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We present an unusual case of late-onset acute pneumonitis developing 21 months after pembrolizumab monotherapy. An 80-year-old male with primary, pulmonary, squamous cell carcinoma underwent right lower lobectomy and lymph node dissection(ND2a-2); the postoperative pathological stage was ⅢA(pT2bN2M0)and the PD-L1 tumor proportion score 70%. Six months after surgery, he developed mediastinal lymph node(#2R), bilateral pulmonary, and hepatic metastases; pembrolizumab was administered every 3 weeks as a first-line treatment. A partial response was evident after 3 courses; we thus continued the monotherapy. However, after 28 courses(21 months)of pembrolizumab, we discontinued the regimen because acute pneumonitis(Grade 3)developed; we prescribed prednisolone at 50 mg/day. The acute pneumonitis shadow improved and prednisolone was tapered over 2 months. The patient exhibited no new lesion and no progressive disease 6 months after pembrolizumab was discontinued.

We report a rare case of a malignant solitary fibrous tumor of the pleura(SFTP). The patient was a 66-year-old man, who had an asymptomatic 25 mm nodule in the left upper lung field. We performed a wedge resection of the left lung by video-assisted thoracic surgery, and the tumor was diagnosed as a malignant SFTP. Although the recurrence has not been found for 26 months, long-term clinical follow-up is thought to be necessary because of the potential adverse biological behavior of this tumor.

Herein, we report a case of unresectable lung cancer in which S-1 monotherapy contributed to an improvement in the patient's quality of life and to prolonged survival. A 44-year-old man with primary pulmonary adenocarcinoma(negative driver mutation and a PD-L1 tumor proportion score of 1-24%)of clinical stage ⅢA(cT4N0M0)underwent multidisciplinary treatment as follows: 1 ) weekly carboplatin and paclitaxel plus radiotherapy as induction chemoradiotherapy, 2 ) surgery that revealed that the lesion was unresectable, 3 ) cisplatin plus pemetrexed as second-line treatment, and 4 ) pembrolizumab as third-line treatment. However, the disease progressed after 19 courses of pembrolizumab, and the patient developed cachexia due to esophageal stenosis caused by tumor enlargement. He underwent percutaneous gastrostomy and was fed via a gastrostomy tube. S-1 monotherapy(2-week administration every 3 weeks)was introduced as fourth-line treatment. After 3 courses of S-1 monotherapy, the patient complained of regurgitation of stomach fluid. Computed tomography( CT)revealed that the primary tumor had decreased in size, and he developed the ability to drink water. After 6 courses of S-1, CT revealed progressive disease, so atezolizumab was administered as fifth-line treatment. However, after 2 courses, mediastinitis due to esophageal penetration into the mediastinum occurred. The patient died 28 months after the initial treatment.

We successfully treated a mechanically ventilated patient with severe respiratory failure caused by airway stenosis; she recovered after radiotherapy and gefitinib administration. A 68-year-old female with a pulmonary adenocarcinoma underwent a radical operation(right middle-lower sleeve lobectomy and lymph node dissection). Forty-four months later, she was admitted to our hospital with severe dyspnea, and was placed on mechanical ventilation after tracheal intubation. Postoperative cancer recurrence was evident in the bronchial mucosa and the site of carinal stenosis. Pathological examination revealed an epidermal growth factor receptor-positive adenocarcinoma. After radiotherapy(a total of 30 Gy), gefitinib(250mg/day) was commenced. Respiratory function improved gradually, and ventilator weaning was successful 3 weeks after tracheal intubation. Computed tomography revealed a partial response; her recovery from the emergency oncological situation was remarkable. She was discharged 4 months after hospitalization. Although she took gefitinib every 2-to-7 days, she refused all examinations and possible treatments for 25 months after recurrence. Finally, she died of respiratory failure 29 months after recurrence and 73 months after the initial operation.

Background: We present wedge resection as an alternative procedure for primary pulmonary carcinoma in poor-risk patients., Patients and Methods: We examined the overall survival of 94 patients who underwent wedge resection for pN0M0 primary pulmonary carcinoma over the last 20 years because of their intolerance of lobectomy., Results: In the wedge resection group, the postoperative 5-year survival in all causes of death was 59.6%, indicating significantly better prognoses in patients with adenocarcinoma aged less than 75 years old. The 5-year survival in the lobectomy group was 77.5%, while the 5-year survival in terms of primary causes of death in the wedge resection and lobectomy groups was 89.3% and 88.0%, respectively. There was a significant difference between wedge resection and lobectomy in all causes of death, but not between groups in primary causes of death., Conclusion: Because there were many non-primary deaths in the wedge resection group, care should be taken to follow comorbidities that cause limited lung resection. Survival in the wedge resection group was not inferior to that in the lobectomy group in analyses of the primary causes of death. We suggest that wedge resection should be a favorable procedure for primary pulmonary carcinoma in poor-risk patients to obtain a large enough sample volume of tumor cells.

Background: The standard approach for treating recurrence after complete resection of primary non-small cell lung cancer has been controversial. We present here a multidisciplinary strategy for postoperative recurrence in patients with primary lung cancer., Patients and Methods: Over the last 7 years, we examined the disease-free survival and overall survival of 70 patients who underwent multidisciplinary treatment for recurrence after surgical resection of primary lung cancer., Results: The median overall survival was 32.3 months after surgery and 17.4 months after recurrence developed, indicating significantly better prognoses in females and in patients with adenocarcinoma, stage I disease, driver mutation positivity, a longer postoperative disease-free period, and never smokers. Eight patients survived more than 5 years after recurrence;of these patients, all had adenocarcinomas, 7 had oligometastases and/or tumor dormancy, and 5 received multiple-drug regimens., Conclusion: Multidisciplinary treatment for recurrence after resection of primary lung cancer was effective for patients receiving various drug regimens. In patients with oligometastases, disease control was achieved by a combination of local treatments targeting each involved organ. In patients with tumor dormancy, follow-up or a drug holiday was important to maintain the patient's quality of life.