. Practicing clinicians must be familiar with the stage classification system when managing contemporary patients with lung cancer.

Lung Cancer Staging and Prognosis

The seventh edition of the non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) TNM staging system was developed by the International Association for the Staging of Lung Cancer (IASLC) Lung Cancer Staging Project by a coordinated international effort to develop data-derived TNM classifications with significant survival differences. Based on these TNM groupings, current 5-year survival estimates in NSLCC range from 73 % in stage IA disease to 13 % in stage IV disease. TNM stage remains the most important prognostic factor in predicting recurrence rates and survival times, followed by tumor histologic grade, and patient sex, age, and performance status. Molecular prognostication in lung cancer is an exploding area of research where interest has moved beyond TNM stage and into individualized genetic tumor analysis with immunohistochemistry, microarray, and mutation profiles. However, despite intense research efforts and countless publications, no molecular prognostic marker has been adopted into clinical use since most fail in subsequent cross-validation with few exceptions. The recent interest in immunotherapy for NSCLC has identified new biomarkers with early evidence that suggests that PD-L1 is a predictive marker of a good response to new immunotherapy drugs but a poor prognostic indicator of overall survival. Future prognostication of outcomes in NSCLC will likely be based on a combination of TNM stage and molecular tumor profiling and yield more precise, individualized survival estimates and treatment algorithms.

Impact of preoperative 18F-FDG PET/CT on survival of resected mono-metastatic non-small cell lung cancer

OBJECTIVES

Surgery has been available for the treatment of mono-metastatic, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and promising overall survival was observed in some retrospective studies with selected patients. This study investigated whether the preoperative 18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography ((18)F-FDG-PET/CT) scan influences survival in this patient group. Furthermore we tried to identify other prognostic factors associated with survival and aimed to clarify if synchronous metastases are different from metachronous disease.

METHODS

Between 1994 and 2012, 181 patients underwent resection for solitary metastases. Sixty-six patients underwent surgery after an initial FDG-PET/CT scan, whereas 115 patients underwent conventional preoperative staging by a spiral CT scan.

RESULTS

The overall 5-year survival rate was 38.8%. The 5-year survival rates after preoperative evaluation by FDG-PET/CT and by conventional CT were 58% and 33%, respectively (p=0.01). A higher 5-year survival rate was observed in patients without thoracic lymph node involvement (pN0: 44% vs. pN1-3: 33%, p=0.028). In patients with a solitary pulmonary metastasis, we observed a 5-year survival rate of 45.7%, whereas in patients with extrapulmonary metastases, the 5-year survival rate was 27.1% (p=0.001). In patients with a locally limited primary lung cancer according to the pT descriptor, we observed a 5-year survival rate of 53.1%, whereas in patients with a pT>1 descriptor, the 5-year survival rate was 33.6% (p=0.016). By multivariate analyses, we showed that preoperative FDG-PET/CT evaluation, no thoracic lymph node metastases, and sole pulmonary metastatic disease were favorable predictors of survival, whereas the time of metastasis (synchronous vs. metachronous) and maximum standardized uptake value was not.

CONCLUSIONS

We conclude that resection of the primary tumor and metastasectomy for mono-metastatic NSCLC can be performed after a comprehensive evaluation with FDG-PET/CT. N-stage and the site of the oligometastases have a significant influence on overall survival.

Primary tumour resection showed survival benefits for non-small-cell lung cancers with unexpected malignant pleural dissemination

OBJECTIVES

Although non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with malignant pleural nodules is generally contraindicated for surgery, there is no consensus concerning on-site operative decisions for unexpected, intraoperatively encountered malignant pleural disseminations. The rationale underlying the primary tumour removal and other aggressive interventions remains controversial.

METHODS

All surgical NSCLC cases (9576) of Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital between January 2005 and December 2013 were reviewed. Among them, 83 cases (0.9%) met the definition of 'unexpected' macroscopic malignant pleural nodules, despite routine preoperative evaluations for tumour metastasis. No pleural effusion was visualized in 52 cases during operations, and 31 had pleural effusion in minimal volume (<300 ml). Survivals were calculated with the Kaplan-Meier method and risk factors were evaluated by the log-rank test.

RESULTS

The overall 3- and 5-year survival rates were 36.1 and 16.8%, respectively. The median survival time (MST) after surgery was significantly longer in the group without pleural effusion (37 months) compared with the group with pleural effusion (22 months, P = 0.005). Twenty-one cases had only biopsy, whereas 62 cases had primary tumour resection. Primary tumour resection had significantly better outcome compared with biopsy (MST: respectively, 35 vs 17 months, 3-year survival rate 45.8 vs 11.8%, P = 0.001). No baseline differences emerged in characteristics between biopsy and primary tumour resection groups including targeted therapy. Multivariate analysis showed that primary tumour resection (HR: 3.678, P = 0.014), no pleural effusion (HR: 3.409, P = 0.001) and adenocarcinoma (HR: 5.481, P = 0.002) were favourable prognostic factors in patients with malignant pleural nodules.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with malignant pleural nodules but without pleural effusion had better survival compared with those with effusions. Primary tumour resection had survival benefits for patients with unexpected intraoperatively proven malignant pleural nodules.

