An international and multidisciplinary EORTC survey on resectability of stage III non-small cell lung cancer.

Introduction: The EORTC-Lung Cancer Group initiated a Delphi consensus process to establish a consensual definition of resectable stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) for the use in clinical trials, including a systematic review, survey, and review of clinical cases. Here, the survey results are presented, aimed to identify areas of controversy.

Methods: A survey was distributed among the members of six international organizations related to lung cancer.

PRIMALung (EORTC-1901): PRophylactic cerebral irradiation (PCI) or active brain MAgnetic resonance imaging (MRI) surveillance in small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) patients.

The PRIMALung EORTC-1901 trial investigates brain MRI ± PCI in all-stages of SCLC, aiming for non-inferior survival, improve cognition in the era of immunotherapy. @finn_corinne.

[Non-small cell lung cancer in adults under 40 years of age].

Introduction: Non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC) are the most common lung cancers, withpeak incidence at 65years of age. These cancers rarely occur before the age of 40.

Methods: Based on an illustrative clinical case, a systematic review of the literature was conducted to study the epidemiological, clinical, histological, and biological characteristics of NSCLC in adults under 40years of age.

Stage IV nonsmall cell lung cancer treatment: oligometastatic disease and disease progression, untangling the knot.

Stage IV nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a heterogeneous group of patients for whom systemic therapy is decided based on tumour-biological cancer features (histology, PD-L1 expression, genomic alteration, metastatic sites) and patient characteristics (performance status, comorbidities). In most instances, some kind of systemic treatment is proposed, for which immunotherapy-based or targeted therapies are considered the standards of care in 2024. Oligometastatic NSCLC represents a specific concept during the biological spectrum from localised to metastatic disease in which only a limited number of metastatic sites can be documented.

What Does N2 Lymph Node Involvement Mean for Patients with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC)?-A Review of Implications for Diagnosis and Treatment.

Patients with stage III NSCLC with N2 lymph node involvement carry a complex and diverse disease entity. Challenges persist in the areas of diagnosis, staging, multimodal management, and the determination of surgical indications and resectability criteria. Therefore, this review focuses on the latest updates in N2 disease staging and its prognostic and treatment implications.

[Severe complications of systemic treatment in thoracic oncology].

Primary thoracic cancers affect a large number of patients, mainly those with lung cancer and to a lesser extent those with pleural mesothelioma and thymic tumours. Given their frequency and associated comorbidities, in patients whose mean age is high, these diseases are associated with multiple complications. This article, the last of a series dedicated to emergencies in onco-haematological patients, aims to present a clinical picture of the severe complications (side effects, immune-related adverse events) associated with systemic treatments, excluding infections and respiratory emergencies, with which general practitioners and specialists can be confronted.

Immunotherapy and Targeted Therapies Efficacy in Thymic Epithelial Tumors: A Systematic Review.

Background: Thymic epithelial tumors (TET) are rare neoplasms of the anterior mediastinum. Surgery is the mainstay treatment for resectable TET, whereas systemic treatments are reserved for unresectable and metastatic tumors. The development of new treatments, such as immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) and targeted therapies, with promising results in other types of solid tumors, has led to the investigation of their potential efficacy in TET.

Tumor Treating Fields therapy with standard systemic therapy versus standard systemic therapy alone in metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer following progression on or after platinum-based therapy (LUNAR): a randomised, open-label, pivotal phase 3 study.

Background: Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields) are electric fields that disrupt processes critical for cancer cell survival, leading to immunogenic cell death and enhanced antitumour immune response. In preclinical models of non-small-cell lung cancer, TTFields amplified the effects of chemotherapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors. We report primary results from a pivotal study of TTFields therapy in metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer.

[Olimetastatic disease: Current status and perspectives in non-small cell lung cancer].

The concept of oligometastatic disease was first introduced in the late 1990s to describe an situation more or less midway between locally advanced tumours and multifocal metastatic cancer. Four concepts are currently used: synchronous oligometastatic disease, metachronous oligometastatic disease (or oligo-recurrence), oligo-persistence and oligo-progression. Some phase II studies, randomised or not, have validated this concept in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and suggest the interest of adding local ablative therapy to systemic treatment.

Efficacy and safety of nivolumab for patients with pre-treated type B3 thymoma and thymic carcinoma: results from the EORTC-ETOP NIVOTHYM phase II trial.

Background: Thymic malignancies are rare intrathoracic tumors, which may be aggressive and difficult to treat. They represent a therapeutic challenge in the advanced/metastatic setting, with limited treatment options after the failure of first-line platinum-based chemotherapy. They are frequently associated with autoimmune disorders that also impact oncological management.

