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Late-onset asthma (LOA) differs from early-onset asthma (EOA) in terms of prognosis and the treatment response because it has a much worse prognosis and a poorer response to standard asthma treatment. This study sought to investigate the characteristics and clinical outcomes of asthma patients with phenotypes distinguished by age at onset and atopy status. We prospectively recruited patients with asthma who were registered in a pay-for-performance program operated by Taiwan's National Health Insurance Administration (NHIA). These patients received regular outpatient treatment for at least 1 year at every outpatient clinic visit since 2019. Baseline characteristics and clinical outcomes were compared between patients with LOA (≥40 years) and those with EOA (<40 years). Of the consecutive 101 patients with asthma, 21 patients (20.7%) had EOA and 80 (79.3%) had LOA. In the 12-month period, patients with EOA had higher declines in forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1; −2.1 ± 8.4 vs. 6.8 ± 13.1, % of predicted value, p = 0.037) and forced vital capacity (FVC; −4.6 ± 12.0 vs. 6.1 ± 13.6, % of predicted value, p = 0.023) than patients with LOA. Patients with nonatopic EOA had a significantly higher exacerbation rate at 12 months than patients with nonatopic LOA (50% vs. 11.8%, p = 0.012). Identification of different phenotypes of asthma is important in clinical practice because treatment responses may differ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Single agent immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) improve survival outcomes compared to chemotherapy for advanced non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but treatment efficacy widely varies. The combination of ICIs with chemotherapy has shown promising efficacy over chemotherapy alone; however, whether this strategy is superior to single agent ICIs for the treatment of advanced NSCLC remains unknown. Methods: The records of 109 patients with advanced NSCLC who were administered at least one cycle of ICIs were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were grouped based on the presence or absence of a chemotherapy treatment combination. Efficacy and survival outcomes were analyzed. Result: Sixty‐nine (58.0%) patients received single agent ICIs (ICI group) and 50 (42.0%) received ICIs and chemotherapy (ICC group). The median (3.2 vs. 3.0 months; P = 0.025) and one‐year (34.5 vs. 9.6%; P = 0.026) progression‐free survival (PFS) rates were significantly better in the ICC than in the ICI group. The superior efficacy of ICC remained in the propensity score matched pairs (median PFS 3.2 vs. 2.6 months, P = 0.032; 1‐year PFS 35.2 vs. 7.6%; P = 0.035). Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status 0–1 (HR 0.37, 95% CI 0.22–0.62; P < 0.001) and the ICC group (HR 0.56, 95% CI 0.34–0.94; P = 0.028) were predictive of PFS. Subgroup‐to‐chemotherapy interaction revealed improved risk reduction for adenocarcinoma and EGFR mutation. Conclusion: Combing chemotherapy with ICIs improved treatment efficacy over ICIs alone. The additional efficacy of chemotherapy may differ between histological subtypes and EGFR mutation status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: VEGF plays a key role in tumor angiogenesis and immunosuppression. VEGF‐blocking has proven beneficial for EGFR mutant and wild‐type nonsquamous non‐small cell lung cancer (nonsq‐NSCLC); however, the number of cycles and treatment line yielding the optimal benefit are unknown. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the data of 115 patients with advanced/metastatic nonsq‐NSCLC administered at least one cycle of bevacizumab. The number of bevacizumab cycles was treated as a time‐dependent covariate. Predictors of overall survival (OS) were investigated. Results: Bevacizumab was used as first‐line treatment in 47 (40.9%) patients, with a median of five cycles (range: 1–31). Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status ≥ 2 (hazard ratio [HR] 4.78, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.68–8.51; P < 0.001), wild‐type EGFR (HR 2.61, 95% CI 1.45–4.70; P = 0.001), and bleeding during bevacizumab treatment (HR 3.63, 95% CI 1.77–7.45; P < 0.001) were predictive of poor OS; the number of bevacizumab cycles and first‐line administration were not. In the wild‐type EGFR subgroup, the number of bevacizumab cycles (≥ 5 vs. 1–4) was associated with a significant OS benefit (HR 0.28, 95% CI 0.08–0.98; P = 0.044); first‐line administration also showed an OS benefit (HR 0.48, 95% CI 0.20–1.17; P = 0.105). A significant association between the number of cycles and EGFR status was identified (P = 0.046). Conclusion: OS benefit is negatively affected by bleeding events in bevacizumab‐treated patients. Prolonged and early introduction of bevacizumab may provide an OS benefit for patients with wild‐type EGFR nonsq‐NSCLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]