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The efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with pre-existing interstitial lung disease (ILD) is unclear.Retrospective medical data from advanced or recurrent NSCLC patients who were treated with nivolumab or pembrolizumab at ten institutions in Japan between January 2016 and September 2018 were analyzed. Eligible patients were divided into two groups according to the presence of pre-existing ILD.A total of 461 NSCLC patients were enrolled, 412 without ILD (Non-ILD group) and 49 with ILD (ILD group). The response rate (RR) and disease control rate (DCR) of the ILD group were not inferior to those of the Non-ILD group [RR: 49.0 % (24/49) vs. 30.1 % (124/412), P 0.01 and DCR: 69.4 % (34/49) vs. 51.2 % (211/412), P = 0.016, respectively]. Non-inferior outcomes were also observed with respect to progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) (median PFS: 5.9 months vs. 3.5 months, P = 0.14 and median OS: 27.8 months vs. 25.2 months, P = 0.74 in the ILD and Non-ILD groups, respectively). Among immune-related adverse effects (irAEs), checkpoint inhibitor pneumonitis (CIP) was more frequently observed among NSCLC patients in the ILD group [30.6 % (15/49) vs. 9.5 % (39/412), P 0.01]. The frequency of irAEs other than CIP and infusion reactions was not significantly different between the ILD group and the Non-ILD group.These results suggest that the clinical outcomes of ICIs are not significantly affected by pre-existing ILD despite the increased frequency of CIP. NSCLC patients with ILD are therefore probable candidates for ICIs.

Cigarette smoking in patients with asthma leads to poor symptom control. As patients who are current smokers have been excluded from enrollment in many clinical trials on asthma, there are few reports on the treatment in current smokers with asthma. In this study, we aimed to assess how respiratory physicians manage asthma in current smokers in Japan.Respiratory physicians in 16 Japanese hospitals answered a questionnaire on treatment for patients with asthma between December 2014 and February 2015. Medical records were reviewed for 1756 patients with asthma.The mean patient age was 61.1 years, and 62.9% of the patients were female. A total of 102 patients (5.8%) were current smokers, and 546 patients (31.1%) were former smokers. Long-acting muscarinic antagonists (LAMA) were prescribed more frequently for current smokers with asthma than for former smokers and never smokers with asthma (10.8% vs 4.6%, p = 0.01, 10.8% vs 3.8%, p0.01). In contrast, macrolides were prescribed more frequently for former smokers and never smokers with asthma than for current smokers with asthma (7.7% vs 1.0%, p = 0.01, 6.4% vs 1.0%, p = 0.03). Triple therapy, i.e., inhaled corticosteroids, long-acting beta agonists, and LAMA concomitantly, was prescribed for current smokers with asthma more frequently than for former smokers and never smokers with asthma (9.8% vs 4.0%, p = 0.01, 9.8% vs 3.3%, p0.01).According to this survey, current smokers with asthma received more intensive therapy, including LAMA, than did former smokers with asthma.

Acute exacerbation (AE) of interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a fatal adverse event in the treatment of lung cancer patients with ILD. The value of pre-treatment radiological findings obtained by high-resolution computed tomography for the detection of anticancer treatment-related AE of ILD has not been established. Two medical record-based retrospective studies were performed. The chemotherapy cohort included 105 lung cancer patients with ILD who received chemotherapy at Tokyo Medical and Dental University between October 2008 and December 2017. The immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) cohort included 48 advanced non-small cell lung cancer patients with ILD treated with ICIs at nine institutions between January 2016 and September 2018. Variables were compared between AE-positive and -negative groups. Candidate variables were analyzed by multivariate logistic regression. A P value

Introduction: The prevalence of asthma in the elderly has been increasing due to the aging of the global population. Appropriate treatment for asthma in the elderly is now a major issue, as the disease is often fatal and incurs high medical costs in the elderly population. There have been few recent reports on asthma treatment for the elderly in the real-world clinical settings. Objectives: This study was performed to assess how respiratory physicians manage asthma in elderly patients in clinical settings in Japan. Methods: Respiratory physicians in 16 Japanese hospitals responded to a questionnaire survey on asthma and COPD treatment between December 2014 and February 2015. The analysis was performed using data collected from medical records on 2041 asthma patients. Results: The mean patient age was 61.2 years, and 36.6% of the patients were men. In the breakdown by age, 1018 (49.9%) of the patients were elderly (≥ 65 years). Compared to the non-elderly, the elderly patients had a significantly lower BMI, greater smoking history in pack-years, and poorer pulmonary function. There were no significant differences between the elderly and non-elderly in the prescription rates of common medications such as inhaled corticosteroids, long-acting beta-agonists (LABA) administered via inhaler or transdermal patch, long-acting muscarinic antagonists, or leukotriene receptor antagonists. In contrast, mucoactive drugs (18.7% vs. 12.3%, P P P = 0.02). Conclusions: According to this survey, the prescription rates of mucoactive drugs, macrolides, and transdermal LABA were significantly higher in the elderly than in the non-elderly.

悪性胸膜中皮腫9例の胸腔鏡所見を, 組織学的所見を加え, 多発性隆起型 (隆起型) (5例) と非特異的肥厚型 (肥厚型) (4例) に分類し, 臨床所見との関連について検討した. 対象の平均年齢は66歳, 組織型は上皮型7例, 二相型2例であった. 胸腔鏡下生検により9例中6例, 67%に診断が得ちれた. 隆起型は壁側胸膜にびまん性に多発性扁平隆起を認め, 組織学的に腫瘍細胞は中皮表層を浸潤した. 肥厚型は胸膜肥厚を主体とし隆起性病変はあっても散在性で, 生検では腫瘍細胞は検出困難か (2例), 中皮下に限局し (2例), 中皮下主体の浸潤を示すと考えた. 臨床所見では, 肥厚型は全例炎症反応を伴い, 血中CRPは肥厚型で有意に高値であった (P=0.01). また, 胸水ヒアルロン酸 (μg/ml, mean±SEM) は隆起型で有意に高値であった (814±259 vs 36±8, P=0.01). この分類は臨床的に有用と考えられ報告した.

A 74-year-old man who had been diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma developed malignant lymphoma of B-cell origin involving the penis. He had a history of occupational exposure to asbestos as a construction worker. The association of malignant mesothelioma with lymphoma is rare, and the possibility of asbestos exposure as a common etiology is discussed. The intense stimulation of B lymphocytes and decreased T lymphocyte activity in asbestos-exposed populations may result in development of B-cell malignancies. Though the relationship between asbestos exposure and malignant mesothelioma is firmly established, the relationship between asbestos exposure and lymphoma remains to be investigated.

Amiodarone-induced pulmonary toxicity is a critical and potentially fatal side effect of amiodarone. Our study was designed to reveal its clinical features, including KL-6, as an interstitial marker. The medical records of eight patients (five men and three women) with amiodarone-induced pulmonary toxicity, who had been referred to our hospital, were examined. The mean age at the initiation of amiodarone was 48 years (range, 54-87 years) and mean duration of medication prior to the development of pulmonary toxicity was 18 months (range, 7-33 months). Serum KL-6 was elevated in six of the eight patients with a range of 525-2915 U/mL. Chest computed tomography (CT) findings showed non-segmental consolidation and/or ground glass opacity. Foamy macrophages were found in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluids of all examined patients and in transbronchial lung biopsy (TBLB) specimens in half of the examined patients. We concluded that serum KL-6, chest CT findings, and foamy macrophages in BAL fluids and TBLB specimens will be helpful for the diagnosis of amiodarone-induced pulmonary toxicity.