Systemic treatment for neuroendocrine non-small cell lung carcinoma: A cases series and a systematic review of the literature.

Introduction: Neuroendocrine lung cancer constitutes a continuum from carcinoid tumours (CT) to large cell neuroendocrine (LCNEC) and small-cell carcinomas (SCLC). Except for SCLC, there is no consensual agreement on systemic therapy. The aim of this study is to review our clinical experience among patients with CT and LCNEC in the light of a systematic review of the literature.

Preclinical evaluation of CDK4 phosphorylation predicts high sensitivity of pleural mesotheliomas to CDK4/6 inhibition.

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is an aggressive cancer with limited therapeutic options. We evaluated the impact of CDK4/6 inhibition by palbociclib in 28 MPM cell lines including 19 patient-derived ones, using various approaches including RNA-sequencing. Palbociclib strongly and durably inhibited the proliferation of 23 cell lines, indicating a unique sensitivity of MPM to CDK4/6 inhibition.

European Respiratory Society guideline on various aspects of quality in lung cancer care.

This European Respiratory Society guideline is dedicated to the provision of good quality recommendations in lung cancer care. All the clinical recommendations contained were based on a comprehensive systematic review and evidence syntheses based on eight PICO (Patients, Intervention, Comparison, Outcomes) questions. The evidence was appraised in compliance with the GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation) approach.

Alectinib for the treatment of pretreated RET-rearranged advanced NSCLC: Results of the ETOP ALERT-lung trial.

Background: Alectinib, a highly selective next generation ALK-inhibitor, has exhibited potent anti-tumour activity in RET-rearranged NSCLC in the preclinical stage.

Methods: ALERT-lung is a single-arm, phase II trial evaluating the activity of alectinib for the treatment of pretreated RET-rearranged advanced NSCLC. Alectinib was administered orally, 600 mg, twice per day until progression, refusal or unacceptable toxicity (treatment could continue beyond progression, if patient was deriving clinical benefit).

Exercise in lung Cancer, the healthcare providers opinion (E.C.H.O.): Results of the EORTC lung cancer Group (LCG) survey.

Objectives: Exercise has been reported to alleviate disease as well as treatment impact in patients with lung cancer. Nevertheless, there is limited information available regarding the perception of lung cancer dedicated healthcare professionals' and their advice on exercise.

Materials And Methods: An online survey exploring healthcare professionals' practice patterns, perceptions, barriers, and facilitators of exercise in patients with lung cancer was conducted within members of the EORTC Lung Cancer Group (LCG).

Results of screening in early and advanced thoracic malignancies in the EORTC pan-European SPECTAlung platform.

Access to a comprehensive molecular alteration screening is patchy in Europe and quality of the molecular analysis varies. SPECTAlung was created in 2015 as a pan-European screening platform for patients with thoracic malignancies. Here we report the results of almost 4 years of prospective molecular screening of patients with thoracic malignancies, in terms of quality of the program and molecular alterations identified.

Cryobiopsy and dye marking guided by electromagnetic navigation bronchoscopy before resection of pulmonary nodule.

Background: Our aims were to explore the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of peroperative transbronchial lung cryobiopsy (TBLC) guided by electromagnetic navigation bronchoscopy (ENB) and ENB-guided methylene blue marking of presumably non-palpable pulmonary nodules, and to assess its impact on video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) and postoperative lung function.

Methods: This approach was applied to 16 consecutive patients (Group A, mean age 64 years) who were compared retrospectively to a historical group of 49 patients (Group B, mean age 62 years) with similar nodules resected without guidance. The usefulness of dye marking was graded.

Current and future research efforts in oligometastatic non-small cell lung cancer-a systematic review.

Background: Major progresses in the systemic treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were obtained during the last decade, including the use of immunotherapy and tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), with impressive results in terms of response and survival rates. Moreover, novel imaging and radiotherapy techniques have allowed the development of stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT), with high rates of local disease control and minimal toxicity. These factors propelled the use of combined systemic and local treatment strategies in patients with a low burden of metastases-the oligometastatic disease (OMD).

Management of thymoma associated autoimmune pure red cell aplasia: Case report and systematic review of the literature.

Pure red cell aplasia (PRCA) is a rare paraneoplastic syndrome observed in 2-5 % of thymomas. Literature reports great variability in its management. Based on an illustrative clinical case, we present a systematic literature review whose main objective is to evaluate the therapeutic management of PRCA.