Markus Glatzer

Radio(chemo)therapy in locally advanced nonsmall cell lung cancer.

Definitive radiochemotherapy is the standard treatment for many patients with locally advanced nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Treatment outcomes have improved over the last decades. Several treatment regimens have been shown effective and safe. This review summarises the results of significant studies between 1996 and 2015 on concomitant and sequential radiochemotherapy regimens and radiation dose per fraction. Beside therapy regimens, optimised radiotherapy planning is indispensable to improve outcome and minimise radiation-induced toxicity. An insight into the rationale of radiotherapy planning for stage III NSCLC is also provided. Concomitant radiochemotherapy is an established standard treatment for locally advanced nonsmall cell lung cancer http://ow.ly/TTkkc

Treatment of limited disease small cell lung cancer: the multidisciplinary team

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) presents multiple interdisciplinary challenges with several paradigm shifts in its treatment in recent years. SCLC treatment requires multidisciplinary management and timely treatment. The aim of this review is to focus on the team management aspects in the treatment of limited disease SCLC and how this can contribute towards improving outcomes. Small cell lung cancer treatment is multifaceted and requires close collaboration within a multidisciplinary team http://ow.ly/A6FO30c4bts

Current efforts in research of pleural mesothelioma—An analysis of the ClinicalTrials.gov registry

OBJECTIVES Currently there are many uncertainties in the optimal treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM), this is reflected in discrepancies between current guidelines. Our aim was to evaluate the current status of prospective interventional clinical trials within the ClinicalTrials.gov registry in MPM in order to predict a potential impact on MPM management in the next years. MATERIAL AND METHODS The records of 263.832 clinical trials registered were searched in December 2017. Trials starting between 2005 and 2017 (n = 262) were selected for further manual review. Trials including other tumour entities or mesothelioma originating outside the pleura (n = 94) were excluded, as well as trials where the primary endpoint has already been published (n = 22). RESULTS In total, 91 clinical trials were identified and selected for further analysis. Most trials had a single arm design, were in phase I, and were non-randomized. Academic centres were recorded as primary sponsors in the majority of trials (56%), followed by industry in 21%. Most studies investigated targeted (n = 42) or cytotoxic therapies (n = 39). Ten studies investigated different genetic therapies. In 67% of the trials (n = 61) targeted and/or cytotoxic therapies were involved. Treatments involving surgery were investigated in 12 trials (13%), radiotherapy in 10 trials (11%). Only five studies (6%) were phase 3 studies and one was a phase 2/3 study. Four of these five phase 3 trials investigated targeted therapies, while one trial investigated prophylactic radiotherapy of operative tracts. CONCLUSIONS Currently running trials in MPM are mostly in early phases and dominated by systemic therapies. Very few trials evaluate loco-regional therapeutic approaches. The current controversy surrounding the use of surgery and radiotherapy within multimodal therapy strategies will not be answered by these trials in the coming years.

The role of radiation therapy in the management of small cell lung cancer

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is a very aggressive form of lung cancer. SCLC treatment requires multidisciplinary management and timely treatment. Radiation therapy is an important part of management of all stages of SCLC, in the curative as well as in the palliative setting. The role of radiation therapy in all stages of SCLC has changed in recent years; this article describes these changes and highlights the role of radiation therapy in the management of SCLC. An overview of the important role played by radiotherapy in the treatment of every stage of SCLC http://ow.ly/iB9W30ggTaW

SUVmax and Tumour Location in PET-CT Predict Oncogene Status in Lung Cancer.

Background: In non-small cell lung cancer, anaplastic lymphoma kinase gene rearrangement (ALK+) and epidermal growth factor receptor mutations (EGFR+) are targetable with tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Patients and Methods: 27 patients with ALK+ tumours, who underwent positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) prior to any treatment, were identified. 2 equally sized control groups based on consecutive patients with EGFR+ and EGFR/ALK wild-type (wt) were identified. The maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax), tumour location (central vs. peripheral), as well as patient- and disease-specific characteristics were collected. Results: Mutation status was significantly associated with SUVmax (p < 0.008). The median SUVmax of the primary tumour in the lung for ALK+ patients (SUVmax 13) was significantly higher compared to that of the EGFR+ (SUVmax 9.8, p = 0.010) and the EGFR/ALKwt group (SUVmax 9.6, p = 0.022). No difference was observed between the EGFR+ and the EGFR/ALKwt group (p = 0.961). Mutation status was also associated with primary tumour location (p = 0.001). There was a significantly lower rate of central tumours in the EGFR+ group when compared to ALK+ tumours (15%, p = 0.002). Among EGFR/ALKwt tumours, 41% were central compared to 63% of ALK+ tumours (p = 0.235). Conclusion: On initial PET-CT, ALK+ primary lung tumours showed a higher SUVmax and were more frequently centrally located while peripheral tumours were more likely to be EGFR+.