KEY TAKEAWAYS
- The study aimed to explore clinical characteristics, treatments, and prognosis in patients with lung cancer who have concurrent CPFE or COPD.
- The results revealed distinct lung cancer traits in CPFE or COPD patients, stressing tailored care and urging further research.
Patients with combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema (CPFE) or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) often develop lung cancer, but comparative research is scarce.
Yuying Wei and the team aimed to investigate the clinical features, therapies, and outlook in individuals with lung cancer and coexisting CPFE or COPD.
The study included 75 patients with lung cancer having CPFE and 182 with COPD, analyzing clinical features, tumor pathology, pulmonary function, laboratory parameters, and treatment responses.
The results revealed notable differences between the groups of patients with CPFE and lung cancer and those with COPD and lung cancer.
The study found that both groups were predominantly elderly male smokers. In the CPFE + lung cancer group, patients tended to have a higher body mass index (BMI) and a higher occurrence of adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, while the COPD + lung cancer group had a higher prevalence of squamous cell carcinoma.
Tumors in the CPFE + lung cancer group were primarily located in the lower lobes, whereas those in the COPD + lung cancer group were mostly found in the upper lobes. CPFE + lung cancer patients also showed higher rates of tumor metastasis, more paraseptal emphysema, and elevated levels of certain biomarkers.
In advanced stages of lung cancer (IIIB-IV), CPFE + lung cancer patients receiving first-line treatment had shorter median PFS and a higher risk of disease progression or death compared to COPD + lung cancer patients, irrespective of whether the cancer was non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) or small cell lung cancer (SCLC).
No significant difference in PFS was observed within the CPFE + lung cancer group between chemotherapy and immunotherapy, nor were there significant differences in immune-related adverse events between the groups, although interstitial pneumonia was common.
The study concluded that distinct characteristics of lung cancer in patients with CPFE or COPD underscore the necessity for personalized diagnostic and treatment strategies. It advocates for additional research to enhance care for this at-risk population.
No funding was provided.
Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38851701/
Wei Y, Yang L, Wang Q. (2024). “Analysis of clinical characteristics and prognosis of lung cancer patients with CPFE or COPD: a retrospective study.” BMC Pulm Med. 2024 Jun 8;24(1):274. doi: 10.1186/s12890-024-03088-5. PMID: 38851701.
