Effect of Hospitalization During First Chemotherapy and Performance Status on Small-cell Lung Cancer Outcomes

• Published in: Clinical lung cancer Vol. 21; no. 5; pp. e388 - e404
• Main Authors: Rittberg, Rebekah, Green, Susan, Aquin, Trevor, Bucher, Oliver, Banerji, Shantanu, Dawe, David E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01-09-2020
• Subjects: ECOG; Inpatient; Population-based; Prognosis; Retrospective cohort; Inpatient; Retrospective cohort; Population-based; Prognosis; ECOG
• ISSN: 1525-7304; 1938-0690
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cllc.2020.02.013

Small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) is highly responsive to chemotherapy (CT) and one of the few malignancies treated in hospitalized patients with poor Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status (PS). Because of the little current information available on the outcomes experienced by hospitalized patients with SCLC receiving CT, we explored the outcomes for these patients to improve the evidence base for practice.
We conducted a retrospective cohort study to evaluate patients with a diagnosis of SCLC and treated with CT during a 10-year period. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were evaluated according to site of first CT (inpatient vs. outpatient) and PS. Multivariable analysis was completed to assess for independent survival predictors.
A total of 530 patients with SCLC were treated, with 82 (15%) receiving their first CT in hospital. Inpatients had a greater burden of disease and poorer PS. Neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, nephrotoxicity, and fatigue were all experienced less often by the inpatient cohort (P < .001, P < .001, P < .001, and P = .007, respectively). For inpatients and outpatients, the OS rate at 12, 24, and 60 months was 22%, 9%, and 7% and 43%, 20%, and 9%, respectively (P < .001 for all). The median PFS and OS were longer for outpatients and highly functional patients. On multivariable analysis, ECOG PS was an independent predictor of the outcome and the site of first CT was not (P = .04 and P = .49, respectively).
Patients with SCLC initially treated as inpatients and those with poor functional status had shorter PFS and OS; however, some experienced long-term survival, including 5-year survival of 7% for the inpatient cohort and 5% for the ECOG PS 3-4 cohort. CT toxicities were less common in the inpatient cohort, validating that administration of CT in hospital should be considered for these patients because they could experience a meaningful long-term response to therapy.
Hospitalized patients with small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) with a poor performance status will receive chemotherapy despite little reported evidence. We retrospectively evaluated the data from 530 patients with SCLC, including 82 (15%) who had received inpatient chemotherapy. Although the inpatients had a shorter median survival, the value of inpatient chemotherapy was supported by the high response rates, comparable toxicity, and 5-year survival of 7% versus 9% for outpatients.