Depression and anxiety were present in one-third of patients with recently diagnosed NSCLC. Depression and anxiety were associated with decreased HRQL scales, and depression was independently associated with treatment adherence and with poor prognosis.

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Background: Up-to-date oncological therapy has been accomplished through the results of clinical trials (CTs). We analyzed the overall survival (OS) of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and its relation to CT enrollment. Methods: The study included 1,042 patients with advanced NSCLC treated at the Instituto Nacional de Cancerología. All patients received treatment according to the national and international guidelines. Data were collected from medical records. Patients were subgrouped on the basis of their CT enrollment as follows: participants in any CT (ACT), exclusively intervention CTs (ICT) or exclusively pharmaceutical-sponsored CTs (PCT). Results: The CT enrollment effect was assessed through a multivariate Cox proportional hazards model. Thirty percent of the patients were in ACT, 28.3% in ICT and 13.7% in PCT. Female gender (p = 0.001), adenocarcinoma histology (p = 0.018), positive EGFR mutation (p = 0.006), and better ECOG performance status (<2) (p ≤ 0.0001) were more frequent in patients enrolled in CT; further, tobacco smoking (p ≤ 0.0001) and KRAS mutation (p = 0.001) were more frequent in patients who were not enrolled in a CT. Conclusion: Enrollment in ACT was associated with a better OS (hazard ratio: 0.47-0.74). NSCLC patients enrolled in a CT have an improved survival in an independent manner to other prognostic factors.

Background:Chemotherapy based on platinum is the standard treatment for unresectable malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). Liposomal doxorubicin (LD) consists of pegylated phospholipid vesicles that encapsulate doxorubicin-enhancing liposome deposition in the tumour. We evaluated the toxicity profile and anti-tumour activity of cisplatin plus LD in untreated patients with MPM, as well as 99mTc-LD distribution in MPM lesions after chemotherapy administration.Methods:A total of 38 patients with non-resectable MPM received LD 40 mg m−2 and cisplatin 60 mg m−2 every 21 days. Gamma camera images of 99mTc-LD were acquired to evaluate LD accumulation in measurable tumour tissue. The study was registered in Clinical Trials (NCT00886028).Results:In all, 72% of patients were stage III and 28% were stage IV. Eighty four percent and 16% have high and low risk acording EORTC respectively. The median time to progression was 4.6 months (95% confidence interval (95% CI: 3.4–5.9 months), and median overall survival (OS) was 19.6 months (15.2–37.2 months). Patients that responded to chemotherapy treatment had better survival than patients who did not. Functional physical scales, dysnea, cough, and chest/arm pain demonstrated improvement. The accumulation ratio of LD in tumour and soft tissues vs liver was 0.78±0.16 and 0.29±0.09, respectively. After 1 h of administration, LD uptake in tumour tissue was higher than in soft tissue (P< 0.001).Conclusion:The combination of LD and cisplatin results in an active therapeutic regimen for unresectable MPM, with an acceptable toxicity profile and improvement in quality of life. 99mTc-LD showed higher levels of tumour uptake as compared with surrounding tissues.

Low-dose, prolonged gemcitabine infusion plus cisplatin has acceptable toxicity and high efficacy with improved quality of life, representing an affordable regimen for the low-income population.