The seventh tumour-node-metastasis staging system for lung cancer: Sequel or prequel?

Anatomical cancer extent is an important predictor of prognosis and determines treatment choices. In non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) the tumour–node–metastasis (TNM) classification developed by Pierre Denoix replaced in 1968 the Veterans Administration Lung cancer Group (VALG) classification, which was still in use for small-cell lung cancer (SCLC). Clifton Mountain suggested several improvements based on a database of mostly surgically treated United States (US) patients from a limited number of centres. This database was pivotal for a uniform reporting of lung cancer extent by the American Joint Committee of Cancer (AJCC) and the International Union against Cancer (IUCC), but it suffered increasingly from obsolete diagnostic and staging procedures and did not reflect new treatment modalities. Moreover, its findings were not externally validated in large Japanese and European databases, resulting in persisting controversies which could not be solved with the available database. The use of different mediastinal lymph-node maps in Japan, the (US) and Europe facilitated neither the exchange nor the comparison of treatment results.

Peter Goldstraw, a United Kingdom (UK) thoracic surgeon, started the process of updating the sixth version in 1996 and brought it to a good end 10 years later. His goals were to improve the TNM system in lung cancer by addressing the ongoing controversies, to validate the modifications and additional descriptors, to validate the TNM for use in staging SCLC and carcinoid tumours, to propose a new uniform lymph-node map and to investigate the prognostic value of non-anatomical factors. A staging committee was formed within the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) – which supervised the collection of the retrospective data from >100,000 patients with lung cancer – treated throughout the world between 1990 and 2000, analyse them with the help of solid statistics and validate externally with the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database.

The ten modifications and the mediastinal lymph-node map – which were proposed in 2007 and adopted by the AJCC and IUCC in their respective seventh revision of the TNM system – were implemented as of 2010 and were rapidly adopted by the thoracic oncology community and cancer registries. As expected, not all controversies could be fully addressed, and the need for a prospective data set containing more granular information was felt early on. This data set of 25,000 consecutive incident cases will form the base for the eighth revision in 2017 and is currently being collected. Other threats are the role of stage migration and the increasing number of biological factors interfering with disease extent for prognostication. The latter issue will be addressed by the creation of a prognostic index, including several prognostic factors, of which stage will be one.

For the time being, the seventh TNM classification is considered the gold standard for the description of disease extent, initial treatment allocation and the reporting of treatment results. The uniform use of the TNM descriptors and the lymph-node map by all involved in lung cancer care is to be considered a process indicator of quality.

The Clinical Use of Genomic Profiling to Distinguish Intrapulmonary Metastases From Synchronous Primaries in Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer: A Mini-Review

The ability to reliably distinguish synchronous primary non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) from intrapulmonary metastatic spread affects staging and treatment decisions in resected NSCLC. Adjuvant therapy for early-stage NSCLC is complicated and recommendations are primarily based on older data from trials that used now-outdated staging systems. Patients found to have 2 tumors with similar morphology in the same lobe are currently staged as pathologic T3 (pT3) but such cases represent a minority of patients in adjuvant lung cancer trials. Potentially more precise than tumor morphology alone, comprehensive genomic profiling technologies have the power to discriminate whether tumors in the same lobe represent 2 separate primary lesions or localized spread of a single lesion. In addition to lineage insights, tumor profiling simultaneously provides information on actionable genomic alterations. In this review we discuss the data that support the ability of molecular technologies to distinguish synchronous primary tumors from intrapulmonary metastases and discuss the use of molecular assays as an adjunct to current staging systems. Two cases are presented to highlight the potential immediate clinical implications of comprehensive genomic profiling.

Prognosis of synchronous and metachronous multiple primary lung cancers: systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

With the development of imaging technology, an increasing number of multiple primary lung cancers (MPLC) are diagnosed in recent years. However, there is still ambiguity in the stage classification rules for patients with MPLC. Our purpose was to access the prognosis of synchronous and metachronous MPLC.

METHODS

A systematic literature search was performed on four databases (EBSCO, Pubmed, OVID and Springer) to obtain relevant articles. We used published hazard ratios (HRs) of overall survival (OS) if available or estimates from the published survival data.

