Peter Corte

Validation of Prognostic Factors in Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma: A Retrospective Analysis of Data from Patients Seeking Compensation from the New South Wales Dust Diseases Board

INTRODUCTION We aimed to examine the prognostic values of established risk factors and to validate the prognostic value of the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in an independent series of patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). PATIENTS AND METHODS A total of 148 patients who applied for compensation at the Dust Diseases Board from 2007 to 2009 were included in this study. Overall survival was determined by the Kaplan-Meier method, and NLR was defined as the absolute neutrophil divided by the lymphocyte count. The prognostic value of the variables was examined by using Cox regression analysis, and all factors were entered into a multivariate model to determine their independent effect. RESULTS The patient characteristics were median age of 73 years; 93% men; 59% epithelial subtype; median NLR of 3.5 at diagnosis (n = 79); median overall survival of 10.6 months. The following variables were predictive of longer overall survival in univariate analysis: younger age, epithelial subtype, lower tumor stage, low white cell count, low platelet count, low hemoglobin level, and low NLR. Multivariate analysis confirmed that nonepithelial vs. epithelial subtype (hazard ratio [HR], 3.0; P < .001), tumor stage (HR, 1.6; P < .001), hemoglobin level difference ≥10 vs. <10 (HR, 2.0; P = .03), no chemotherapy vs. use of chemotherapy (HR, 2.4; P < .001), and NLR ≥3 vs. <3 (HR, 2.2; P < .01) were independently associated with prognosis. CONCLUSIONS Apart from previously recognized factors, such as histosubtype, tumor stage, and hemoglobin level difference, NLR, an index of systemic inflammation bears prognostic significance that shows that a snapshot of immune status is able to convey important prognostic information.

Functional exercise capacity and health-related quality of life in people with asbestos related pleural disease: an observational study

BackgroundFunctional exercise capacity in people with asbestos related pleural disease (ARPD) is unknown and there are no data on health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The primary aims were to determine whether functional exercise capacity and HRQoL were reduced in people with ARPD. The secondary aim was to determine whether functional exercise capacity was related to peak exercise capacity, HRQoL, physical activity or respiratory function.MethodsIn participants with ARPD, exercise capacity was measured by the six-minute walk test (6MWT) and incremental cycle test (ICT); HRQoL by the St George’s Respiratory Questionnaire and physical activity by an activity monitor worn for one week. Participants also underwent lung function testing.Results25 males completed the study with a mean (SD) age of 71 (6) years, FVC 82 (19)% predicted, FEV1/FVC 66 (11)%, TLC 80 (19)% predicted and DLCO 59 (13)% predicted. Participants had reduced exercise capacity demonstrated by six-minute walk distance (6MWD) of 76 (11)% predicted and peak work rate of 71 (21)% predicted. HRQoL was also reduced. The 6MWD correlated with peak work rate (r=0.58, p=0.002), St George’s Respiratory Questionnaire Total score (r=-0.57, p=0.003), metabolic equivalents from the activity monitor (r=0.45, p<0.05), and FVC % predicted (r=0.52, p<0.01).ConclusionsPeople with ARPD have reduced exercise capacity and HRQoL. The 6MWT may be a useful surrogate measure of peak exercise capacity and physical activity levels in the absence of cardiopulmonary exercise testing and activity monitors.Trial registrationANZCTR12608000147381

Clinical impact of the interstitial lung disease multidisciplinary service

Multidisciplinary discussions (MDDs) have been shown to improve diagnostic accuracy in interstitial lung disease (ILD) diagnosis. However, their clinical impact on patient care has never been clearly demonstrated. We describe the effect that an ILD multidisciplinary service has upon the diagnosis and management of patients with suspected ILD.

Patterns of care for malignant pleural mesothelioma patients compensated by the Dust Diseases Board in New South Wales, Australia

The silent epidemic of mesothelioma in Australia is steadily increasing, and 30% of cases occur in New South Wales (NSW).

Physical activity in people with asbestos related pleural disease and dust-related interstitial lung disease An observational study

This study aimed to measure the levels of physical activity (PA) in people with dust-related pleural and interstitial lung diseases and to compare these levels of PA to a healthy population. There is limited data on PA in this patient population and no previous studies have compared PA in people with dust-related respiratory diseases to a healthy control group. Participants with a diagnosis of a dust-related respiratory disease including asbestosis and asbestos related pleural disease (ARPD) and a healthy age- and gender-matched population wore the SenseWear® Pro3 armband for 9 days. Six-minute walk distance, Medical Outcomes Study 36-item short-form health survey and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale were also measured. Fifty participants were recruited and 46 completed the study; 22 with ARPD, 10 with dust-related interstitial lung disease (ILD) and 14 healthy age-matched participants. The mean (standard deviation) steps/day were 6097 (1939) steps/day for dust-related ILD, 9150 (3392) steps/day for ARPD and 10,630 (3465) steps/day for healthy participants. Compared with the healthy participants, dust-related ILD participants were significantly less active as measured by steps/day ((mean difference 4533 steps/day (95% confidence interval (CI): 1888–7178)) and energy expenditure, ((mean difference 512 calories (95% CI: 196–827)) and spent significantly less time engaging in moderate, vigorous or very vigorous activities (i.e. >3 metabolic equivalents; mean difference 1.2 hours/day (95% CI: 0.4–2.0)). There were no differences in levels of PA between healthy participants and those with ARPD. PA was reduced in people with dust-related ILD but not those with ARPD when compared with healthy age and gender-matched individuals.

The Utility of Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging in the Diagnosis of Cardiac Sarcoidosis

BACKGROUND Autopsy reports suggest that cardiac sarcoidosis occurs in 20 to 25% of patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis, yet the clinical ante-mortem diagnosis is made in only 5% of cases. Current diagnostic algorithms are complex and lack sensitivity. Cardiac Magnetic Resonance imaging (CMR) provides an opportunity to detect myocardial involvement in sarcoidosis. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence and clinical significance of late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) on CMR in patients with sarcoidosis. METHODS Consecutive patients with biopsy-proven sarcoidosis undergoing CMR were retrospectively evaluated for cardiac sarcoidosis. Medical records were correlated with CMR. RESULTS Forty-six patients were evaluated. Late gadolinium enhancement was present in 22%, indicating myocardial involvement, and 70% had corresponding hyper-intense T2 signal indicating active inflammation. Late gadolinium enhancement was 18%+/-9.7% of overall left ventricular (LV) mass and most commonly located in the basal to mid septum. There was no association between LGE and cardiovascular symptoms or pulmonary stage. Eighty per cent of patients with LGE did not fulfill conventional diagnostic criteria for cardiac sarcoidosis. However, LGE was associated with clinically significant arrhythmia (p<0.01) and a lower LVEF (p=0.04). CONCLUSIONS Using CMR, we identified a higher prevalence of cardiac sarcoidosis than previously reported clinical studies, a prevalence which is more consistent with autopsy data. The presence of LGE was highly correlated with clinically significant arrhythmias and lower LVEF.