Search

Background Air trapping and lung hyperinflation are major determinants of prognosis and response to therapy in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). They are often determined by body plethysmography, which has limited availability, and so the question arises as to what extent they can be estimated via spirometry. Methods We used data from visits 1–5 of the COPD cohort COSYCONET. Predictive parameters were derived from visit 1 data, while visit 2–5 data was used to assess reproducibility. Pooled data then yielded prediction models including sex, age, height, and body mass index as covariates. Hyperinflation was defined as ratio of residual volume (RV) to total lung capacity (TLC) above the upper limit of normal. (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01245933). Results Visit 1 data from 1988 patients (Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease grades 1–4, n=187, 847, 766, 188, respectively) were available for analysis (n=1231 males, 757 females; mean±sd age 65.1±8.4 years; forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) 53.1±18.4 % predicted (% pred); forced vital capacity (FVC) 78.8±18.8 % pred; RV/TLC 0.547±0.107). In total, 7157 datasets were analysed. Among measures of hyperinflation, RV/TLC showed the closest relationship to FEV1 % pred and FVC % pred, which were sufficient for prediction. Their relationship to RV/TLC could be depicted in nomograms. Even when neglecting covariates, hyperinflation was predicted by FEV1 % pred, FVC % pred or their combination with an area under the curve of 0.870, 0.864 and 0.889, respectively. Conclusions The degree of air trapping/hyperinflation in terms of RV/TLC can be estimated in a simple manner from forced spirometry, with an accuracy sufficient for inferring the presence of hyperinflation. This may be useful for clinical settings, where body plethysmography is not available.

Treatment perspectives for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have been significantly expanded by the integration of immune checkpoint inhibitors into multimodal therapy concepts. Currently, combined, immune checkpoint-inhibitor-based therapy concepts are also advancing into early, resectable stages of NSCLC. Neoadjuvant and perioperative chemoimmunotherapy opened up a promising new preoperative treatment approach, but also raises some new questions and challenges. With the expanded perioperative treatment options and the perspective on a further improvement in the absence of recurrence after tumor resection, there is push towards comprehensively collecting therapy-relevant findings for imaging, molecular and histopathological diagnostics at an early stage. All patients with lung carcinoma, regardless of the therapy intention, should be presented to an interdisciplinary tumor board with thoracic oncological expertise. This is regularly given in certified lung cancer centers.A standardized procedure contributes to optimized pre-therapeutic diagnostics and facilitates coordination for the best possible multimodal approach in the interdisciplinary tumor board. In the case of centrally located resectable tumors, for example, neoadjuvant treatment increases the chances of a procedure that is as parenchymal sparing as possible. Some questions cannot yet be answered conclusively. Perioperative systemic therapy with molecular-targeted and immune checkpoint inhibitors is the subject of numerous ongoing studies. The considerable dynamics in newly approved therapies and the development of perioperative therapy concepts require continuous adaptation of diagnostic algorithms and standards. Integration into standard pre-surgical routine makes rapid classification of the relevant findings as well as close coordination between the diagnostic and interventional disciplines essential., Competing Interests: KW: Aktienbesitz (AstraZeneca, Roche, Pfizer, BMS, Bayer, Novartis, J&J); indirekte Interessen (Präsidentschaft DGT 2021-23; VS-Mitgliedschaft DGT, DGCH; VS Mitgliedschaft ESTS); Mitarbeit an Advisory Boards/Data Safety Monitoring Boards (AstraZeneca, BMS, Roche, J&J). DJ: Erstattung von Fortbildungsbeiträgen. AD: Honorare für Vortragstätigkeit (Takeda); Mitarbeit an Advisory Boards/Data Safety Monitoring Boards (BMS). CKS: Honorare für Beratungstätigkeit (AstraZeneca, Amgen, BMS, Daiichi-Sankyo, MSD, onkowissen, Roche, Sanofi), Honorare für Vortragstätigkeit (Amgen, AstraZeneca, Art tempi/medtoday, BMS, Daiichi-Sankyo, MSD, Lilly, Novartis, onkowissen, Pfizer, Roche, Sanofi, Streamed Up, Takeda); indirekte Interessen (AIO, POA, SDGP); Reise-/Tagungskostenzuschüsse (Amgen, AstraZeneca, BMS Boheringer Ingelheim, Janssen). AS: Honorare für Vortragstätigkeit; Mitarbeit an Advisory Boards (Aignostics, Amgen, Astellas, AstraZeneca, Bayer, BMS, Eli Lilly, Illumina, Incyte, Janssen, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer, Qlucore, QuiP, Roche, Sanofi, Seagen, Servier, Takeda, Thermo Fisher); Förderung von Forschungsvorhaben (Bayer, BMS, Chugai, Incyte). AT: Honorare für Beratungstätigkeit; Honorare für Vortragstätigkeit (AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, BMS, Daiichi-Sankyo, Lilly, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Sanofi); indirekte Interessen (AIO, ERS); Reise-/Tagungskostenzuschüsse (AstraZeneca, BMS, Daiichi-Sankyo, MSD, Janssen, Sanofi). MZ: Honorare für Beratungstätigkeit (AstraZeneca, BMS, Novocure); Honorare für Vortragstätigkeit (AstraZeneca); Mitarbeit an Advisory Boards (AstraZeneca, BMS); Reise-/Tagungskostenzuschüsse (AstraZeneca, BMS). MT: Förderung von Forschungsvorhaben (AstraZeneca, BMS, Merck, Roche Takeda); Honorare für Beratungstätigkeit; Mitarbeit an Advisory Boards (Amgen, AstraZeneca, BMS, Boehringer Ingelheim, Daiichi-Sankyo, GSK, Janssen, Lilly, Merck, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Sanofi, Takeda); Honorare für Vortragstätigkeit; Mitarbeit an Advisory Boards (Amgen, AstraZeneca, Beigene, BMS, Boehringer Ingelheim, Celgene, Chugai, Daiichi-Sankyo, GSK, Janssen, Lilly, Merck, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Sanofi, Takeda); Reise-/Tagungskostenzuschüsse (AstraZeneca, BMS, Boehringer Ingelheim, Daiichi Sankyo, Janssen, Lilly, Merck, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Sanofi, Takeda)., (The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial-License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).)

Purpose: MET amplification is a common resistance mechanism to EGFR inhibition in EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Several trials showed encouraging results with combined EGFR and MET inhibition (EGFRi/METi). However, MET amplification has been inconsistently defined and frequently included both polysomy and true amplification., Methods: This is a multicenter, real-world analysis in patients with disease progression on EGFR inhibition and MET copy number gain (CNG), defined as either true amplification (MET to centromere of chromosome 7 ratio [MET-CEP7] ≥ 2) or polysomy (gene copy number ≥ 5, MET-CEP7 < 2)., Results: A total of 43 patients with MET CNG were included, 42 of whom were detected by FISH. Twenty-three, 7, and 14 received EGFRi/METi, METi, and SoC, respectively. Patients in the EGFRi/METi cohort exhibited a superior real-world clinical benefit rate, defined as stable disease or better, of 82% (95% confidence interval [CI], 60-95) compared to METi (29%, 4-71) and SoC (50%, 23-77). Median real-world progression-free survival was longer with EGFRi/METi with 9.8 vs. 4.3 months with METi (hazard ratio [HR], 0.19, 95% CI, 0.06-0.57) and 3.7 months with SoC (0.41, 0.18-0.91), respectively. Overall survival was numerically improved. Interaction analysis with treatment and type of CNG (amplification vs. polysomy) suggests that differences were exclusively driven by MET-amplified patients receiving EGFRi/METi (HR for OS, 0.09, 0.01-0.54)., Conclusion: In this real-world study, EGFRi/METi showed clinical benefit over METi and SoC. Future studies should focus on the differential impact of the type of MET CNG with a focus on true MET amplification as predictor of response., Competing Interests: Disclosure F. A. received support for attending meetings and speaker's honoraria from AstraZeneca, and consultant fees from IQVIA. P. C. received research funding from AstraZeneca, Amgen, Boehringer Ingelheim, Merck, Novartis, Roche, and Takeda, speaker's honoraria from AstraZeneca, Gilead, Janssen, Novartis, Roche, Pfizer, Thermo Fisher, and Takeda, support for attending meetings from AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly, Daiichi Sankyo, Janssen, Gilead, Novartis, Pfizer, Takeda, and personal fees for participating to advisory boards from AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Chugai, Pfizer, Novartis, MSD, Takeda and Roche, all outside the submitted work. H.