Incidence of and risk factors for cryptococcosis in kidney transplant recipients in Taiwan-A nationwide population-based study.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine the long-term incidence of cryptococcosis in kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) and to analyze its risk factors. METHODS: This retrospective population-based cohort study analyzed data obtained from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database for KTRs during 2000-2012 and matched cohorts. Both populations were followed until death, development of cryptococcosis, or December 2013. RESULTS: A total of 4,933 KTRs and 49,930 matched patients were included. The cryptococcosis incidence rates for the KTR cohort and matched cohort were 10.59 and 0.4 per 10,000 person-years, respectively. The hazard ratio for cryptococcosis among KTRs was 26.65 (p<0.001); and 43.77 (p<0.001) for cryptococcosis affecting the central nervous system (CNS). The Kaplan-Meier method confirmed an elevated cumulative incidence of cryptococcosis among KTRs (1.00% vs. 0.04%). Predictors for cryptococcosis were advanced age (OR 1.39, 95% CI 1.02-1.89, P=0.038) and cancer (OR 2.63, 95% CI 1.22-5.67, P=0.013), but not the use of any particular class of immunosuppressants. CONCLUSIONS: KTRs are at dramatically higher risk of developing cryptococcosis, especially with CNS involvement, relative to a non-KTR matched cohort. Older KTRs and those with cancer are at even higher risk of developing cryptococcosis.

Serum adrenomedullin and urinary thromboxane B2 help early categorizing of acute kidney injury in decompensated cirrhotic patients: A prospective cohort study.

AIMS: Increases in the systemic vasodilator adrenomedullin and the renal vasoconstrictors thromboxane A2 in cirrhotic patients are pathogenic factors for the development of functional acute kidney injury (AKI), including pre-renal azotemia (PRA) and hepatorenal syndrome (HRS), which is associated with high mortality. This study aims to find biomarkers that can diagnose HRS at an early stage, to enable treatment as soon as possible. METHODS: Acute decompensated cirrhotic patients who had been admitted to hospital were enrolled in this prospective cohort study. Blood and urinary samples were collected immediately after admission. In addition to initially categorizing AKI cases into PRA, acute tubular necrosis (ATN), and HRS groups, their final diagnosis was adjudicated by a nephrologist and a hepatologist who checked the corrected and misclassification rates for significant biomarkers. RESULTS: The cut-off values for serum adrenomedullin and urinary thromboxane B2 (TXB2 ), when used as predictors for functional AKI (adrenomedullin >283 pg/mL, urinary TXB2 >978 [pg/mg urinary creatinine]), for HRS (adrenomedullin >428, urinary TXB2 >1604), and for good terlipressin plus albumin treatment responders (adrenomedullin >490, urinary TXB2 >1863), were observed. Patients with HRS who could be treated, due to high mortality, had significantly higher serum adrenomedullin and urinary TXB2 levels compared to HRS patients receiving standard treatment. In addition to predicting 60-day mortality, a combination of these two markers further increased diagnostic accuracy for HRS among functional AKI. CONCLUSIONS: Prompt diagnosis of HRS by differentiating it from PRA and ATN can be achieved by using serum adrenomedullin and urinary TXB2 in acute decompensated cirrhotic patients. In combination with severe clinical courses, these two markers are useful to select HRS patients who cannot be treated.

Serum pentraxin-3 and tumor necrosis factor-like weak inducer of apoptosis (TWEAK) predict severity of infections in acute decompensated cirrhotic patients.

BACKGROUND: Pentraxin-3 (PTX3) and soluble tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-like weak inducer of apoptosis (sTWEAK) are new candidate prognostic markers for comorbidities and mortality in various inflammatory diseases. Acute decompensation of cirrhosis is characterized by acute exacerbation of chronic systemic inflammation. Recently, increased circulating PTX3 levels have been reported in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis patients and positively correlated with disease severity. This study aims to explore serum PTX3/sTWEAK levels and their relationship with clinical outcomes in cirrhotic patients with acute decompensation. METHODS: We analyzed serum PTX3/sTWEAK levels in relation to inhospital and 3-month new clinical events and survivals in cirrhotic patients with acute decompensation. RESULTS: During admission, serum PTX3/sTWEAK levels were significantly higher in acute decompensated cirrhotic patients than controls and positively correlated with protein-energy wasting (PEW), new infections, long hospital stays, high medical costs, and high mortality. During a 3-month follow-up, acute decompensated cirrhotic patients with high serum PTX3/sTWEAK levels had more episodes of unplanned readmission and high 3-month mortality. On multivariate analysis, high PTX3/sTWEAK levels and PEW were independent risk factors for high mortality. CONCLUSION: High serum PTX3/sTWEAK levels and PEW are common in cirrhotic patients with acute decompensation. As compared with low serum PTX3 and sTWEAK cases, cirrhotic patients with high serum PTX3/sTWEAK levels a have higher probability of new severe infections, severe sepsis, septic shock, type 1 hepatorenal syndrome, in-hospital, and 3-month follow-up mortalities. Therefore, high serum PTX3/sTWEAK levels on hospital admission predict disease severity and case fatality in cirrhotic patients with acute decompensation.

