Comprehensive serum biomarker analysis reveals IL-8 changes as the only predictor of the effectiveness of immune checkpoint inhibitors for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

Objectives: Programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression is widely used to predict the effectiveness of PD-(L)1 inhibitors despite its imperfection. Previous studies suggested the utilization of various serum biomarkers; nonetheless, findings are inconclusive because of limited sample sizes or the focus on a single biomarker in many of these studies. This study analyzed multiplex serum biomarkers to explore their predictive ability in a large cohort of patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with a PD-L1 inhibitor in a real-world setting.

Non-small cell lung cancer with synchronous brain metastases: Identification of prognostic factors in a retrospective multicenter study (HOT 1701).

Background: Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is associated with a high incidence of brain metastasis (BM), and the prognosis of patients with NSCLC and BM is poor. This study aimed to identify the prognostic factors and elucidate the survival rates of Japanese patients with NSCLC and BM at initial diagnosis.

Methods: HOT 1701 is a retrospective multicenter study of patients with NSCLC and BM at initial diagnosis.

A retrospective review of intramuscular olanzapine and parenteral benzodiazepine coadministration in the emergency department.

Introduction: Acute agitation is a common presenting symptom in medical and mental health emergencies that may require pharmacologic intervention. There is a manufacturer recommendation against intramuscular coadministration of olanzapine with parenteral (intramuscular or intravenous) benzodiazepines despite a deficiency of high-quality evidence. The purpose of this study was to contribute to available literature regarding intramuscular olanzapine and parenteral benzodiazepine use in acutely agitated patients in the emergency department (ED).

Real-world data on the efficacy and safety of immune-checkpoint inhibitors in elderly patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

Purpose: Immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are effective against advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, whether the efficacy and safety of ICI treatment in elderly patients are similar to those in younger patients is unclear. This study was designed to address this question.

Real-world outcomes of chemotherapy for lung cancer patients undergoing hemodialysis: A multicenter retrospective cohort study (NEJ-042).

Introduction: Malignant tumors are the major cause of death in hemodialysis patients. Management of these patients remains challenging as there is no evidence that chemotherapy is beneficial, and a lack of information about actual clinical practice.

Methods: This multicenter retrospective study included hemodialysis patients who were diagnosed with lung cancer from January 2002 to June 2018.

Use of bronchoalveolar lavage in diagnosing angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma: A case report.

Angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL) is a type of peripheral T-cell tumour that belongs to the group of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. Pulmonary lesions can be found in 7%-10% of AITL cases. Imaging findings of the lungs varied; however, immunoblastic infiltration in the lungs is rare.

Phase II study of carboplatin-paclitaxel alone or with bevacizumab in advanced sarcomatoid carcinoma of the lung: HOT1201/NEJ024.

Objectives: Only a few prospective studies have been conducted to examine the efficacy and safety of systemic chemotherapy for patients with pulmonary sarcomatoid carcinomas (PSCs). There is, thus, a crucial need to develop novel treatment strategies for this rare tumor.

Patients And Methods: Chemotherapy-naïve patients with histologically confirmed PSCs were assigned to receive either carboplatin/paclitaxel alone (CP) or with bevacizumab (CPB) followed by bevacizumab maintenance.

Comparison of the clinical features of invasive pneumococcal disease with those of pneumococcal pneumonia in adults.

Invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) is an infectious disease where Streptococcus pneumoniae can be detected in the cerebrospinal fluid or blood. Eight patients presented to our hospital with adult IPD. We compared with 69 cases of pneumococcal pneumonia treated in our department between 2012 and 2014.

Prognostic significance of OX40 lymphocytes in tumor stroma of surgically resected small-cell lung cancer.

OX40 (CD134) is a co-stimulatory molecule mostly expressed on activated T lymphocytes. Previous reports have shown that OX40 can be an immuno-oncology target and a clinical biomarker for cancers of various organs. In this study, we collected formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tumor samples from 124 patients with small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) who had undergone surgery.

A Case of Hb Aalborg (: c.223G>C) with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A First Familial Presentation in Japan.

The proband was a male in his seventies who came to our facility because of shortness of breath. He was not anemic but presented dissociation between oxygen saturation (SpO) and partial pressure of oxygen (PaO) by blood gas analysis, and also demonstrated hemoglobinopathy after measurement of Hb A using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Twenty-three percent of unknown hemoglobin (Hb) bands were detected.

Prognostic factors in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer after long-term Anti-PD-1 therapy (HOT1902).

Objectives: Limited information is available on the appropriate treatment duration of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). We aimed to identify candidates who would benefit from ICI discontinuation after one year of treatment for metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Materials And Methods: This retrospective multi-institutional observational study examined medical records of all consecutive patients with advanced or recurrent NSCLC, who started ICI monotherapy at 15 institutions in Japan between December 2015 and December 2017.

Characterization of inpatient care for patients admitted to a psychiatric hospital with a home opioid prescription.

Introduction: Patients with mental illness are particularly at risk for OUD, and due to this higher risk, providers may be more inclined to withhold their home opioids when they are admitted to a psychiatric hospital. Patients whose home opioids are continued or withheld during admission may be treated differently with respect to pain control, orders for nonopioid adjunctive pain agents, orders for intramuscular as-needed medications, orders for seclusion and/or restraints, and outpatient referrals for OUD treatment. The objective of this retrospective pilot study was to characterize inpatient care for these 2 patient populations.

Delta-like 1 homolog (DLK1) as a possible therapeutic target and its application to radioimmunotherapy using I-labelled anti-DLK1 antibody in lung cancer models (HOT1801 and FIGHT004).