-D. H. received personal fees for participating to advisory boards from Amgen, speaker's honoraria from Amgen, Boehringer Ingelheim, and Bristol-Myers Squibb. C. F. W. received personal fees for participating to advisory boards from Amgen, AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Chugai, Lilly, Merck, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, and Takeda, consultancy fees from Mylan/Viatris, Alvotech, Roche, support for attending meetings from Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Janssen, Lilly. A. Ri. received speaker's honoraria and consulting fees from Abbvie, AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Boehringer Ingelheim, Daiichi Sankyo, Lilly, GSK, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche/Genentech. H. Z. received support for attending meetings from Janssen, speaker's honoraria from Pierre Fabre, and Roche. A. L. received support for attending meetings from Abbvie. D. K.-G. received consultant fees from AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Roche, MSD, Pfizer, Bristol-Myers Squibb, GSK, Novartis, Takeda, Sanofi, and Janssen, support for attending meetings from Takeda, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Janssen. R. B. received honoraries for lectures and advisory boards for AbbVie, Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Boehringer Ingelheim, Illumina, Janssen, Lilly, Merck-Serono, MSD, Novartis, Qiagen, Pfizer, Roche, Targos MP Inc. R.B. is a Co-Founder and Co-Owner of Targos Inc / Kassel (previous); Gnothis Inc / Stockholm (current); Timer Therapeutics Inc / Fulda & Freiburg (current). M. D. received personal fees for participating in advisory boards from AstraZeneca, Bayer, Diaceutics, Biocartis, Sophia Genetics, and ThermoFisher. F. C. A. has received research grants from Novartis, support for attending meetings and/or travel from Amgen, and consultant fees from IQVIA. S. H. has received research grants from Novartis and travel support from BeiGene. J. A. S. received personal fees from Boehringer Ingelheim, AstraZeneca, Roche, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Amgen, LEO pharma, Novartis, and Takeda. J. W. received speaker's honoraria and personal fees for participating in advisory boards from Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Blueprint, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Boehringer Ingelheim, Chugai, Daiichi Sankyo, Ignyta, Janssen, Lilly, Loxo, Merck, Mirati, MSD, Novartis, Nuvalent, Pfizer, Roche, Seattle Genetics, Takeda, and Turning Point and received institutional research grants from Bristol-Myers Squibb, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer, and AstraZeneca. M. S. received research grants from AstraZeneca, consulting fees from AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, MSD, Novartis, Lilly, Roche, Boehringer Ingelheim, Amgen, Takeda, Johnson, Merck-Serono, and GSK, and speaker's honoraria from AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, MSD, Novartis, Lilly, Roche, Boehringer Ingelheim, Amgen, Takeda, Johnson, CureVac, BioNTech, Merck-Serono, GSK, Daiichi, and Pfizer. S. M. has received research grants from Novartis and Pfizer, personal fees from Eli Lilly, Janssen, and Astra Zeneca as well as support for attending meetings and/or travel from Eli Lilly, and Janssen. A. S. has received speaker's honoraria from Agilent, Aignostics, Amgen, Astellas, Astra Zeneca, Bayer, BMS, Eli Lilly, Illumina, Incyte, Janssen, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer, Qlucore, Roche, Seagen, Servier, Takeda, and Thermo Fisher, and institutional research grants from Bayer, BMS, Chugai, and Incyte. All other authors declared no competing interests., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Aim: The aim of this study was to derive prognostic parameters from 2-[ 18 F]fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose ([ 18 F]FDG-PET/CT) in patients with low-risk NSCLC and determine their prognostic value., Methods: 81 (21 female, mean age 66 a) therapy-naive patients that underwent [18F]FDG-PET/CT before histologic confirmation of NSCLC with stadium I and II between 2008-2016 were included. A mean follow-up time of 58 months (13-176), overall and progression free survival (OS, PFS) were registered. A volume of interest for the primary tumor was defined on PET and CT images. Parameters SUV max , PET-solidity, PET-circularity, and CT-volume were analyzed. To evaluate the prognostic value of each parameter for OS, a minimum p-value approach was used to define cutoff values, survival analysis, and log-rank tests were performed, including subgroup analysis for combinations of parameters., Results: Mean OS was 58±28 months. Poor OS was associated with a tumor CT-volume >14.3 cm 3 (p=0.02, HR=7.0, CI 2.7-17.7), higher SUV max values >12.2 (p=0.003; HR=3.0, CI 1.3-6.7) and PET-solidity >0.919 (p=0.004; HR=3.0, CI 