Treatment response and safety of immunotherapy for advanced non-small cell lung cancer with comorbid chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a retrospective cohort study

Treatment of unresectable stage III non-small cell lung cancer for patients who are under-represented in clinical trials

Concurrent chemoradiotherapy (cCRT) followed by one year of consolidation durvalumab is the current standard-of-care for patients with unresectable stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), of good functional status. However, cCRT and consolidation durvalumab may be challenging to administer for selected patient populations underrepresented or even excluded in clinical trials: older and/or frail patients; those with cardiovascular or respiratory comorbidities in which treatment-related adverse events may be higher, and patients with pre-existing autoimmune disorders for whom immunotherapy use is controversial. In this narrative review, we discuss the current evidence, challenges, ongoing clinical trials and potential future treatment scenarios in relevant subgroups of patients with locally advanced NSCLC, who are underrepresented in clinical trials.

Treatment Strategies for Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer with Comorbid Respiratory Disease; Interstitial Pneumonia, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, and Tuberculosis

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients are often complicated by other respiratory diseases, including interstitial pneumonia (IP), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and pulmonary tuberculosis (TB), and the management of which can be problematic. NSCLC patients with IP sometimes develop fatal acute exacerbation induced by pharmacotherapy, and the establishment of a safe treatment strategy is desirable. For advanced NSCLC with IP, carboplatin plus nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel is a relatively safe and effective first-line treatment option. Although the safety of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) for these populations remains controversial, ICIs have the potential to provide long-term survival. The severity of COPD is an important prognostic factor in NSCLC patients. Although COPD complications do not necessarily limit treatment options, it is important to select drugs with fewer side effects on the heart and blood vessels as well as the lungs. Active TB is complicated by 2-5% of NSCLC cases during their disease course. Since pharmacotherapy, especially ICIs, reportedly induces the development of TB, the possibility of developing TB should always be kept in mind during NSCLC treatment. To date, there is no coherent review article on NSCLC with these pulmonary complications. This review article summarizes the current evidence and discusses future prospects for treatment strategies for NSCLC patients complicated with IP, severe COPD, and TB.

Effectiveness of Immunotherapy in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients with a Diagnosis of COPD: Is This a Hidden Prognosticator for Survival and a Risk Factor for Immune-Related Adverse Events?

The interplay between the immune system and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is complex and multifaceted. In COPD, chronic inflammation and oxidative stress can lead to immune dysfunction that can exacerbate lung damage, further worsening the respiratory symptoms. In NSCLC, immune cells can recognise and attack the cancer cells, which, however, can evade or suppress the immune response by various mechanisms, such as expressing immune checkpoint proteins or secreting immunosuppressive cytokines, thus creating an immunosuppressive tumour microenvironment that promotes cancer progression and metastasis. The interaction between COPD and NSCLC further complicates the immune response. In patients with both diseases, COPD can impair the immune response against cancer cells by reducing or suppressing the activity of immune cells, or altering their cytokine profile. Moreover, anti-cancer treatments can also affect the immune system and worsen COPD symptoms by causing lung inflammation and fibrosis. Immunotherapy itself can also cause immune-related adverse events that could worsen the respiratory symptoms in patients with COPD-compromised lungs. In the present review, we tried to understand the interplay between the two pathologies and how the efficacy of immunotherapy in NSCLC patients with COPD is affected in these patients.

Cause of death among gastric cancer survivors in the United States from 2000 to 2020