TLR4/CD14 Variants-Related Serologic and Immunologic Dys-Regulations Predict Severe Sepsis in Febrile De-Compensated Cirrhotic Patients.

Genetic variants and dysfunctional monocyte had been reported to be associated with infection susceptibility in advanced cirrhotic patients. This study aims to explore genetic predictive markers and relevant immune dysfunction that contributed to severe sepsis in febrile acute de-compensated cirrhotic patents. Polymorphism analysis of candidate genes was undergone in 108 febrile acute de-compensated cirrhotic patients and 121 healthy volunteers. Various plasma inflammatory/regulatory cytokines, proportion of classical (CD 16-, phagocytic) and non-classical (CD16+, inflammatory) monocytes, lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and intracellular/extracellular cytokines on cultured non-classical monocytes, mCD14/HLA-DR expression and phagocytosis of classical monocytes were measured. For TLR4+896A/G variant allele carriers with severe sepsis, high plasma endotoxin/IL-10 inhibits HLA-DR expression and impaired phagocytosis were noted in their classical monocyte. In the same group, increased non-classical monocyte subset, enhanced LPS-stimulated TLR4 expression and TNFα/nitrite production, and systemic inflammation [high plasma soluble CD14 (sCD14) and total nitric oxide (NOx) levels] were noted. For CD14-159C/T variant allele carriers with severe sepsis, persist endotoxemia inhibited mCD14/HLA-DR expression and impaired phagocytosis of their classical monocyte. In the same group, increased non-classical monocyte subset up-regulated TLR4-NFκB-iNOS and p38MAPK pathway, stimulated TNFα/nitrite production and elicited systemic inflammation. In febrile acute de-compensated cirrhotic patients, TLR4+896A/G and CD14-159C/T polymorphisms-related non-classical and classical monocytes dysfunction resulted in increased severe sepsis risk. Malnutrition, high plasma endotoxin and sCD14 levels, single TLR4+896A/G or CD14-159C/T variant allele carriers and double variant allele carriers are significant predictive factors for the development of severe sepsis among them.

The emergence of Klebsiella pneumoniae liver abscess in non-diabetic patients and the distribution of capsular types.

BACKGROUND: Klebsiella pneumoniae is the most common pathogen of community-acquired pyogenic liver abscess in East Asia. Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a well-established risk factor for K. pneumoniae liver abscess (KPLA). However, reports regarding the emergence of KPLA in non-diabetic patients are limited. RESULTS: A total 230 patients with KPLA from a medical center in Taiwan were identified retrospectively. The rate of DM in patients with KPLA was 44.4 % in 2011, 57.9 % in 2012, 44.9 % in 2013, 35.0 % in 2014, and 53.5 % in 2015. Diabetic patients had higher rate of gas-forming abscesses than non-diabetic patients, but the clinical outcomes were not different. The six virulent capsular types (K1, K2, K5, K20, K54, and K57) accounted for 90.2 % of all K. pneumoniae isolates, and were more prevalent in non-diabetic than diabetic patients (93.9 vs 85.9 %, P = 0.048). The six virulent capsular types were also more prevalent in the group with optimal glycemic levels (Non-DM and DM with HbA1c level <7 %) than the DM group with HbA1c level ≥7 % (93.9 vs 84.3 %, P = 0.022). CONCLUSION: Klebsiella pneumoniae liver abscess has emerged in non-diabetic patients in Taiwan. Diabetic patients were at higher risk of acquiring gas-forming abscesses. Non diabetic patients and diabetic patients with optimal glycemic levels are more susceptible to the virulent capsular types of K. pneumoniae.