1.0-8.9). Combined parameter analysis revealed worse prognosis in larger volume/high SUV max tumors compared to larger volume/lower SUV max (p=0.028; HR=2.5, CI 1.1-5.5), high PET-solidity/low volume (p=0.01; HR=2.4, CI 0.8-6.6) and low SUV max /high PET-solidity (p=0.02, HR=4.0, CI 0.8-19.0)., Conclusion: Even in this group of low-risk NSCLC patients, we identified a subgroup with a significantly worse prognosis by combining morphologic-metabolic biomarkers from [18F]FDG-PET/CT. The combination of SUV max and CT-volume performed best. Based on these preliminary data, future prospective studies to validate this combined morphologic-metabolic imaging biomarker for potential therapeutic decisions seem promising., Competing Interests: Beer AJ: AAA GmbH - Honorar Vortragstätigkeit Advisory Board Meeting Janssen-Cilag - Honorar Vortragstätigkeit VSRN Baden-Baden über KelCon - Honorar Vortragstätigkeit AAA GmbH - Honorar Vortragstätigkeit Fa. NVision Imaging Technologies GmbH Ulm - Mitglied Scientific Advisory Board - Ärztlicher Direktor Klinik für Nuklearmedizin, Universitätsklinikum Ulm - Präsident Südwestdeutsche Gesellschaft für Nuklearmedizin SWDGN - Forschungskooperation PET/MRT mit Siemens Healthcare GmbH Erlangen, (Thieme. All rights reserved.)

Over the last years, the emergence of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) has revolutionized the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Patients in a palliative setting with previously very poor prognosis may now show remarkable responses over years. Yet, ICI therapy is very cost-intensive and involves frequent contacts with healthcare resources. Some of the early trial protocols restricted ICI treatment duration to two years. Now follow-up data of these studies is available and reveal the possibility of a persistent response after two or more years without further treatment for patients having successfully completed two years of therapy. May we now dare to think (and speak) of cure in the palliative setting? Does it mean we can stop ICI therapy after an initial two-year treatment? In this review, we try to improve confidence in clinical decision-making for this patient group. To this end, trials with a restricted treatment duration of two years and other data considering potential ICI discontinuation in responding patients were evaluated. Up to 25% of patients successfully complete an initial two-year course of ICI. Within this group about 40-46% of patients are alive at five years without further treatment with five-year survival rates of up to 83%. Data on ICI rechallenge are scarce, yet it does not seem to provide the same level of efficacy as at first exposure. At present there are no established biomarkers to help with decision-making. Possible future (bio-)markers, such as PD-L1, mutations, circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) or Positron emission tomography (PET) need to be evaluated further in a prospective setting. In conclusion, we propose that the concept of discontinuing ICI therapy in patients with tumor response has to be seriously taken into consideration as it may be of benefit to our patients and health care systems., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Purpose: Modern, personalized treatment concepts in oncology require an interdisciplinary and multiprofessional collaboration. In addition to its relevance in patient care, interdisciplinary collaboration is also becoming increasingly important in clinical research as well as medical education and resident training in oncology., Methods: Between November 2021 and March 2022, an online survey was conducted among German early career research groups, represented by Young Oncologists United (YOU). The aim was to identify the status and need for interdisciplinarity at clinic, educational, and research levels., Results: A total of 294 participants completed the questionnaire in full. 90.7% of the respondents fully or predominantly agreed with the statement that interdisciplinary work plays a major role in their daily clinical work. 78.9% wished for more interdisciplinary collaboration. Of the 49.7% of participants who have never participated in an interdisciplinary research project, 80.1% said they would like to participate in such a study project in the future. Lack of time resources, too much organizational effort, and possible political conflicts between institutions were identified as factors that make practical implementation difficult. 