Failure pattern and radiotherapy exploration in malignant pleural effusion non-small cell lung cancer treated with

Qingsong Li1,2,3, Cheng Hu1,2,3, Shengfa Su1,2,3

  • 1Department of Thoracic Oncology, Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China.

PubMed
Abstract

Insights

In non-small cell lung cancer with malignant pleural effusion (MPE-NSCLC), disease progression often occurs at initial sites. Radiotherapy may improve overall survival (OS) in these patients, warranting further investigation.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Medical Imaging
  • Clinical Research

Background:

  • Actionable mutations are prevalent in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with malignant pleural effusion (MPE).
  • The failure patterns in MPE-NSCLC patients receiving targeted therapy after MPE control are not well-defined.
  • Understanding these patterns is crucial for optimizing treatment strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the failure patterns in MPE-NSCLC patients treated with targeted therapy after achieving MPE control.
  • To explore the potential role and benefit of radiotherapy in managing disease progression in this patient cohort.

Main Methods:

  • A cohort study reviewed CT scans of 86 MPE-NSCLC patients.
  • Failure patterns were classified as initial failure (IF), new distant failure (NF), or simultaneous IF and NF (INF).
  • Survival analyses were performed using Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test, comparing patients with and without radiotherapy post-progression.

Main Results:

  • Disease progression was observed in 42 patients, with a median time to progression of 9.5 months.
  • The rates of IF, NF, and INF were 50%, 17%, and 33%, respectively.
  • Patients receiving radiotherapy (RD group) showed improved overall survival (OS) rates (1, 2, 3 years: 88.2%, 50.5%, 21.7%) compared to the non-radiotherapy group (D group: 80.0%, 20.3%, 0%), with a median survival of 26.1 months vs. 17.5 months (p=0.026).

Conclusions:

  • Approximately 50% of MPE-NSCLC patients with actionable mutations experience disease failure at initial sites after MPE control.
  • Radiotherapy may offer survival benefits for MPE-NSCLC patients experiencing disease progression.
  • Multicenter randomized controlled trials are needed to validate these findings.