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Background: There have been several reports demonstrating the safety of flexible bronchoscopy (FB) in the elderly, but none have focused specifically on lung cancer, which is a frequent biopsy procedure. Methods: In this study, we retrospectively evaluated the safety of FB and subsequent treatment in elderly patients with suspected primary lung cancer. Elderly patients were defined as 75 years of age or older. Results: A total of 141 patients, 77 in the elderly group and 64 in the nonelderly group, were reviewed. The median age of the elderly group was 80 years. Transbronchial lung biopsy was performed in more than 80% of all patients. Primary lung cancer was diagnosed in 42 (54.4%) of the elderly group and 35 (54.7%) of the nonelderly group (p = 0.38). Approximately 70% of the elderly patients with a confirmed diagnosis were treated, while more than half of the undiagnosed elderly patients had best supportive care. Complications such as bleeding, pneumothorax, fever, and pneumonia were similar in the elderly and nonelderly groups. Conclusions: This study suggests that flexible bronchoscopy can be performed as safely in the elderly as in the nonelderly. Furthermore, even elderly patients may have a greater chance of receiving treatment when a definitive diagnosis is achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Searching for driver gene alteration is a prerequisite for chemotherapy of non‐small cell lung cancer. Due to its high sensitivity and concordance rate, the Amoy Dx Pan Lung Cancer PCR panel has been approved and is widely used in Japan. In this report, we describe a case in which a positive result for Kristen rat sarcoma virus (KRAS) exon2 p.G12F, a rare KRAS mutation, may have led to a false‐positive result for KRAS exon2 p.G12C on AMOY. Genetic analysis in this case was performed by LC‐SCRUM‐Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of retreatment with anti‐programmed death 1 (anti‐PD‐1) antibodies in patients with advanced non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after prior treatment with anti‐programmed death‐ligand 1 (anti‐PD‐L1) antibodies. Methods: Data (N = 15) on patients' characteristics, number of cycles, regimens, their best response and immune‐related adverse events (irAEs) were recorded retrospectively. Results: NSCLC was initially treated with anti‐PD‐L1 antibody atezolizumab (N = 14) or durvalumab (N = 1). No patients had a high (≥50%) tumor expression of PD‐L1. The median cycles for atezolizumab were five (range 1–15), and median progression‐free survival was 2.8 and 6.0 months for atezolizumab and durvalumab, respectively. Five (33.3%) and nine (60.0%) patients showed stable and progressive disease as their best response, respectively. No differences in irAEs between anti‐PD‐L1 and anti‐PD‐1 antibodies occurred. Conclusion: Patients treated with anti‐PD‐L1 antibodies for NSCLC received limited benefits from retreatment with anti‐PD‐1 antibodies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]