Comparison of Outcomes among Adult Patients with Nosocomial Bacteremia Caused by Methicillin-Susceptible and Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Several studies have shown that patients with bacteremia caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) have worse outcomes than those with bacteremia caused by methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA). However, only a limited number of studies have stratified the MRSA isolates into healthcare-associated (HA-) and community-associated (CA-) MRSA strains in such a comparison. This three-year retrospective cohort study, enrolling adult patients with nosocomial S. aureus bacteremia (SAB), was designed to investigate whether CA-MRSA and/or HA-MRSA strains were associated with different outcomes in comparison to MSSA in such a setting. The drug susceptibilities and staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) types were determined for all of the causative isolates available. The MRSA bacteremia was further categorized into those caused by CA-MRSA strains (CA-MRSA-S bacteremia) when the causative isolates carried the type IV or V SCCmec element, those caused by HA-MRSA strains (HA-MRSA-S bacteremia) when the isolates carried the type I, II, or III SCCmec element, or unclassified MRSA bacteremia when the isolates were not available. The relevant demographic, clinical, and laboratory data were collected by reviewing the patients' charts. The primary outcome was all-cause in-hospital mortality. A total of 353 patients were studied. The overall in-hospital mortality rate was 32.6%, with 23.3% in MSSA, 30.5% in CA-MRSA-S, 47.5% in HA-MRSA-S, and 35.3% in unclassified MRSA bacteremia, respectively. The multivariate analysis showed that HA-MRSA-S, but not CA-MRSA-S, bacteremia was associated with a significantly worse outcome compared with MSSA. The other risk factors independently associated with all-cause in-hospital mortality included the Charlson co-morbidity index, septic shock, thrombocytopenia, and persistent bacteremia. Resistance to linezolid and daptomycin was found among the MRSA isolates. The present study showed that bacteremia caused by HA-MRSA-S, but not CA-MRSA-S, was an independent risk factor for all-cause in-hospital mortality in patients with nosocomial SAB. Continuous monitoring regarding the susceptibilities of MRSA to linezolid and daptomycin is necessary.

Latent TB infection in newly diagnosed lung cancer patients - A multicenter prospective observational study.

OBJECTIVES: Lung cancer and tuberculosis (TB) share common risk factors and are associated with high morbidity and mortality. Coexistence of lung cancer and TB were reported in previous studies, with uncertain pathogenesis. The association between lung cancer and latent TB infection (LTBI) remains to be explored. METHODS: Newly diagnosed, treatment-naïve lung cancer patients were prospectively enrolled from four referral medical centers in Taiwan. The presence of LTBI was determined by QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube (QFT-GIT). Demographic characteristics and cancer-related factors associated with LTBI were investigated. The survival status was also analyzed according to the status of LTBI. RESULTS: A total of 340 lung cancer patients were enrolled, including 96 (28.2%) LTBI, 214 (62.9%) non-LTBI, and 30 (8.8%) QFT-GIT results-indeterminate cases. Non-adenocarcinoma cases had higher proportion of LTBI than those of adenocarcinoma, especially in patients with younger age. In multivariate analysis, COPD (OR 2.41, 95% CI 1.25-4.64), fibrocalcified lesions on chest radiogram (OR 2.73, 95% CI 1.45-5.11), and main tumor located in typical TB areas (OR 2.02, 95% CI 1.15-3.55) were independent clinical predictors for LTBI. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis demonstrated patients with indeterminate QFT-GIT results had significantly higher 1-year all-cause mortality than those with LTBI (p<0.001) and non-LTBI (p=0.003). In multivariate analysis, independent predictors for 1-year all-cause mortality included BMI<18.5 (HR 2.09, 95% CI 1.06-4.14, p=0.033), advanced stage of lung cancer (RR 7.76, 95% CI 1.90-31.78, p=0.004), and indeterminate QFT-GIT results (RR 2.40, 95% CI 1.27-4.54, p=0.007). CONCLUSIONS: More than one-quarter of newly diagnosed lung cancer patients in Taiwan have LTBI. The independent predictors for LTBI include COPD, fibrocalcified lesions on chest radiogram, and main tumor located in typical TB areas. The survival rate is comparable between LTBI and non-LTBI cases. However, indeterminate QFT-GIT result was an independent predictor for all-cause mortality in lung cancer patients.