74.1% declared their willingness to become active in an oncology early career research group., Conclusion: Interdisciplinary collaboration has become increasingly important in oncology. Networks that span different disciplines could help to promote interdisciplinary research projects among young scientists and improve exchange in professional practice and education with the implication of improved patient care., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Background: Several strategies have been investigated to improve the 4% survival advantage of adjuvant chemotherapy in early-stage non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In this investigator-initiated study we aimed to evaluate the predictive utility of the messenger RNA (mRNA) expression levels of excision repair cross complementation group 1 (ERCC1) and thymidylate synthase (TS) as assessed in resected tumor., Patients and Methods: Seven hundred and seventy-three completely resected stage II-III NSCLC patients were enrolled and randomly assigned in each of the four genomic subgroups to investigator's choice of platinum-based chemotherapy (C, n = 389) or tailored chemotherapy (T, n = 384). All anticancer drugs were administered according to standard doses and schedules. Stratification factors included stage and smoking status. The primary endpoint of the study was overall survival (OS)., Results: Six hundred and ninety patients were included in the primary analysis. At a median follow-up of 45.9 months, 85 (24.6%) and 70 (20.3%) patients died in arms C and T, respectively. Five-year survival for patients in arms C and T was of 65.4% (95% CI (confidence interval): 58.5% to 71.4%) and 72.9% (95% CI: 66.5% to 78.3%), respectively. The estimated hazard ratio (HR) was 0.77 (95% CI: 0.56-1.06, P value: 0.109) for arm T versus arm C. HR for recurrence-free survival was 0.89 (95% CI: 0.69-1.14, P value: 0.341) for arm T versus arm C. Grade 3-5 toxicities were more frequently reported in arm C than in arm T., Conclusion: In completely resected stage II-III NSCLC tailoring adjuvant chemotherapy conferred a non-statistically significant trend for OS favoring the T arm. In terms of safety, the T arm was associated with better efficacy/toxicity ratio related to the different therapeutic choices in the experimental arm., Competing Interests: Disclosure GVS received honoraria from AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly, MSD, Pfizer, Roche, Johnson & Johnson, Takeda; consulting or advisory role for Eli Lilly, BeiGene and AstraZeneca, received institutional research funding from Eli Lilly and MSD and received travel, accommodations from Bayer. SN received honoraria or consulted for Eli Lilly, Amgen, BeiGene, AstraZeneca, Bristol Myers Squibb, Abbvie, Boehringer Ingelheim, MSD, Roche, Pfizer and Takeda. All other authors have declared no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

(1) Background: Long COVID syndrome refers to long-term sequelae of the novel viral disease, which occur even in patients with initially mild disease courses. However, there is still little evidence of the actual organic consequences and their frequency, and there is no standardized workup to diagnose long COVID syndrome yet. In this study, we aim to determine the efficiency of a stepwise diagnostic approach for reconvalescent COVID-19 patients with cardiopulmonary symptoms. (2) Methods: The diagnostic workup for long COVID syndrome included three steps. In the first step, the focus was on broad applicability (e.g., blood tests and body plethysmography). In the second step, cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) and cardiac MRI (CMR) were used. The third step was tailored to the individual needs of each patient. The observation period lasted from 22 February to 14 May 2021. (3) Results: We examined 231 patients in our long COVID unit (mean [SD] age, 47.8 [14.9], 132 [57.1%] women). Acute illness occurred a mean (SD) of 121 (77) days previously. Suspicious findings in the first visit were seen in 80 (34.6%) patients, prompting further diagnostics. Thirty-six patients were further examined with CPET and CMR. Of those, 16 (44.4%) had pathological findings. The rest had functional complaints without organ damage ("functional long COVID"). Cardiopulmonary sequelae were found in asymptomatic as well as severe courses of the initial COVID-19 disease. (4) Conclusions: A structured diagnostic pathway for the diagnosis of long COVID syndrome is practicable and rational in terms of resource allocation. With this approach, manifest organ damage can be accurately and comprehensively diagnosed and distinguished from functional complaints.

