The prognostic value of comprehensive geriatric assessment on the management of older patients with small cell lung cancer

Background/Aims@#The prognostic value of a comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) for the management of older small cell lung cancer (SCLC) patients remains to be established. @*Methods@#A retrospective cohort enrolled 21 SCLC patients over 65 years from March 2018 to 2019 at the Yonsei Cancer Center. The CGA included the following instruments: frailty, body mass index, sarcopenia (circumference of arm and calf, Timed Up and Go test, grip strength), comorbidity, polypharmacy, activities of daily living (ADL), Instrumental ADL, nutrition, depression, and cognitive function. The correlations of oncological and geriatric variables with overall survival (OS) were determined. The log-rank test with Cox model and Kaplan-Meier method were used for the analysis. @*Results@#The median age was 75 years (range, 67 to 85). All patients had the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status 0–2. The median survival was 9.93 months (range, 1.53 to 36.30). Among CGA parameters, ADL and nutritional status had significant differences in OS in univariate analysis. In multivariate analysis, only nutritional status was independently associated with survival (hazard ratio, 0.17; 95% confidence interval, 0.05 to 0.57). Median OS for low nutritional status was 5.63 months and the normal nutrition group was 15.5 months (p = 0.004). @*Conclusions@#Pre-treatment nutritional status measured by CGA appears to be a predictor of OS in older SCLC patients. However, for further generalization of the implication of CGA in SCLC, a larger scale study with prospective design is strongly needed.

Significance of Metabolic Tumor Volume and Total Lesion Glycolysis Measured Using ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT in Locally Advanced and Metastatic Gallbladder Carcinoma

PURPOSE: This study aimed to determine the prognostic value of new quantitative parameters of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT), including metabolic tumor volume (MTV), in patients with locally advanced and metastatic gallbladder cancer (GBC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: In total, 83 patients initially diagnosed with locally advanced and metastatic GBC and who underwent 18F-FDG PET/CT at the time of initial diagnosis were retrospectively reviewed. The metabolic volume-based PET parameters of primary tumors and metastatic lesions were measured, including maximum and average standardized uptake values (SUV), MTV, and total lesion glycolysis. An overall survival (OS) analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method with PET and clinical parameters. A Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was performed to determine independent prognostic factors. RESULTS: In univariate analysis, pathologic differentiation (p<0.001), performance status (PS; p=0.003), C-reactive protein (CRP) level (p=0.009), and PET-related SUVmt max (the highest SUV among the metastatic lesions) (p=0.040) and MTVtotal (the sum of the MTVs of both the primary and metastatic lesions) (p=0.031), were significant for OS. In multivariate analysis, MTVtotal (hazard ratio: 2.07; 95% confidence interval: 1.23–3.48; p=0.006) remained significant for the prediction of OS, as did differentiation (p=0.001), PS (p=0.001), and CRP (p=0.039). CONCLUSION: In locally advanced and metastatic GBC, volume-based PET/CT parameters of the total tumor burden of malignancy, such as MTVtotal, were found to be useful for the identification of patients with poor prognosis.

An atypical case of Lemierre syndrome following oropharyngeal infection / 고신대학교의과대학학술지

Lemierre syndrome is characterized by anaerobic bacterial infection in the head and neck and clinical or radiological evidence of internal jugular vein thrombophlebitis. The most common pathogens are Fusobacterium species, particularly Fusobacterium necrophorum. Septic emboli resulting from infected thrombophlebitis of the internal jugular vein leads to metastatic infections involving lung, liver, kidney, bone and central nervous system. The accurate diagnosis and treatment is important because it may be associated with a high mortality rate if untreated. We present a case of 28-year-old man with an atypical history for the diagnosis of Lemierre syndrome, which showed no definite evidence of internal jugular thrombophlebitis.

Prognostic Factors and Scoring Model for Survival in Metastatic Biliary Tract Cancer / Journal of the Korean Cancer Association, 대한암학회지

PURPOSE: Metastatic biliary tract cancer (mBTC) has a dismal prognosis. In this study, an independent dataset of patients with mBTC was used to implement and validate a routine clinico-laboratory parameter-based scoring model for risk group identification. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From September 2006 to February 2015, 482 patients with mBTC were assigned randomly (ratio, 7:3) into investigational (n=340) and validation datasets (n=142). The continuous variables were dichotomized using a normal range or the best cutoff values determined using the Contal and O'Quigley statistical methods. Following a Cox’s proportional hazard model, the scoring model was derived by summing the rounded chi-square scores for the factors identified by multivariate analysis. RESULTS: The performance status (Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group 3-4), hypoalbuminemia (< 3.4 mg/dL), carcinoembryonic antigen (≥ 9 ng/mL), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (≥ 3.0), and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (≥ 120 U/mL) were identified as independent prognosticators (Harrell’s C index, 0.682; integrated area under the curve, 0.653). Survival was clearly correlated with the risk groups (low, intermediate, and high, 14.0, 7.3, and 2.3 months, respectively; p < 0.001). The prognosis was also discriminative in the validation data set (median survival, 16.7, 7.5, and 1.9 months, respectively; p < 0.001). Chemotherapy did not offer any survival benefits for high-risk patients. CONCLUSION: These proposed prognostic criteria for mBTC can facilitate accurate patient risk stratification and treatment-related decision-making.

Treatment of a Patient with Kaposi's Sarcoma Arising during Hemodialysis with the Multikinase Inhibitor Pazopanib / 대한내과학회지

Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) is an unusual multifocal neoplastic angioproliferative disorder. We herein report a case of classic KS that occurred in a patient receiving hemodialysis for 7 years. The patient had a history of chronic renal failure due to glomerulonephritis for 20 years. Multiple reddened violaceous patches, plaques, and nodules were found on the right knee. Biopsy revealed positivity for human herpesvirus 8 (KS-associated herpesvirus) consistent with KS. Pazopanib, a multitarget tyrosine kinase inhibitor, is an effective agent for treatment of advanced soft tissue sarcoma. The patient received pazopanib for 6 months investigate its effects on KS. The skin lesions and painful symptoms showed improvement. Further studies are required to determine the mechanism underlying the anticancer action of pazopanib and the pathogenesis of KS.