Systemic sclerosis and the risk of tuberculosis.

OBJECTIVE: Pulmonary involvement is common in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc), and this condition causes substantial morbidity and mortality. Disrupted immunity from the disease or associated medication may render such patients subject to tuberculosis (TB) infection. However, the relationship between SSc and TB has not yet been investigated. METHODS: Using the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database, 838 patients with SSc diagnosed in Taiwan during 2000-2006 were identified and followed for emergence of TB infection. Incidence rate ratios (IRR) of TB compared to 8380 randomly selected age-, sex-, and comorbidity-matched controls without SSc were calculated. The Cox proportional hazards model was used for multivariate adjustment to identify independent risk factors for TB infection. RESULTS: The risk of TB infection was higher in the SSc cohort than in controls (IRR 2.81, 95% CI 1.36-5.37; p = 0.004), particularly for pulmonary TB (IRR 2.53, 95% CI 1.08-5.30; p = 0.022). Other independent risk factors for TB infection in patients with SSc were age ≥ 60 years [hazard ratio (HR) 3.52, 95% CI 1.10-11.33; p = 0.035] and pulmonary hypertension (PH; HR 6.06, 95% CI 1.59-23.17; p = 0.008). Mortality did not differ for SSc patients with or without TB. CONCLUSION: In this nationwide study, the incidence of TB infection was significantly higher among patients with SSc than in controls without SSc. Special care should be taken in managing patients with SSc who are at high risk for TB, especially those aged ≥ 60 years or who also have PH.

Antimicrobial drug-resistant microbes associated with hospitalized community-acquired and healthcare-associated pneumonia: a multi-center study in Taiwan.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and healthcare-associated pneumonia (HCAP) may be caused by potential antimicrobial drug-resistant (PADR) microbes. The aims of this study were to evaluate the incidences and risk factors associated with PADR microbes observed in patients with pneumonia occurring outside the hospital setting in Taiwan. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study of patients with CAP or HCAP admitted to six medical centers in the northern, central, and southern regions of Taiwan in 2007. The pathogens were evaluated by microbiological specimens within 72 hours after admission. The patients' comorbidities, pathogens, and outcomes were evaluated. The risk factors of PADR microbes were identified by logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: The enrolled patients exhibited HCAP (n=713) and CAP (n=933). The pathogens associated with HCAP (n=383) and CAP (n=441) included Pseudomonas spp. (29%vs. 10%, p<0.001), Klebsiella spp. (24% vs. 25%, p=0.250), Escherichia coli (6% vs. 8%, p=0.369), Haemophilus influnezae (3% vs. 7%, p=0.041), Streptococcus pneumoniae (2% vs. 6%, p=0.003) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) (8% vs. 4%, p=0.008). The core pathogens of CAP and HCAP differed among the three regions of Taiwan. PADR microbes, including Pseudomonas spp. (n=191), Acinetobacter spp. (n=41), MRSA (n=49) and cefotaxime- or ceftazidime-resistant Enterbacteriaceae (n=25), were isolated from 13% of patients with CAP and 23% of patients with HCAP. Previous hospitalization, and neoplastic and neurological diseases were significant risk factors for acquiring PADR microbes. CONCLUSION: PADR microbes were common in patients with HCAP and CAP in Taiwan. Broad-spectrum antibiotics targeting PADR microbes should be administered to patients who have undergone previous hospitalization and who exhibit neurological disorders and/or malignancies.

Plasma epidermal growth factor receptor mutation analysis and possible clinical applications in pulmonary adenocarcinoma patients treated with erlotinib.

Tumor epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation analysis is significant for making treatment decisions for metastatic pulmonary adenocarcinoma. However, less than half of patients have adequate tumor samples for mutation analysis. Patients with adenocarcinoma of the lungs who were due to receive erlotinib treatment were included in the present study. Tumor EGFR mutation status was analyzed using DNA sequencing. Plasma specimens from the patients were collected prior to erlotinib treatment. The plasma-free DNA EGFR mutation status was analyzed using the PCR clamp method. A total of 54 consecutive patients were included in the study. The plasma-free DNA EGFR mutation status of the 54 patients was analyzed. Only 30 patients had adequate tumor samples for EGFR analysis, including 15 with activating mutations (exon 19 deletions or L858R). EGFR-activating mutations were detected in the plasma-free DNA in 25 of 54 patients. The response rate was 86.7 and 33.3% in patients with and without tumor activating mutations, respectively (p=0.002). The response rate was 68 and 31% based on the patients' plasma-free DNA EGFR mutation status, respectively (p=0.013). No significant difference in progression-free survival (PFS) was observed between patients with and without EGFR-activating mutations, according to data from tumor tissue or plasma-free DNA analysis, although the median PFS time was longer for those patients with EGFR-activating mutations in plasma samples. Plasma EGFR mutation analysis is useful for adenocarcinoma patients who have no or inadequate tumor samples available for EGFR examination. Patients with plasma EGFR-activating mutations had an improved response rate and a statistically insignificant longer PFS.

