High flow nasal oxygen in frail COVID-19 patients hospitalized in intermediate care units and non-eligible to invasive mechanical ventilation.

BACKGROUND: In COVID-19 patients, older age (sixty or older), comorbidities, and frailty are associated with a higher risk for mortality and invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) failure. It therefore seems appropriate to suggest limitations of care to older and vulnerable patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia and a poor expected outcome, who would not benefit from invasive treatment. HFNO (high flow nasal oxygen) is a non-invasive respiratory support device already used in de novo acute respiratory failure. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the survival of patients treated with HFNO outside the ICU (intensive care unit) for a severe COVID-19 pneumonia, otherwise presenting limitations of care making them non-eligible for IMV. Secondary objectives were the description of our cohort and the identification of prognostic factors for HFNO failure. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study. We included all patients with limitations of care making them non-eligible for IMV and treated with HFNO for a severe COVID-19 pneumonia, hospitalized in a COVID-19 unit of the pulmonology department of Lyon Sud University Hospital, France, from March 2020 to March 2021. Primary outcome was the description of the vital status at day-30 after HFNO initiation, using the WHO (World Health Organization) 7-points ordinal scale. RESULTS: Fifty-six patients were included. Median age was 83 years [76.3-87.0], mean duration for HFNO was 7.5 days, 53% had a CFS score (Clinical Frailty Scale) >4. At day-30, 73% of patients were deceased, one patient (2%) was undergoing HFNO, 9% of patients were discharged from hospital. HFNO failure occurred in 66% of patients. Clinical signs of respiratory failure before HFNO initiation (respiratory rate >30/min, retractions, and abdominal paradoxical breathing pattern) were associated with mortality (p = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that HFNO is an option in non-ICU skilled units for older and frail patients with a severe COVID-19 pneumonia, otherwise non-suitable for intensive care and mechanical ventilation. Observation of clinical signs of respiratory failure before HFNO initiation was associated with mortality.

Weekly paclitaxel plus bevacizumab versus docetaxel as second- or third-line treatment in advanced non-squamous non-small-cell lung cancer: Results of the IFCT-1103 ULTIMATE study.

PURPOSE: Second-line chemotherapy regimens have demonstrated poor benefit after failure of platinum-based chemotherapy in advanced non-squamous non-small-cell lung cancer (nsNSCLC). METHODS: In this multicentre, open-label phase III trial, patients with advanced nsNSCLC treated with one or two prior lines, including one platinum-based doublet, were centrally randomised to receive 90 mg/m2 of paclitaxel (D1, D8, D15) plus 10 mg/kg of bevacizumab (D1, D15) every 28 days or docetaxel (75 mg/m2) every 21 days; crossover was allowed after disease progression. Primary end-point was progression-free survival (PFS). ClinicalTrials.gov registration number: NCT01763671. RESULTS: One hundred sixty six patients were randomised (paclitaxel plus bevacizumab: 111, docetaxel: 55). The median PFS was longer in patients receiving paclitaxel plus bevacizumab than in patients receveing docetaxel [5·4 months versus 3·9 months, adjusted hazard ratio (HR) 0·61 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0·44-0·86); p = 0·005]. Objective response rates (ORRs) were 22·5% (95% CI: 14·8-30·3) and 5·5% (95% CI: 0·0-11·5) (p = 0·006), respectively. Median overall survivals were similar (adjusted HR 1·17; p = 0·50). Crossover occurred in 21 of 55 (38·2%) docetaxel-treated patients. Grade III-IV adverse events (AEs) were reported in 45·9% and 54·5% of patients treated with paclitaxel and bevacizumab or docetaxel, respectively (p = NS), including neutropenia (19·3% versus 45·4%), neuropathy (8·3% versus 0·0%) and hypertension (7·3% versus 0·0%). Three patients died due to treatment-related AEs (1·8% in each group). CONCLUSION: Weekly paclitaxel plus bevacizumab as second- or third-line improves PFS and ORR compared with docetaxel in patients with nsNSCLC, with an acceptable safety profile. These results place weekly paclitaxel plus bevacizumab as a valid option in this population. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION NUMBER: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01763671.

Is Nutritional Screening of Patients with Lung Cancer Optimal? An Expert Opinion Survey of French Physicians and Surgeons.

