Combination carboplatin and nab-paclitaxel as a first-line treatment for advanced thymic carcinoma.

Thymic carcinoma is a very rare neoplasm for which no optimal chemotherapeutic regimen has been established to date. Hence, we performed this study to investigate the efficacy and safety of carboplatin plus nanoparticle albumin-bound (nab)-paclitaxel as a first-line regimen for patients with advanced thymic carcinoma. We conducted this multi-institutional retrospective cohort study of patients with advanced thymic carcinoma who had received carboplatin plus nab-paclitaxel as a first-line chemotherapy between August 2013 and December 2021. Twelve patients were included in this study and were subjected to efficacy and safety analysis. Their median age was 62 years (range, 47-74 years), and all had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status score of 0 or 1. After a median follow-up time of 19.7 months, the overall response rate was 50%; the median progression-free and overall survival times were 8.8 months and 23.3 months, respectively. Chemotherapy-related peripheral neuropathy was observed in 2 patients (16%; each with grade 1). Other toxicities were manageable, and there were no treatment-related deaths. Carboplatin plus nab-paclitaxel as a first-line chemotherapy regimen showed good efficacy and safety in patients with advanced thymic carcinoma.

Real-world evaluation of second line chemotherapy for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer harboring preexisting interstitial lung disease.

BACKGROUND: The optimal second and subsequent lines of chemotherapy for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who have preexisting interstitial lung disease (ILD) are unclear. Hence, we examined the clinical efficacy and safety of second-line chemotherapy in such patients, including any exacerbation of preexisting ILD. METHODS: The medical records of patients with NSCLC and preexisting ILD who received both first- and second-line chemotherapy were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: Twenty-four patients with a median age of 71 years who were treated between April 2013 and March 2021 were included. The response rate after second-line chemotherapy with S-1 (n = 13), docetaxel (n = 8), pemetrexed (n = 2), or docetaxel plus ramucirumab (n = 1) was 12.5%, with a median progression-free survival (2nd line PFS) of 3.8 months. The overall survival from a start of first-line chemotherapy (1st line OS) and post-progression survival (PPS) post-first-line chemotherapy were 18.7 and 9.7 months, respectively. Spearman rank correlation and linear regression analyses showed that PPS was strongly correlated with 1st line OS (R = 0.85, P < 0.00001). Importantly, the 2nd line PFS was also significantly correlated with 1st line OS (R = 0.71, P = 0.0001). While second-line chemotherapy-related acute exacerbation of ILD was observed in 7 patients (29.2%), there were no treatment-related fatalities. Conslusions. Second-line chemotherapy has a strong positive impact on the OS of patients with NSCLC who have preexisting ILD. Given the findings of this study, second-line chemotherapy may be valuable in terms of prolonging long-term OS.

Current status and progress of concurrent chemoradiotherapy in patients with locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer prior to the approval of durvalumab.

BACKGROUND: The standard treatment for patients with unresectable locally advanced (LA) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is chemoradiotherapy (CRT). Consolidation therapy with durvalumab after CRT demonstrated survival benefits and was approved in Japan in July 2018. The use of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) is entering routine oncological practice, and here we investigate the feasibility of concurrent CRT for LA-NSCLC patients based on the PACIFIC criteria. METHODS: We performed a retrospective study to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of concurrent CRT prior to the approval of durvalumab. We assessed consecutive patients with LA-NSCLC treated with CRT between January 2012 and June 2018. RESULTS: We analyzed a total of 108 consecutive patients who received radical thoracic radiotherapy and concurrent platinum-based chemotherapy. Of those patients, 105 (97%) completed the planned radiotherapy. Radiation pneumonitis was observed in 93 patients (85%), with a median of 130 days (range: 41-317 days) from the initiation of radiation to the onset of the complication. Among the patients, 74 (69%) were considered eligible for consolidation therapy with durvalumab. The overall response rate was 64%, and the two-year survival rate was 63%. Patients who received an ICI after relapse were associated with significantly better survival than those who did not receive an ICI (two-year survival rate: 87% vs. 41%, respectively; P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Prior to the approval of durvalumab, the clinical application of ICIs improved the outcome of patients with relapsed NSCLC after CRT for LA-NSCLC. The management of radiation pneumonitis remains a challenge following the approval of durvalumab.

Real-world evaluation of carboplatin plus a weekly dose of nab-paclitaxel for patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer with interstitial lung disease.

BACKGROUND: The optimal chemotherapy regimen for non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD) remains unknown. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the real-world efficacy and safety of carboplatin (CBDCA) plus nab-paclitaxel (nab-PTX) as a first-line regimen for NSCLC patients with ILD. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed advanced NSCLC patients with ILD who had received CBDCA plus nab-PTX as a first-line chemotherapy regimen between April 2013 and March 2018. Patients were diagnosed with ILD based on the findings of a pretreatment high-resolution computed tomography of the chest. RESULTS: The 34 patients enrolled in this study were included in the efficacy and safety analysis. Collagen vascular disease or a history of exposure to dust or asbestos was not reported for any patients. The median age of patients was 71 years (range, 59-83 years), and 32 patients had a performance status of 0 or 1. The overall response rate was 38.2%. The median progression-free survival and overall survival were 5.8 months and 12.7 months, respectively. Chemotherapy-related acute exacerbation of ILD was observed in two patients (5.7%). Other toxicities were feasible, and no treatment-related deaths occurred. CONCLUSION: CBDCA plus nab-PTX, as a first-line chemotherapy regimen for NSCLC, showed favorable efficacy and safety in patients with preexisting ILD.

Amrubicin monotherapy for elderly patients with relapsed extensive-disease small-cell lung cancer: A retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have shown amrubicin (AMR) to be an effective second-line treatment option for small-cell lung cancer (SCLC). However, the efficacy of AMR in elderly patients with relapsed SCLC has not been sufficiently evaluated. METHODS: The medical records of elderly patients with relapsed SCLC who received AMR as second-line chemotherapy were retrospectively reviewed, and their treatment outcomes were evaluated. RESULTS: Thirty-one patients with a median age of 72 years (22 patients with sensitive relapse and 9 with refractory relapse) were analyzed. The median number of treatment cycles was four (range: 1-10), and the response rate was 29%. The median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were 5.4 and 11.6 months, respectively. The OS of 22 patients who received third-line chemotherapy was 15.5 months. The PFS (6.2 vs. 3.2 months; P = 0.002) and OS (14.8 vs. 5.7 months; P = 0.004) were significantly longer in patients with sensitive relapse than those with refractory relapse. The frequency of grade 3 or higher neutropenia was high (n = 18, 58%), while febrile neutropenia was only observed in five patients (16%). Non-hematological toxic effects were relatively mild, and pneumonitis and treatment-related deaths were not observed. CONCLUSION: AMR may be a feasible and effective regimen for elderly patients with relapsed SCLC.