A number of studies have been conducted to explore the survival of gastric cancer (GC) patients, while studies about non-cancer causes of death in patients with GC are not well-conducted. The aim of this study was to deeply investigate the causes of death (COD) in GC patients, especially non-cancer ones. The Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database was used to extract information including demographics, tumor characteristics and causes of death of GC patients meeting the inclusion criteria. The patients were stratified by demographic and clinical parameters. Standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) were calculated for all causes of death at different follow-up periods. A total of 116,437 patients with GC diagnosed between 2000 and 2020 were retrieved from the SEER database. Of these, 85,827 deaths occurred during the follow-up period, most of which occurred within 1 year after GC diagnosis. GC (n = 49,746; 58%) was the leading COD, followed by other cancer (n = 21,135; 25%) and non-cancer causes (n = 14,946; 17%). Diseases of heart were the most common non-cancer cause of death, accounting for 30%, followed by cerebrovascular diseases (n = 917; 6%) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (n = 900; 6%). Although gastric cancer remains the most common cause of death in gastric cancer patients, it should not be ignored that the risk of non-cancer causes tends to increase with the length of the latency period. These findings may provide important insights into the healthcare management of gastric cancer patients at various follow-up intervals.

Impact of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease on the efficacy and safety of neoadjuvant immune checkpoint inhibitors combined with chemotherapy for resectable non-small cell lung cancer: a retrospective cohort study

BACKGROUND

Neoadjuvant immune checkpoint inhibitors(ICIs) combined with chemotherapy can improve non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC) patients' pathological responses and show promising improvements in survival. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a systemic inflammatory disease, and its associated abnormal inflammatory response affects not only the immunotherapy efficacy but also immune-related adverse events. It remains unclear whether NSCLC patients with COPD can benefit from neoadjuvant ICIs combined with chemotherapy.

METHODS

A retrospective observational clinical study was conducted on 105 consecutive NSCLC patients receiving neoadjuvant ICIs combined with chemotherapy at the Department of Thoracic Surgery of Tianjin Chest Hospital between April 2020 and April 2023.

RESULTS

A total of 74 NSCLC patients were included in the study, including 30 patients with COPD and 44 patients without COPD. The percentage of patients with a pathological complete response (PCR) was higher in the COPD group than in the non-COPD group (43.3% vs. 20.5%, P = 0.042). Multivariate logistic regression analysis of factors associated with PCR showed that the adjusted odds ratio (OR) was statistically significant for presence of COPD (OR = 3.020, 95%CI: 1.042-8.757; P = 0.042). Major pathological response (66.7% vs. 50%, P = 0.155), R0 resection rate (96.7% vs.93.2%, P = 0.642), N2 lymph node downstaging(92.3% vs. 66.7%, P = 0.182) and objective response rate (70% vs. 63.6%, P = 0.57) were not significantly different between the groups. Progression-free survival(PFS) was not reached in the COPD group and 17 months (95%CI: 12.1-21.9) in the non-COPD group, with statistically significance (χ2 = 6.247, P = 0.012). Multivariate Cox's regression analysis showed that the adjusted hazard ratio (HRadj) was statistically significant for presence of COPD (HRadj = 0.321, 95%CI: 0.111-0.930; P = 0.036). The grade 3 and grade 4 adverse events in the COPD group were leukopenia (3.3%, 6.7%), neutropenia (3.3%, 6.7%), fatigue (6.7%, 0%), gastrointestinal reactions (3.3%, 0%), and hypothyroidism (3.3%, 0%). In the non-COPD group, the corresponding adverse events were leukopenia (6.8%, 6.8%), neutropenia (3.3%, 6.8%), fatigue (2.3%, 0%), gastrointestinal reactions (2.3%, 0%), and hypothyroidism (2.3%, 0%), respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The present study indicates that the presence of COPD may improve PCR, prolong PFS, and have an acceptable safety profile in NSCLC patients receiving neoadjuvant ICIs combined with chemotherapy.

Comorbidities in COPD: Current and Future Treatment Challenges

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a heterogeneous lung condition, primarily characterized by the presence of a limited airflow, due to abnormalities of the airways and/or alveoli, that often coexists with other chronic diseases such as lung cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and metabolic disorders. Comorbidities are known to pose a challenge in the assessment and effective management of COPD and are also acknowledged to have an important health and economic burden. Local and systemic inflammation have been proposed as having a potential role in explaining the association between COPD and these comorbidities. Considering that the number of patients with COPD is expected to rise, understanding the mechanisms linking COPD with its comorbidities may help to identify new targets for therapeutic purposes based on multi-dimensional assessments.