Phase II randomized trial of erlotinib or vinorelbine in chemonaive, advanced, non-small cell lung cancer patients aged 70 years or older.

INTRODUCTION: The primary objective of this study was to compare the response rates of elderly, chemonaive patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with daily oral erlotinib versus oral vinorelbine. METHODS: Chemonaive Taiwanese patients aged 70 years or older who had advanced NSCLC were randomized to receive either oral erlotinib 150 mg (E) daily or oral vinorelbine 60 mg/m (V) on days 1 and 8 every 3 weeks. RESULTS: From February 2007 to July 2008, 116 patients were enrolled and 113 were included in the intent-to-treat population: 57 patients in the E group and 56 patients in the V group. Objective response rates were 22.8% (13 of 57) in E and 8.9% (5 of 56) in V (p = 0.0388). Median progression-free survival (PFS) was 4.57 months in E and 2.53 months in V (p = 0.0287), with an 80.6% increase in median PFS for E compared with V. Median survival time was 11.67 months in E and 9.3 months in V (p = 0.6975). Toxicities were generally mild in both groups. Median PFS was longest for epidermal growth factor receptor gene (EGFR)-mutated patients in the E group, followed by EGFR-mutated patients in V, EGFR wild type in E, and EGFR wild type in V (p = 0.0034). Overall survival was longer for EGFR-mutated patients than for EGFR wild-type patients (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Erlotinib is highly effective compared with oral vinorelbine in elderly, chemonaive, Taiwanese patients with NSCLC. EGFR-mutated patients had better survival than those with EGFR wild-type disease, regardless of the treatment received.

Third-line or fourth-line chemotherapy in non-small-cell lung cancer patients with relatively good performance status.

BACKGROUND: Our aim here was to explore treatment efficacy of pemetrexed and docetaxel in non-small-cell lung cancer patients who had failed previous chemotherapy and epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed clinical data of our non-small-cell lung cancer patients who received third- or fourth-line chemotherapy with pemetrexed or docetaxel in our institution from January 2006 to December 2009. RESULTS: One hundred and twenty-three patients received treatment, including 85 patients with pemetrexed treatment and 38 patients with docetaxel treatment. There was no difference in tumor response rate and toxicity profiles when using pemetrexed as third- or fourth-line treatment, neither was there difference in docetaxel treatment of third- versus fourth-line treatment. There was also no difference between docetaxel and pemetrexed in response rate and control rate when they were used as fourth-line treatment. However, docetaxel used in fourth-line treatment had higher incidence of neutropenia and more frequent need of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor support compared with pemetrexed in fourth-line treatment. Median progression-free survivals (PFSs) were 2.6 months and 3.8 months when using pemetrexed as third- and fourth-line treatment, respectively (p = 0.417). Median PFSs were 3.8 months and 4.8 months when using docetaxel as third- and fourth-line treatment, respectively (p = 0.882). There was also no difference in PFS between pemetrexed and docetaxel, both in third- and fourth-line treatment. Median survivals were 13.4, 12.2, 13.2, and 13 months for pemetrexed in third-line, fourth-line, and docetaxel in third-line and fourth-line treatment, respectively. CONCLUSION: This retrospective study of pemetrexed and docetaxel showed relatively safe toxicity profile, reasonable response rate, and long survival when used as third- and fourth-line chemotherapy. Thus, it is reasonable to give good performance status patients third- and fourth-line chemotherapy. A phase III randomized trial is needed for better clarification of these issues.

A phase II randomized trial of gefitinib alone or with tegafur/uracil treatment in patients with pulmonary adenocarcinoma who had failed previous chemotherapy.