Objectives: To assess how physicians and surgeons carried out malnutrition screening and follow-up for patients with lung cancer. Materials and methods: We carried out an expert opinion survey in France using an anonymous self-administered online questionnaire. Results: In 2017, 206 practitioners responded, of which 60.7% were pulmonologists, 17.4% thoracic surgeons, 11.2% oncologists, and 10.7% radiotherapists. At initial diagnosis, 79.3% of practitioners recorded patients' percentage of weight loss. During follow-up examinations, 67.5% recorded this data for patients at risk of malnutrition and 70.4 % for malnourished patients. Food intake was evaluated by 21.7% of practitioners at initial diagnosis. Surgeons assessed percentage of weight loss and food intake significantly less often than pulmonologists did, they were less likely to request serum albumin tests and waited for a greater percentage of weight loss before referring patients to a nutrition professional. All practitioners were well aware of the prevalence of malnutrition among lung cancer patients and its consequences. The main factors preventing optimal nutritional assessment reported by practitioners were a lack of time and limited specialized knowledge. Conclusion: Nutritional assessment remained suboptimal, especially for surgical patients. The importance granted to malnutrition needs to be increased for patients with lung cancer, especially in surgical departments. Highlights Physicians and thoracic surgeons are well aware of the prevalence and consequences in lung cancer patients. Thoracic surgeons seemed to be less sensitized to malnutrition screening than pulmonologists. Lack of time and limited specialized knowledge were reported as the main factors preventing optimal nutritional assessment.

A 35-Year-Old Woman With Acute Pleuritic Chest Pain and an Unusual Mediastinal Opacity.

CASE PRESENTATION: A 35-year-old woman came to the ED following 2 days of chest pain. She was a nonsmoker, taking no medications, and not using a contraceptive pill. The patient had no history of recent travel but had given birth (full-term pregnancy) 4 months earlier. She described nonradiating, left-sided pleuritic chest pain with no associated dyspnea, cough, sputum, or sweating.

Neoadjuvant modified TPF (docetaxel, cisplatin, fluorouracil) for patients unfit to standard TPF in locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: a study of 48 patients.

TPF (docetaxel, cisplatin, fluorouracil) is the standard chemotherapy used for induction in locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (LAHNSCC). Its toxicity limits it to younger patients with good functional status and without significant comorbidity. Since modified TPF (mTPF) demonstrated higher tolerability with similar efficacy in gastric cancer, we tested this scheme on frail patients.From July 2010 to July 2014, the files of the 48 patients treated for LAHNSCC with mTPF in three French institutions were retrospectively collected.mTPF was chosen because of age>70 years, or severe denutrition, or PS>1, or severe comorbidities or after severe toxicity of standard TPF. During the first 4 cycles, 2 patients died, 14 secondary hospitalizations were required and 10 patients stopped treatment due to no lethal toxicity. Two patients died during radiotherapy.The response rate was 83% (19% complete response). With a median follow-up of 15.2 months, 4 patients died during treatment, 8 died of non-head and neck cancer related disorders, 18 progressed (17 deaths) and 18 were free of disease. The median overall survival was 18.5 months (95% IC: 16.9-30.0).mTPF is effective in terms of response rate compared with the standard TPF and could become a new option in induction for frail patients with LAHNSCC.

Negative Predictive Value of Transthoracic Core-Needle Biopsy: A Multicenter Study.

BACKGROUND: Specimens collected by CT scan-guided transthoracic core-needle biopsy (TTNB) are frequently used for the diagnosis of lung nodules, but the clinical value of negative results has not been sufficiently investigated. We sought to determine the negative predictive value (NPV) of TTNB specimens and investigate predictive factors of negative results. METHODS: All consecutive TTNBs performed in three centers between 2006 and 2012 were included. The medical charts of patients with nonmalignant TTNB specimens were reviewed and classified as true or false negatives. Binary logistic regression was used for multivariate analysis. RESULTS: Overall, findings from 980 TTNB specimens were included. Malignant disease was found in 79% (n = 777) of the cases, nonmalignant disease in 6% (n = 54), and "negative" results in 15% (n = 149). For the diagnosis of malignant disease, NPV was 51%. Estimated sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were 89%, 99%, and 90%, respectively. The complication rate was 34% (life-threatening complication in 6%). In multivariate analysis, predictive factors for a false-negative result were radiologist experience (adjusted OR [AOR], 0.996; 95% CI, [0.994-0.998]), occurrence of a complication during the procedure (AOR, 1.958; 95% CI, [1.202-3.187]), and moderate to high maximum standardized uptake value on PET scan (AOR, 7.657; 95% CI, [1.737-33.763]). In 24 cases, a second TTNB was performed at the same target. The complication rate was 33%, and TTNB specimens provided diagnosis in 95% of cases with a 67% NPV. CONCLUSIONS: One-half of all "negative" TTNB specimen results were falsely negative for malignant diagnosis. Findings in tissue collected from a second TTNB at the same target provided a final diagnosis in most cases without increasing complication rates.