Introduction: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a common complication in patients with congenital heart disease (CHD), aggravating the natural, post-operative, or post-interventional course of the underlying anomaly. The various CHDs differ substantially in characteristics, functionality, and clinical outcomes among each other and compared with other diseases with pulmonary hypertension., Objective: To describe current management strategies and outcomes for adults with PH in relation to different types of CHD based on real-world data., Methods and Results: COMPERA (Comparative, Prospective Registry of Newly Initiated Therapies for Pulmonary Hypertension) is a prospective, international PH registry comprising, at the time of data analysis, >8200 patients with various forms of PH. Here, we analyzed a subgroup of 680 patients with PH due to CHD, who were included between 2007 and 2018 in 49 specialized centers for PH and/or CHD located in 11 European countries. At enrollment, the patients´ median age was 44 years (67% female), and patients had either pre-tricuspid shunts, post-tricuspid shunts, complex CHD, congenital left heart or aortic disease, or miscellaneous other types of CHD. Upon inclusion, targeted therapies for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) included endothelin receptor antagonists, PDE-5 inhibitors, prostacyclin analogues, and soluble guanylate cyclase stimulators. Eighty patients with Eisenmenger syndrome were treatment-naïve. While at inclusion the primary PAH treatment for the cohort was monotherapy (70% of patients), with 30% of the patients on combination therapy, after a median observation time of 45.3 months, the number of patients on combination therapy had increased significantly, to 50%. The use of oral anticoagulants or antiplatelets was dependent on the underlying diagnosis or comorbidities. In the entire COMPERA-CHD cohort, after follow-up and receiving targeted PAH therapy ( n = 511), 91 patients died over the course of a 5-year follow up. The 5-year Kaplan-Meier survival estimate for CHD associated PH was significantly better than that for idiopathic PAH (76% vs. 54%; p < 0.001). Within the CHD associated PH group, survival estimates differed particularly depending on the underlying diagnosis and treatment status., Conclusions: In COMPERA-CHD, the overall survival of patients with CHD associated PH was dependent on the underlying diagnosis and treatment status, but was significantly better as than that for idiopathic PAH. Nevertheless, overall survival of patients with PAH due to CHD was still markedly reduced compared with survival of patients with other types of CHD, despite an increasing number of patients on PAH-targeted combination therapy., Competing Interests: COMPERA is supported by an educational grant from Bayer, GSK, OMT and Actelion. The authors declare no conflicts of interest in relation to the study.

Sleep apnea is one of the most common sleep disorders. Here, patients suffer from multiple breathing pauses longer than 10 s during the night which are referred to as apneas. The standard method for the diagnosis of sleep apnea is the attended cardiorespiratory polysomnography (PSG). However, this method is expensive and the extensive recording equipment can have a significant impact on sleep quality falsifying the results. To overcome these problems, a comfortable and novel system for sleep monitoring based on the recording of tracheal sounds and movement data is developed. For apnea detection, a unique signal processing method utilizing both signals is introduced. Additionally, an algorithm for extracting the heart rate from body sounds is developed. For validation, ten subjects underwent a full-night PSG testing, using the developed sleep monitor in concurrence. Considering polysomnography as gold standard the developed instrumentation reached a sensitivity of 92.8% and a specificity of 99.7% for apnea detection. Heart rate measured with the proposed method was strongly correlated with heart rate derived from conventional ECG (r 2  = 0.8164). No significant signal losses are reported during the study. In conclusion, we demonstrate a novel approach to reliably and noninvasively detect both apneas and heart rate during sleep.

