While neoadjuvant immunochemotherapy has improved outcomes of resectable nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC), treatment-induced tissue changes can increase surgical complexity. This study aimed to identify preoperative predictors of technically challenging surgery following neoadjuvant immunochemotherapy. This multicenter retrospective analysis included 114 patients who underwent surgery after neoadjuvant nivolumab plus platinum-based chemotherapy at 29 institutions between March 2023 and July 2024. Challenging surgery was defined as one requiring bronchoplasty, pulmonary artery angioplasty, or pneumonectomy. Logistic regression was used to identify preoperative predictors for surgical complexity. Twenty-one patients (18.4
INTRODUCTION:Antibiotics and proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) have been associated with the reduced efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This study assessed the clinical impact of these medications in the neoadjuvant setting. PATIENTS AND METHODS:This multicenter retrospective study was conducted in 29 Japanese institutions. Between March 2023 and July 2024, 131 patients with resectable clinical stage II-III NSCLC who received neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy with nivolumab were enrolled. In total, 113 patients who underwent definitive surgery were included in the surgical outcome analysis. We investigated the association between the use of antibiotics and PPIs within 30 days before treatment initiation and clinicopathological factors, including the pathological complete response (pCR) and major pathological response (MPR). RESULTS:Among 113 patients, 5 (4.4%) had received antibiotics and 23 (20.4%) PPIs. Antibiotic and PPI use showed no significant differences in any clinicopathological factors. Antibiotic and PPI use was not significantly associated with the objective response rate (ORR), pCR, or MPR; antibiotic (use/non-use): 80.0%/70.4% (p = 1.000), 40.0%/35.8% (p = 1.000), 60.0%/59.6% (p = 1.000) and PPI (use/non-use): 78.3%/68.9% (p = 0.532), 43.5%/33.3% (p = 0.507), 60.9%/58.9% (p = 1.000). CONCLUSION:Prior use of antibiotics and PPIs was not significantly associated with radiological or pathological response of neoadjuvant ICI in patients with resectable NSCLC. Further studies with larger sample size and longer survival follow-up are needed.
Objective Infectious mononucleosis (IM) is most commonly caused by Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). However, recent epidemiological shifts have increased the proportion of adult cases attributable to cytomegalovirus (CMV). Early distinction of EBV-related IM (EBV-IM) using routine laboratory parameters may reduce unnecessary testing and facilitate timely counseling regarding activity restriction. This study aimed to identify the laboratory features that distinguish EBV-IM from non-EBV IM and to develop a simple diagnostic scoring system. Methods We retrospectively analyzed 39 consecutive patients with IM (EBV-IM, n = 22; non-EBV IM, n = 17, including CMV-IM, n =8). The laboratory parameters and inflammatory indices were compared between the groups, and receiver operating characteristic curve analyses were used to determine the optimal cutoff values for score development. Results EBV-IM patients had higher alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) levels than non-EBV IM patients, whereas the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were lower in EBV-IM patients. Four variables were used for scoring: ALT ≥ 120 U/L, ALP ≥ 200 U/L, NLR ≤ 0.6, and CRP ≤ 2.0 mg/dL, collectively termed the EBV-IM Laboratory Score (EL-Score). A score ≥ 2 predicted EBV-IM with an area under the curve of 0.95 (95% confidence interval: 0.88-1.00), a sensitivity of 0.91, and a specificity of 0.94. Conclusions The EL-Score, based on routinely available laboratory parameters, may enable the early distinction between EBV-IM and non-EBV IM in internal medicine practice.
BACKGROUND Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) affect hepatic drug metabolism via cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes, but the impact of potassium-competitive acid blockers (P-CABs), such as vonoprazan (VPZ), is not fully understood. This study aimed to evaluate whether maintenance-dose VPZ influences hepatic CYP activity using the 13C-aminopyrine breath test (13C-ABT). MATERIAL AND METHODS Twenty healthy subjects aged 18 years or older were recruited. Each participant underwent 13C-ABT under 2 conditions: without treatment (control) and after 8 days of 10 mg VPZ once daily. After oral administration of 100 mg 13C-aminopyrine, breath samples were collected before dosing and every 15-30 minutes for 3 hours. The delta-over-baseline (DOB) ratio, reflecting ¹³CO₂/¹²CO₂, was measured using infrared spectroscopy. RESULTS Nineteen participants (median age 24 years; 10 men, 9 women) completed the study. In the control condition, DOB values increased from 15 minutes after dosing and reached a peak at 49.7±35.8 minutes. The VPZ condition showed no significant differences in the DOB curve compared to the control condition (P=0.316). The area under the DOB curve over 3 hours was comparable between conditions, with a geometric mean ratio of 1.09 (90% confidence interval 0.97-1.23). Peak values and time to peak were also similar between 2 conditions. CONCLUSIONS Administration of 10 mg of VPZ did not significantly affect hepatic CYP activity as assessed by the 13C-ABT, suggesting that VPZ at a maintenance dose has minimal effect on hepatic drug metabolism and drug-drug interactions.