RESULTS

There were 1796 patients with MPLC in 22 relevant studies, who were eligible for analysis. We found that the OS of patients with synchronous MPLC was inferior to the one of metachronous MPLC patients when starting from the diagnosis of the first metachronous tumor (HR 3.36, 95% CI 2.39-4.74; p<0.001). However, there was no difference when starting from the diagnosis of the second metachronous tumor (HR 1.19, 95% CI 0.86-1.66; p=0.29). From further analysis we found the OS of patients with MPLC was superior to that of patients with intrapulmonary metastasis (HR 2.66, 95% CI 1.30-5.44; p=0.007). Besides, we found no difference in OS between synchronous (HR 1.39, 95% CI 0.98-1.96; p=0.06) and metachronous (HR 1.05, 95% CI 0.75-1.47; p=0.77) patients, in spite of the histology. In terms of unilateral and bilateral MPLC patients, the OS had no difference either (HR 1.30, 95% CI 1.00-1.69; p=0.05).

CONCLUSION

We found that MPLC had better OS than the lung cancer patients with intrapulmonary metastasis. And despite the tumor-free interval, the OS for metachronous MPLC was as good as that for synchronous MPLC. Furthermore, there was no difference of OS in different subgroups, including histology and position.

Invasive and noninvasive advances in the staging of lung cancer

Accurate staging of lung cancer is crucial to ensure the validity of lung cancer clinical research efforts and constitutes the cornerstone of the management of affected patients. The last decade has witnessed unprecedented technological advances allowing for more accurate and less invasive staging. In general, these techniques should be viewed as complementary rather than competitive, and indications, contraindications, and limitations of all staging techniques should be fully understood by providers involved with lung cancer patients. Noninvasive imaging techniques include chest computed tomography (CT) and positron emission tomography (PET). Invasive techniques can be nonsurgical such as needle-based techniques (endobronchial or endoscopic ultrasound) or surgical (mediastinoscopy and variants). The necessary multidisciplinary approach to lung cancer patients dictates that all stakeholders be familiar with the benefits and limitations of these newer techniques.

The stage classification of lung cancer: Diagnosis and management of lung cancer, 3rd ed: American College of Chest Physicians evidence-based clinical practice guidelines

The current Lung Cancer Stage Classification system is the seventh edition, which took effect in January 2010. This article reviews the definitions for the TNM descriptors and the stage grouping in this system.

Special treatment issues in non-small cell lung cancer: Diagnosis and management of lung cancer, 3rd ed: American College of Chest Physicians evidence-based clinical practice guidelines

BACKGROUND

This guideline updates the second edition and addresses patients with particular forms of non-small cell lung cancer that require special considerations, including Pancoast tumors, T4 N0,1 M0 tumors, additional nodules in the same lobe (T3), ipsilateral different lobe (T4) or contralateral lung (M1a), synchronous and metachronous second primary lung cancers, solitary brain and adrenal metastases, and chest wall involvement.

METHODS

The nature of these special clinical cases is such that in most cases, meta-analyses or large prospective studies of patients are not available. To ensure that these guidelines were supported by the most current data available, publications appropriate to the topics covered in this article were obtained by performing a literature search of the MEDLINE computerized database. Where possible, we also reference other consensus opinion statements. Recommendations were developed by the writing committee, graded by a standardized method, and reviewed by all members of the Lung Cancer Guidelines panel prior to approval by the Thoracic Oncology NetWork, Guidelines Oversight Committee, and the Board of Regents of the American College of Chest Physicians.

RESULTS

In patients with a Pancoast tumor, a multimodality approach appears to be optimal, involving chemoradiotherapy and surgical resection, provided that appropriate staging has been carried out. Carefully selected patients with central T4 tumors that do not have mediastinal node involvement are uncommon, but surgical resection appears to be beneficial as part of their treatment rather than definitive chemoradiotherapy alone. Patients with lung cancer and an additional malignant nodule are difficult to categorize, and the current stage classification rules are ambiguous. Such patients should be evaluated by an experienced multidisciplinary team to determine whether the additional lesion represents a second primary lung cancer or an additional tumor nodule corresponding to the dominant cancer. Highly selected patients with a solitary focus of metastatic disease in the brain or adrenal gland appear to benefit from resection or stereotactic radiosurgery. This is particularly true in patients with a long disease-free interval. Finally, in patients with chest wall involvement, provided that the tumor can be completely resected and N2 nodal disease is absent, primary surgical resection should be considered.

CONCLUSIONS

Carefully selected patients with more uncommon presentations of lung cancer may benefit from an aggressive surgical approach.

Can LMWH improve the outcome of patients with inoperable stage III non-small cell lung cancer?

AIM OF THE STUDY

Lung cancer is the most common malignancy, accounting for one-third of all deaths from cancer. Some studies have shown that low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) significantly prolongs the survival of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The aim of this study was to determine the effects of treating inoperable stage III NSCLC with LMWH in addition to concurrent chemoradiotherapy.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Eighty-two patients with inoperable stage III NSCLC were evaluated at Dicle University's Medical Oncology Department between 2005 and 2010. All patients were treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CRT) with or without LMWH (enoxaparin 4000 IU/day) depending on the patient's risk of thrombosis. The primary objectives were to determine disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) for patients treated with LMWH.

