isogai sumito

BACKGROUND: Patients with thoracic malignancy and interstitial pneumonia (IP) are often excluded from clinical trials, consequently lacking quantitative evidence of poorer prognosis and lower programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) testing rates. METHODS: We evaluated the real-world impact of comorbid IP on biomarker adoption and survival in thoracic malignancy patients receiving first-line systemic therapy at a tertiary teaching hospital between 2016 and 2023. RESULTS: Among 1247 patients, 98 (7.5%) had comorbid IP. Multigene testing rates in IP patients were similar to those in non-IP patients. Only three actionable genomic alterations were found in the IP group, highlighting PD-L1 testing as the key element. PD-L1 testing was underutilized in the IP group (63.3%) compared with the non-IP group (75.1%). Immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy was utilized in 12.2% of IP versus 29.3% in non-IP, despite comparable clinical situations. Comorbid IP predicted worse survival (hazard ratio: 1.789; 95% confidence interval: 1.373-2.331; p < 0.001). Although survival significantly improved in non-IP after 2020, no benefit was observed in IP. A multivariable model incorporating an IP × Period interaction confirmed comorbid IP remained a negative prognostic factor, highlighting recent advances have not bridged the survival disparity for this high-risk group. CONCLUSIONS: Despite recent progress, patients with comorbid IP experience limited clinical benefit, characterized by lower rates of PD-L1 testing, restricted use of immune checkpoint inhibitors, and absence of post-2020 survival gains. This large-scale and quantitative evidence demonstrates persistent disparities and their prognostic significance, reflecting the limited applicability of current immunotherapy-based strategies in this high-risk population.

There is limited data on BRAF V600E-mutant squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). We report three cases of SCC of the lung with a history of resected papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), showing p40 positivity, TTF-1 negativity, and PAX8 expression. While treated as lung SCC, metastatic thyroid carcinoma was unconfirmed due to absence of PTC recurrence, clinicopathologic features consistent with primary lung origin, and unavailable archival PTC pathology. BRAF inhibitors yielded only transient responses, and outcomes were poor. These cases underscore the diagnostic and therapeutic value of multigene testing in SCC, highlighting the need to integrate detailed clinical history into precision oncology strategies.