BACKGROUND: Tegafur/uracil (UFT) is suitable for metronomic chemotherapy because of its underlying antiangiogenesis mechanism. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of adding daily oral UFT to gefitinib treatment in patients with pulmonary adenocarcinoma who had failed previous chemotherapy. METHODS: Taiwanese patients who had adenocarcinoma of the lung and failed previous chemotherapy were randomized into gefitinib 250 mg daily alone (G) or plus daily oral UFT (GU). From November 2005 to August 2009, 115 patients were enrolled. RESULTS: There were 58 patients in the G arm and 57 in the GU arm. One-year progression-free survival (PFS) was 18% in the G arm and 36.7% in the GU arm (p = 0.03). Fifty-four patients had tissue samples available for tumor epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) sequence analysis: 16 classical mutations and 8 wild types in the G arm, and 20 classical mutations and 10 wild-types in the GU arm. The addition of UFT significantly improved PFS in patients with EGFR mutations (14.4 versus 7.6 months, p = 0.0061). Forty-three patients underwent tumor tissue microvessel density measurement, and a trend favoring the addition of UFT to gefitinib treatment was found in those with low microvessel density (median PFS: 11.8 versus 2.8 months, p = 0.0536). The median survival time was 18.3 months in the G arm and 23.6 months in the GU arm (p = 0.381). CONCLUSION: Gefitinib plus UFT treatment had better PFS than gefitinib alone treatment. Gefitinib is effective in patients with EGFR mutations, and the addition of UFT treatment produced better PFS in these patients with mutations.

Different efficacies of erlotinib and gefitinib in taiwanese patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer: a retrospective multicenter study.

INTRODUCTION: Epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitors are used as effective first-line and salvage therapy in the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients in East Asia. The objective of this study was to compare the efficacy of gefitinib and erlotinib in Taiwanese patients with advanced NSCLC. METHODS: Clinical data of NSCLC patients treated with gefitinib or erlotinib from January 2004 to December 2008 were collected retrospectively. Five tertiary referral centers in Taiwan participated in the study. RESULTS: Of the 1122 patients enrolled, 506 (45%) were female, 594 (53%) were never smokers or former light smokers, and 867 (77%) were diagnosed with adenocarcinoma. Epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitors were prescribed as first-line treatment in 465 (41%) patients and as second-line or salvage therapy in 657 patients (59%). The objective response rate was similar between the gefitinib and erlotinib treatment groups, while disease control rate was 58.9 and 65.8% (p = 0.025), respectively. Median progression-free survival of gefitinib and erlotinib groups was 3.6 and 4.6 months, respectively (p = 0.027). Median overall survival of gefitinib and erlotinib groups was 9.6 and 10.7 months, respectively (p = 0.013). CONCLUSION: Taiwanese patients with advanced NSCLC treated with erlotinib reported higher disease control rate, longer progression-free survival, and overall survival compared with patients treated with gefitinib.

Second-line therapy for elderly patients with non-small cell lung cancer who failed previous chemotherapy is as effective as for younger patients.

INTRODUCTION: It was found that second-line or thereafter therapies for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who failed previous chemotherapy yielded a modest survival benefit. However, whether elderly patients (> or =70 years) benefit and are as suitable for salvage therapy as nonelderly patients (<70 years) are unknown. Whether epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI) is more favorable than chemotherapeutic agents as a salvage therapy agent in elderly patients with NSCLC is also undetermined. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed and updated the data of our patients with NSCLC who received second-line salvage therapies, classified them into elderly and nonelderly groups, and compared the efficacy, toxicities, and survival of the patients. RESULTS: Four hundred sixty-one cases were reviewed. The nonelderly group had a similar response rate, control rate, and median survival time than the elderly group (p = 0.2, p = 0.9, and p = 0.5, respectively). The median progression-free time was numerically longer in the elderly than the nonelderly patients (p = 0.08). The nonelderly group had statistically insignificantly less hematologic toxicities than the elderly group, but more nausea and vomiting. In addition, the use of EGFR-TKI salvage therapy, compared with salvage chemotherapies in the elderly group, resulted in a similar disease control rate and median survival time and more favorable toxicity profiles. CONCLUSIONS: There were no differences in the efficacy of salvage chemotherapies and EGFR-TKI therapy, in terms of response rate, control rate, and overall survival, in elderly and nonelderly patients, and the therapies had acceptable toxicities. Age itself should not preclude patients with NSCLC from second-line salvage therapy.