RESULTS

A total of 38 patients in the LMWH negative group and 44 patients in the LMWH positive group were included in the study. The median OS was 11.2 months for the enoxaparin recipients and 12.7 months for the non-enoxaparin group (p = 0.4). The median DFS was 9.3 months with CRT alone and 10.0 months with CRT plus enoxaparin (p = 0.9). The one-year OS rates were 47% and 34% for groups treated with CRT and enoxaparin plus CRT, respectively, while the two-year OS rates were 23% and 21%, respectively. No significant difference was noted between the two groups in terms of grade 3-4 hematologic toxicity and mucositis (p = 0.3).

CONCLUSIONS

This study did not demonstrate improvements in survival for patients with NSCLC treated with enoxaparin. LMWH's positive contribution is still controversial.

The revised stage classification system for primary lung cancer

The revised stage classification system has improved the ability of clinicians to estimate prognosis based on specific staging determinations. Several important questions have been addressed, although many remain and will likely fuel the discussion for subsequent revisions. Perhaps more than previous revisions, the current iteration may cause confusion because of the emphasis on stage-specific treatment recommendations. However, prognosis is only 1 of the factors in a multidisciplinary treatment plan, and clinicians are encouraged to apply randomized trial data whenever possible. This global staging effort is testament to the progress that is possible through international collaboration.

Diagnostic workup of lung cancer

Lung cancer is the most frequent cause of mortality worldwide. According to recent estimates, 222,520 new cases of lung cancer (non-small cell and small cell combined) were diagnosed and 157,300 lung cancer-related deaths occurred in 2010 in the United States alone. The two major histologic types of lung cancer are small cell lung cancer and non-small cell lung cancer. The diagnosis and management of lung cancer requires a multidisciplinary approach.

Impact of tumor size on outcomes after anatomic lung resection for stage 1A non-small cell lung cancer based on the current staging system

OBJECTIVE

Anatomic segmentectomy may achieve results comparable to lobectomy for early-stage non-small cell lung cancer. The 7th edition of the AJCC Cancer Staging Handbook stratified the previous T1 tumor designation into T1a and T1b subsets, which still define stage 1A node-negative non-small cell lung cancer. We are left to hypothesize whether this classification may aid in directing the extent of surgical resection. We retrospectively reviewed our anatomic segmentectomy and lobectomy management of stage 1A non-small cell lung cancer to determine differences in survival and local recurrence rates based on the new stratification.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective review of 429 patients undergoing resection of pathologically confirmed stage 1A non-small cell lung cancer via lobectomy or anatomic segmentectomy. Primary outcome variables included mortality, recurrence, and survival. Recurrence-free and cancer-specific survivals were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method.

RESULTS

Patients undergoing segmentectomy were older than patients undergoing lobectomy (mean age 69.2 vs 66.8 years, P < .006). The mean preoperative forced expiratory volume in 1 second was significantly lower in the segmentectomy group than in the lobectomy group (71.8% vs 81.1%, P = .02). Mortality was similar after segmentectomy (1.1%) and lobectomy (1.2%). There was no difference in mortality, recurrence rates (14.0% vs 14.7%, P = 1.00), or 5-year cancer-specific survival (T1a: 90% vs 91%, P = .984; T1b: 82% vs 78%, P = .892) when comparing segmentectomy and lobectomy for pathologic stage 1A non-small cell lung cancer, when stratified by T stage.

CONCLUSIONS

Anatomic segmentectomy may achieve equivalent recurrence and survival compared with lobectomy for patients with stage 1A non-small cell lung cancer. Prospective studies will be necessary to delineate the potential merits of anatomic segmentectomy in this setting.

1st ESMO Consensus Conference in lung cancer; Lugano 2010: small-cell lung cancer

The 1st ESMO Consensus Conference on lung cancer was held in Lugano, Switzerland on 21st and 22nd May 2010 with the participation of a multidisciplinary panel of leading professionals in pathology and molecular diagnostics and medical, surgical and radiation oncology. Before the conference, the expert panel prepared clinically relevant questions concerning five areas as follows: early and locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), first-line metastatic NSCLC, second-/third-line NSCLC, NSCLC pathology and molecular testing, and small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) to be addressed through discussion at the Consensus Conference. All relevant scientific literature for each question was reviewed in advance. During the Consensus Conference, the panel developed recommendations for each specific question. The consensus agreement in SCLC is reported in this article. The recommendations detailed here are based on an expert consensus after careful review of published data. All participants have approved this final update.