Study Objectives: The current gold standard for assessment of obstructive sleep apnea is the in-laboratory polysomnography. This approach has high costs and inconveniences the patient, whereas alternative ambulatory systems are limited by reduced diagnostic abilities (type 4 monitors, 1 or 2 channels) or extensive setup (type 3 monitors, at least 4 channels). The current study therefore aims to validate a simplified automated type 4 monitoring system using tracheal body sound and movement data., Methods: Data from 60 subjects were recorded at the University Hospital Ulm. All subjects have been regular patients referred to the sleep center with suspicion of sleep-related breathing disorders. Four recordings were excluded because of faulty data. The study was of prospective design. Subjects underwent a full-night screening using diagnostic in-laboratory polysomnography and the new monitoring system concurrently. The apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) was scored blindly by a medical technician using in-laboratory polysomnography (AHI PSG ). A unique algorithm was developed to estimate the apneahypopnea index (AHI est ) using the new sleep monitor., Results: AHI est strongly correlates with AHI PSG ( r 2 = .9871). A mean ± 1.96 standard deviation difference between AHI est and AHI PSG of 1.2 ± 5.14 was achieved. In terms of classifying subjects into groups of mild, moderate, and severe sleep apnea, the evaluated new sleep monitor shows a strong correlation with the results obtained by polysomnography (Cohen kappa > 0.81). These results outperform previously introduced similar approaches., Conclusions: The proposed sleep monitor accurately estimates AHI and diagnoses sleep apnea and its severity. This minimalistic approach may address the need for a simple yet reliable diagnosis of sleep apnea in an ambulatory setting., Clinical Trial Registration: Trial name: Validation of a new method for ambulant diagnosis of sleep related breathing disorders using body sound; URL: https://drks-neu.uniklinik-freiburg.de/drks&#95;web/navigate.do?navigationId=trial.HTML&TRIAL&#95;ID=DRKS00011195; Identifier: DRKS00011195., (© 2017 American Academy of Sleep Medicine)

Background: Large-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the lung (LCNEC) is a rare disease with poor prognosis and limited treatment options. Neuroendocrine tumors frequently show overactivation of the mTOR pathway. Based on the good activity of the mTOR inhibitor everolimus in different types of neuroendocrine tumors and the results of a previous phase I trial, we evaluated the efficacy and safety of everolimus in combination with carboplatin and paclitaxel as upfront treatment for patients with advanced LCNEC., Patients and Methods: In this prospective, multicenter phase II trial chemotherapy-naive patients with stage IV LCNEC received 5 mg everolimus daily combined with paclitaxel 175 mg/m2 and carboplatin AUC 5 every 3 weeks for a maximum of four cycles followed by maintenance everolimus 5 mg daily until progression. Efficacy parameters were determined based on central radiologic assessment., Results: Forty-nine patients with a mean age of 62 ±9 years and a predominance of male (71%) smokers (98%) were enrolled in 10 German centers. The overall response rate was 45% (95% confidence interval [CI] 31%-60%), the disease control rate 74% (CI 59%-85%), the median progression-free survival 4.4 (CI 3.2-6) months and the median overall survival 9.9 (CI 6.9-11.7) months. The progression-free survival rate at 3 months (primary end point) was 76% (CI 64%-88%) according to Kaplan-Meier. Grade-3/4 toxicities occurred in 51% of patients and mainly consisted of general physical health deterioration (8%), cytopenias (24%), infections (10%) and gastrointestinal problems (8%). Typical everolimus-related adverse events, like stomatitis, rash and ocular problems occurred only in a minority of patients (<15%) and were exclusively of grade 1-2., Conclusion: Everolimus in combination with carboplatin and paclitaxel is an effective and well-tolerated first-line treatment for patients with metastatic LCNEC., Registered Clinical Trial Numbers: EudraCT number 2010-022273-34, NCT01317615., (© The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society for Medical Oncology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Background: In the SQUIRE study, adding the anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) IgG1 antibody necitumumab to first-line gemcitabine and cisplatin (GC + N) in advanced squamous non-small-cell lung cancer (sqNSCLC) significantly improved overall survival (OS); the safety profile was acceptable. We explored data for the German subpopulation (N = 96) of SQUIRE patients with EGFR-expressing tumors., Patient and Methods: Patients with stage IV sqNSCLC were randomized 1:1 to up to 6 cycles of open-label GC + N or GC alone. GC + N patients with no progression continued on necitumumab monotherapy until disease progression or intolerable toxicity. The primary endpoint was OS; the secondary endpoints included progression-free survival (PFS), safety and health-related quality of life (EQ-5D, Lung Cancer Symptom Scale (LCSS))., Results: The 96 German SQUIRE patients with EGFR-expressing tumors (GC + N 42, GC 54) received a median of 4 GC cycles; the GC + N patients received 5 cycles of necitumumab. Adding necitumumab was associated with 41% risk reduction of death (hazard ratio (HR) 0.59, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.37-0.94, p = 0.026) and 44% risk reduction of progression (HR 0.56, 95% CI 0.33-0.95, p = 0.029). Adverse events typically associated with EGFR antibody treatment (including rash, hypomagnesemia) were more common with GC + N. The time to deterioration of the EQ-5D and LCSS scores showed no notable differences between the treatment arms, except for appetite loss (delayed for GC + N)., Conclusion: The survival benefit from adding necitumumab to first-line GC was more pronounced in the German SQUIRE subpopulation with EGFR-expressing tumors than in the overall (intention-to-treat) population; toxicity was manageable and consistent with the overall population., (© 2016 S. Karger GmbH, Freiburg.)

