Survival impact of treatment for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer

Background

The prognosis of patients with advanced non-small cell lung

cancer (NSCLC) and coexisting chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is uncertain. In addition, no previous studies have examined whether treating COPD improves the prognosis of such patients.

Methods

We focused our retrospective analysis on advanced NSCLC

patients who had received chemotherapy at Kyoto University Hospital between 2007 and 2014. The association between COPD treatment and overall survival (OS) was assessed using the log-rank test and Cox logistic regression models adjusted for age, sex, smoking, chemotherapy, the percentage forced expiratory volume in 1 second (%FEV1.0), and COPD treatment.

Results

Of the 358 patients enrolled, 104 had COPD (COPD group) and

254 did not (non-COPD group). Thirty-seven patients in the COPD group had received COPD treatment. The median OS period was 323 days in the COPD group and 510 days in the non-COPD group (p 

Conclusions

Coexisting COPD was associated with worse survival

outcomes in patients with advanced NSCLC. Our analysis indicated that COPD treatment might have potential to salvage the prognosis of such patients.

Clinical trial identification

Legal entity responsible for the study

Kyoto University

Funding

Kyoto University

Disclosure

All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.