Octogenarians With Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase-rearranged Non-small-cell Lung Cancer: A Case Series.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) rearrangements define a distinct group of patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), mainly represented by never-smoking young individuals. However, we also encounter elderly patients with ALK-rearranged NSCLC over the age of 80 years. We report herein three cases of these patients that we have experienced. CASE REPORT: Three patients with ALK-rearranged NSCLC aged 80 years or older received therapy with the ALK-tyrosine kinase, alectinib. Of them, one was male and two had a history of smoking. Comorbidities, especially heart diseases, were prominent. Long-term survival was achieved with alectinib treatment in two patients. CONCLUSION: ALK-rearranged mutations should be evaluated even in octogenarians with NSCLC, regardless of sex and smoking history. Even if they have comorbid diseases, long-term control might be achieved with alectinib therapy in cooperation with physicians other than chest physicians and medical oncologists.

A Malignant Tumor Developed Seven Years After Small Cell Lung Cancer Treated With Etoposide-containing Chemotherapy.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Long-term survival of patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is rare, and, to the best of our knowledge, there has been no SCLC patient who developed second malignancy after long-term survival. CASE REPORT: A 66-year-old woman with a history of smoking was admitted to our hospital with a nodule in her right lung. She was diagnosed with cT2aN3M0 localized-SCLC. Chest irradiation and chemotherapy including etoposide was performed. A new nodule appeared in the right lung more than 7 years after the end of treatment for SCLC. A specimen obtained by bronchoscopic biopsy was pathologically confirmed to be a non-SCLC malignancy. CONCLUSION: There is a possibility of tumor development associated with etoposide, which is known to be carcinogenic, or residual tumor development from combined type SCLC. We could not confirm whether it was second malignancy or recurrence after long-term interval. The number of long-term survivors of SCLC is likely to increase in the future. The clinical course of this patient is interesting from the perspective of long-term survival of SCLC patients and might have implications for the treatment of patients with similar clinical course in the future.

Discontinuation of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor and Survival in Patients With Non-small-cell Lung Cancer Without a Driver Gene Mutation.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Patients with non-small-cell lung cancer treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) might be forced to discontinue treatment for various reasons. We conducted a retrospective study to evaluate the impact of discontinuation of ICI treatment on patient prognosis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We performed a retrospective study that reviewed the medical charts of 86 patients treated with ICI monotherapy and 34 patients treated with a combination of ICI and chemotherapy during the period from February 2016 to February 2022 at our two hospitals. 'Discontinuation' was defined as a cessation of ICI treatment for more than two cycles for any reason. RESULTS: The two most common reasons for discontinuation were immune-related adverse events and at the request of the patient. Nineteen patients who had discontinued ICI, resumed ICI or another therapy. Discontinuation of ICI treatment was a favorable factor in overall survival in 84 patients with ICI monotherapy as well as in 34 patients treated with chemotherapy combined with ICI. CONCLUSION: This analysis found discontinuation of ICI treatment did not adversely affect prognosis. This suggests that when treating patients with non-small-cell lung cancer with ICI, chest physicians should respond flexibly, and, with careful monitoring, consider discontinuation of ICI.

Rapidly Progressive Interstitial Lung Disease Associated with Melanoma Differentiation-Associated Gene 5 Antibody.

Anti-melanoma differentiation-associated gene-5 (MDA-5) antibody is an autoantibody found in patients with dermatomyositis. These antibody-positive patients are clinically characterized by complications of rapidly progressive interstitial pneumonia resistant to treatment and with poor prognosis. We describe herein a patient with MDA-5 antibody-positive interstitial lung disease, which progressed rapidly to death after a period of slow progress. Recently, attention has been paid to the similarities in clinical courses and CT images between MDA-5 antibody-positive interstitial lung disease and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-associated pneumonia. Patients with MDA-5 antibody do not always have diffuse and evenly distributed bilateral opacities at the time of first presentation. This patient had significant laterality of such opacities. It should be considered that MDA-5 antibody-positive patients with such laterality in opacities might progress rapidly. Chest physicians, dermatologists, and dermatologists need to be aware of the characteristics of the disease for optimal treatment choices.