Small Cell Lung Cancer in Norway: Patterns of Care by Health Region and Survival Trends.

Introduction/background: There has been a marked survival improvement for patients with non-small-cell lung cancer. We describe the national trends in characteristics and survival, and geographical differences in diagnostic workup, treatment, and survival for patients with small-cell lung cancer (SCLC).

Materials And Methods: Patients registered with SCLC at the Cancer Registry of Norway in 2002 to 2022 were included.

Atezolizumab and stereotactic body radiotherapy in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer: safety, clinical activity and ctDNA responses-the ComIT-1 trial.

The introduction of immune checkpoint inhibitors has transformed the treatment landscape of metastatic non-small cell lung cancer. However, challenges remain to increase the fraction of patients achieving durable clinical responses to these drugs and to help monitor the treatment effect. In this phase II trial, we investigated the toxicity, systemic responses and circulating tumour DNA responses in patients (n = 21) with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer treated with atezolizumab and stereotactic body radiotherapy in the second or later line.

Randomized phase III trial comparing switch-maintenance pemetrexed with observation followed by pemetrexed at progression in advanced NSCLC.

Two phase III trials show that maintenance pemetrexed therapy after platinum-doublet chemotherapy prolongs overall survival (OS) and progression free survival (PFS) in advanced non-squamous non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, few patients in the control arms received pemetrexed at progression in these trials, performance status (PS) two patients were ineligible and few of the participants were elderly. Thus, we designed this study comparing immediate switchmaintenance pemetrexed therapy with pemetrexed at progression after platinum-doublet chemotherapy.

Increase in curative treatment and survival of lung cancer in Norway 2001-2016.

We have studied the alterations in the use of curative treatment and the outcome for lung cancer patients in Norway 2001-2016. The Cancer Registry of Norway has a practically complete registration of all cancer diagnoses, treatments given and deaths. For the years 2001-2016, 43,137 patients were diagnosed with lung cancer.

Substantial nation-wide improvement in lung cancer relative survival in Norway from 2000 to 2016.

Introduction: There have been significant changes in both diagnostic procedures and therapy for lung cancer since the beginning of the millennium. National incidence and survival data from 2000 through 2016 are studied.

Methods: National data on cancer incidence and vital status are virtually complete.

Pembrolizumab as second-line therapy in non-small cell lung cancer in northern Norway: budget impact and expected gain-a model-based analysis.

Background: Pembrolizumab is a new drug approved in several countries for second-line therapy in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) being programmed cell death ligand (PD-L1) positive. This drug has a high cost, and the cost-effectiveness ratio has been debated.

Patients And Methods: The budget impact to the Northern Norwegian Regional Health Authority trust of implementing pembrolizumab in second-line therapy in patients with PD-L1-positive NSCLC was calculated.

How Do Elderly Poor Prognosis Patients Tolerate Palliative Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy for Locally Advanced Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer Stage III? A Subset Analysis From a Clinical Phase III Trial.

Background: In a phase III trial of patients with unresectable, locally advanced, stage III non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with a poor prognosis, palliative concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CRT) provided a significantly better outcome than chemotherapy alone, except among performance status (PS) 2 patients. In the present subgroup analysis, we evaluated the effect on patients aged ≥ 70 years (42% of all included) compared with patients aged < 70 years enrolled in the trial.

Patients And Methods: All patients received 4 courses of intravenous carboplatin and oral vinorelbine.

Poor prognosis patients with inoperable locally advanced NSCLC and large tumors benefit from palliative chemoradiotherapy: a subset analysis from a randomized clinical phase III trial.

Introduction: Poor prognosis patients with bulky stage III locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer may not be offered concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CRT). Following a phase III trial concerning the effect of palliative CRT in inoperable poor prognosis patients, this analysis was performed to explore how tumor size influenced survival and health-related quality of life (HRQOL).

Methods: A total of 188 poor prognosis patients recruited in a randomized clinical trial received four courses intravenous carboplatin day 1 and oral vinorelbine day 1 and 8, at 3-week intervals.

Bridging the distance: a prospective tele-oncology study in Northern Norway.

Purpose: The University Hospital of North Norway (UNN) is a tertiary-level hospital and has the main responsibility of providing specialized cancer health care in the remote area of Northern Norway. Weekly videoconferences (VCs) have been established to enable clinicians at a local hospital and primary cancer health care providers in five different communities to discuss cases with specialist cancer care services at UNN. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the feasibility of these VCs.

Chemotherapy and quality of life in NSCLC PS 2 patients.

Introduction: Nearly 40% of patients with advanced NSCLC are in performance status (PS) 2. These patients have a shorter life expectancy than PS 0/1 patients and they are underrepresented in clinical trials. Data on how platinum-based combination chemotherapy affects Health Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) of patients with PS 2 are scarce and the treatment of this important group of patients is controversial.

Treatment outcome in performance status 2 advanced NSCLC patients administered platinum-based combination chemotherapy.

Background: There is no consensus regarding chemotherapy to patients with advanced NSCLC (ANSCLC) and performance status (PS) 2. Using data from a national multicenter study comparing two third-generation carboplatin-based regimens in ANSCLC patients, we evaluated the outcome of PS 2 patients.

Patients And Methods: The 123 PS 2 patients were compared to 309 PS 0/1 patients regarding survival, quality of life (QOL) and treatment toxicity.

[Low-grade non-Hodgkin lymphoma in Northern Norway].

Background: We present a study of treatment outcome and evaluate pre-treatment prognostic factors in patients treated for low-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (LG-NHL) at our institution during a ten-year period.

Material And Methods: 169 consecutively registered patients from 1986 to 1996 were retrospectively analysed with regard to demographic, treatment, and disease-specific characteristics. Median follow-up time was 52 months.