During physical exercise, pulse transit time (PTT), expressed as the interval between ventricular electrical activity and peripheral pulse wave, may provide a surrogate estimate for blood pressure by the use of specific calibration procedures. The objective of this study was to determine systolic blood pressure (SBP) values derived from the PTT method and from an established method of non-invasive continuous blood pressure measurement based on the volume clamp technique, and to compare their agreement with sphygmomanometry during exercise tests. In 18 subjects, electrocardiogram (ECG) and finger-photoplethysmography were continuously recorded during maximal cycle exercise tests. Intermittent and continuous blood pressure measurements were simultaneously taken using automated sphygmomanometry and a Portapres Model-2 device, respectively. PTT was calculated for each ECG R-wave and the corresponding steepest upstroke slope in the photoplethysmogram, and was transformed to a continuous blood pressure estimate using multipoint nonlinear regression calibration based on the individual subject's sphygmomanometer readings. Bland-Altman limits of agreement between PTT-derived SBP estimates and sphygmomanometer values were -24.7 to 24.1 mmHg, and between Portapres and sphygmomanometer SBP values were -42.0 to 70.1 mmHg. For beat-to-beat SBP estimation during exercise, PTT measurement combined with multipoint nonlinear regression calibration based on intermittent sphygmomanometry may be an alternative to volume clamp devices.

Background: While recent data show that crizotinib is highly effective in patients with ROS1 rearrangement, few data is available about the prognostic impact, the predictive value for different treatments, and the genetic heterogeneity of ROS1-positive patients., Patients and Methods: 1137 patients with adenocarcinoma of the lung were analyzed regarding their ROS1 status. In positive cases, next-generation sequencing (NGS) was performed. Clinical characteristics, treatments and outcome of these patients were assessed. Overall survival (OS) was compared with genetically defined subgroups of ROS1-negative patients., Results: 19 patients of 1035 evaluable (1.8%) had ROS1-rearrangement. The median OS has not been reached. Stage IV patients with ROS1-rearrangement had the best OS of all subgroups (36.7 months, p < 0.001). 9 of 14 (64.2%) patients had at least one response to chemotherapy. Estimated mean OS for patients receiving chemotherapy and crizotinib was 5.3 years. Ten patients with ROS1-rearrangement (52.6%) harbored additional aberrations., Conclusion: ROS1-rearangement is not only a predictive marker for response to crizotinib, but also seems to be the one of the best prognostic molecular markers in NSCLC reported so far. In stage IV patients, response to chemotherapy was remarkable high and overall survival was significantly better compared to other subgroups including EGFR-mutated and ALK-fusion-positive NSCLC.

Introduction: There is growing evidence that exercise-induced variation in lung volumes is an important source of ventilatory limitation and is linked to exercise intolerance in COPD. The aim of this study was to compare the correlations of walk distance and lung volumes measured before and after a 6-min walk test (6MWT) in subjects with COPD., Methods: Forty-five subjects with stable COPD (mean pre-bronchodilator FEV1: 47 ± 18% predicted) underwent a 6MWT. Body plethysmography was performed immediately pre- and post-6MWT., Results: Correlations were generally stronger between 6-min walk distance and post-6MWT lung volumes than between 6-min walk distance and pre-6MWT lung volumes, except for FEV1. These differences in Pearson correlation coefficients were significant for residual volume expressed as percent of total lung capacity (-0.67 vs -0.58, P = .043), percent of predicted residual volume expressed as percent of total lung capacity (-0.68 vs -0.59, P = .026), inspiratory vital capacity (0.65 vs 0.54, P = .019), percent of predicted inspiratory vital capacity (0.49 vs 0.38, P = .037), and percent of predicted functional residual capacity (-0.62 vs -0.47, P = .023)., Conclusions: In subjects with stable COPD, lung volumes measured immediately after 6MWT are more closely related to exercise limitation than baseline lung volumes measured before 6MWT, except for FEV1. Therefore, pulmonary function testing immediately after exercise should be included in future studies on COPD for the assessment of exercise-induced ventilatory constraints to physical performance that cannot be adequately assessed from baseline pulmonary function testing at rest., (Copyright © 2014 by Daedalus Enterprises.)