Objectives: Delta-like 1 homolog (DLK1) is a non-canonical Notch ligand known to be expressed in several cancers but whose role in lung cancer is not yet fully understood. We sought to confirm DLK1 expression in small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) and non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and to examine DLK1's clinical significance. Furthermore, we examined the possible utility of DLK1 as a novel target in radioimmunotherapy (RIT).

Randomized phase II trial of carboplatin + nab-paclitaxel versus cisplatin + gemcitabine for chemotherapy-naïve squamous cell carcinoma: North Japan lung cancer study group 1302.

Background: A subset analysis of the CA031 trial showed significant improvement in the overall response rate after administration of carboplatin plus weekly albumin-bound paclitaxel compared to carboplatin plus paclitaxel for squamous cell carcinoma of the lung (SQ). We conducted this phase II study to compare carboplatin plus weekly albumin-bound paclitaxel (CnP) to cisplatin plus gemcitabine (CG), a standard regimen for SQ.

Methods: Chemotherapy-naïve patients with SQ were randomly assigned to receive cisplatin (80 mg/m) on day 1 plus gemcitabine (1000 mg/m) on days 1 and 8 every 3 weeks or carboplatin (area under the curve: 6 mg/mL/min) on day 1 plus nab-paclitaxel (75 mg/m) on days 1, 8, and 15 every 3 weeks.

Detection of somatic mutation in surgically resected small-cell lung cancer by targeted exome sequencing: association with longer relapse-free survival.

Objectives: Few reports have explored clinical biomarkers, including those identified by targeted exome sequencing (TES) of surgically resected small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) and correlation with patient survival.

Patients And Methods: We collected formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tumor samples from 127 patients with SCLC who had undergone surgery and analysed nonsynonymous somatic gene mutation profiles by TES of 26 cancer-related genes using next-generation sequencing (NGS) and web databases (UMIN Registration No. 000010117).

Open-label, multicenter, randomized phase II study on docetaxel plus bevacizumab or pemetrexed plus bevacizumab for treatment of elderly (aged ≥75 years) patients with previously untreated advanced non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer: TORG1323.

Background: The effectiveness of bevacizumab monotherapy in elderly patients with non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is unclear. The efficacy of the combinations for elderly patients was explored.

Methods: Untreated patients (≥75 years; performance status 0-1) with stage IIIB, IV, or recurrent non-squamous NSCLC were included.

A randomized phase II trial of cisplatin plus gemcitabine versus carboplatin plus gemcitabine in patients with completely resected non-small cell lung cancer: Hokkaido Lung Cancer Clinical Study Group Trial (HOT0703).

Purpose: This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of platinum plus gemcitabine (P/G) combinations as postoperative adjuvant chemotherapies for non-small cell lung cancer.

Methods: Patients with postoperative stage IB-IIIA non-small cell lung cancer were randomly assigned to receive either cisplatin plus gemcitabine (GP arm) or carboplatin plus gemcitabine (GC arm) every 3 weeks for four cycles. The primary endpoint was 2-year disease-free survival (DFS).

Gefitinib Alone Versus Gefitinib Plus Chemotherapy for Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer With Mutated Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor: NEJ009 Study.

Purpose: Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor combined with cytotoxic chemotherapy is highly effective for the treatment of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with EGFR mutations; however, little is known about the efficacy and safety of this combination compared with that of standard therapy with EGFR- tyrosine kinase inhibitors alone.

Methods: We randomly assigned 345 patients with newly diagnosed metastatic NSCLC with EGFR mutations to gefitinib combined with carboplatin plus pemetrexed or gefitinib alone. Progression-free survival (PFS), PFS2, and overall survival (OS) were sequentially analyzed as primary end points according to a hierarchical sequential testing method.

A prospective phase II study of carboplatin and nab-paclitaxel in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer and concomitant interstitial lung disease (HOT1302).

Objectives: Patients with concomitant advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and interstitial lung disease (ILD) are excluded from most clinical chemotherapy trials because of the high risk of exacerbating the latter condition. This study prospectively investigated the efficacy and safety of albumin-bound paclitaxel (nab-paclitaxel) in combination with carboplatin in patients with both advanced NSCLC and ILD.

Patients And Methods: The enrolled patients had treatment-naïve, advanced NSCLC with ILD.

Analysis of DLL3 and ASCL1 in Surgically Resected Small Cell Lung Cancer (HOT1702).

Background: Delta-like protein 3 (DLL3) is a Notch ligand that has an important role in the tumorigenesis of small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Recently, rovalpituzumab tesirine (Rova-T), a DLL3-targeted antibody-drug conjugate, has been developed for treating SCLC. DLL3 is a transcriptional target of the achaete-scute homolog-1 (ASCL1) transcription factor, which is involved in pulmonary neuroendocrine cell development.

Extraskeletal osteosarcoma of the lung following treatment of primary small-cell lung carcinoma with chemoradiotherapy: A case report.

Primary pulmonary osteosarcoma is a rare entity, with only a few cases reported in the literature to date. Moreover, secondary extraskeletal osteosarcoma of the lung following chemoradiotherapy is extremely rare and, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case. We herein present the case of an 80-year-old male patient with small-cell lung cancer (SCLC), who developed what it was initially considered as recurrence of the tumor after chemoradiotherapy.

Rikkunshito for Preventing Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting in Lung Cancer Patients: Results from 2 Prospective, Randomized Phase 2 Trials.

The herbal medicine rikkunshito has the potential to improve chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) by stimulating ghrelin secretion. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of rikkunshito in preventing CINV for patients with lung cancer. Two separate prospective, randomized, phase II parallel design studies were conducted in patients with lung cancer.