BackgroundPrevious studies have shown amrubicin (AMR) to be an effective second‐line treatment option for small‐cell lung cancer (SCLC). However, the efficacy of AMR in elderly patients with relapsed SCLC has not been sufficiently evaluated.MethodsThe medical records of elderly patients with relapsed SCLC who received AMR as second‐line chemotherapy were retrospectively reviewed, and their treatment outcomes were evaluated.ResultsThirty‐one patients with a median age of 72 years (22 patients with sensitive relapse and 9 with refractory relapse) were analyzed. The median number of treatment cycles was four (range: 1–10), and the response rate was 29%. The median progression‐free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were 5.4 and 11.6 months, respectively. The OS of 22 patients who received third‐line chemotherapy was 15.5 months. The PFS (6.2 vs. 3.2 months; P = 0.002) and OS (14.8 vs. 5.7 months; P = 0.004) were significantly longer in patients with sensitive relapse than those with refractory relapse. The frequency of grade 3 or higher neutropenia was high (n = 18, 58%), while febrile neutropenia was only observed in five patients (16%). Non‐hematological toxic effects were relatively mild, and pneumonitis and treatment‐related deaths were not observed.ConclusionAMR may be a feasible and effective regimen for elderly patients with relapsed SCLC.

Introduction: Predictors of the effectiveness of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) monotherapy in previously treated patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remain ill-defined. We investigated whether the Glasgow prognostic score (GPS) could serve as such predictors. Methods: Eighty patients treated with pembrolizumab or atezolizumab monotherapy as second- or subsequent-line therapy for NSCLC were retrospectively reviewed, and the associations between GPS, BMI, and each of progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were assessed. Results: The median follow-up period was 11.1 months. Patients with a BMI ≥20.4 kg/m2 had significantly longer PFS and OS (3.7 and 22.2 month, respectively) than did those with a BMI <20.4 kg/m2 (2.2 and 11.5 months, respectively). Patients with a GPS of 0 had a significantly longer PFS (6.6 months) than did those with a GPS of 1 (2.2 months, P=0.002) and 2 (1.8 months, P=0.029). Patients with a GPS of 0 also had a significantly longer OS (22.2 month) than did those with a GPS of 1 (9.2 months, P=0.002) and 2 (4.7 months, P=0.002). Notably, the GPS, BMI, and clinical stage were independent predictors of PFS, while the GPS and performance status were independent predictors of OS. The response rate of patients with a GPS of 0 was significantly higher than that of patients with a GPS of 1–2 (26.2% vs. 7.9%, P=0.03). Conclusion: The GPS is an independent predictor of PFS and OS in patients with NSCLC who received second- or subsequent-line pembrolizumab or atezolizumab monotherapy.

Introduction: The Glasgow prognostic score (GPS) is an inflammation-related score based on C-reactive protein and albumin concentrations. Few studies have assessed the correlation between the GPS and the efficacy of chemotherapy in patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC). Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the utility of the GPS in predicting the survival outcomes of patients with ES-SCLC. Methods: This retrospective study evaluated patients with ES-SCLC who had undergone chemotherapy between February 2008 and November 2021. GPS values were evaluated before the initiation of first-line chemotherapy. The Kaplan–Meier method and Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Results: The GPS values of the 113 patients were 0 (54 patients, 48%), 1 (37 patients, 33%), and 2 (22 patients, 19%). The median follow-up duration was 10.7 months. Median PFS was 6.2, 5.6, and 3.8 months in the GPS 0, 1, and 2 groups, respectively, suggesting that the GPS 0 group had a significantly more favorable PFS than the GPS 2 group (P<0.001). Median OS was 17.1, 9.4, and 5.6 months in the GPS 0, 1, and 2 groups, respectively, suggesting that the GPS 0 group had a significantly more favorable OS than the GPS 2 group (P=0.001). Multivariate analysis confirmed that a GPS of 2 independently predicted unfavorable PFS (hazard ratio (HR], 2.89; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.68–4.88; P < 0.001) and OS (HR, 3.49 [95% CI: 1.83–6.63], P < 0.001). Conclusion: The study’s findings suggest that the GPS can predict the survival outcomes of patients with ES-SCLC who have undergone chemotherapy. The GPS is an easy-to-calculate biomarker and would be ideal for routine use in clinical settings.

Background: Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are the standard first-line treatment for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with sensitive EGFR mutations. The Glasgow prognostic score (GPS) is an inflammation-assessing score based on C-reactive protein and albumin concentrations. Information regarding the association between the GPS and EGFR-TKI treatment effectiveness is limited; hence, we investigated whether the GPS can predict the response of NSCLC to EGFR-TKIs. Methods: We evaluated 340 patients with NSCLC harboring sensitive EGFRmutations who received EGFR-TKI monotherapy between March 2009 and July 2021. The Kaplan–Meier method and Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Results: After a median follow-up of 26.6 months, patients with a GPS of 0, 1, and 2 had PFS of 15.7, 10.0, and 6.3 months, respectively, and OS of 40.1, 25.8, and 14.4 months, respectively; patients with a GPS of 0 had significantly better PFS and OS than those with a GPS of 1 (P=0.03, P=0.001, respectively) or 2 (P<0.001, P<0.001, respectively). Multivariate analysis identified poor performance status, stage IV at diagnosis, type of EGFR-TKI (gefitinib/erlotinib vs. afatinib), and GPS=2 as predictors of a short PFS. Meanwhile, poor performance status, gefitinib/erlotinib administration, and GPS=2 were predictive of a short OS. Conclusions: The GPS predicted the survival of NSCLC patients harboring sensitive EGFRmutations who were undergoing EGFR-TKI treatment. The GPS might be ideal for routine use in clinical practice, given that it is an easily calculated parameter.

Background: Thymic carcinoma is a very rare neoplasm for which no optimal chemotherapeutic regimen has been established to date. Hence, we performed this study to investigate the e cacy and safety of carboplatin plus nanoparticle albumin-bound (nab)-paclitaxel as a rst-line regimen for patients with advanced thymic carcinoma.Patients and methods: We conducted this multi-institutional retrospective cohort study of patients with advanced thymic carcinoma who had received carboplatin plus nab-paclitaxel as a rst-line chemotherapy between August 2013 and December 2021.Results: Twelve patients were included in this study and were subjected to e cacy and safety analysis.Their median age was 62 years (range, 47-74 years), and all had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status score of 0 or 1. After a median follow-up time of 19.7 months, the overall response rate was 50%; the median progression-free and overall survival times were 8.8 months and 23.3 months, respectively. Chemotherapy-related peripheral neuropathy was observed in 2 patients (16%; each with grade 1). Other toxicities were manageable, and there were no treatment-related deaths.Conclusion: Carboplatin plus nab-paclitaxel as a rst-line chemotherapy regimen showed good e cacy and safety in patients with advanced thymic carcinoma.