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J.J. Mullon



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    P1.05 - Poster Session with Presenters Present (ID 457)

    • Event: WCLC 2016
    • Type: Poster Presenters Present
    • Track: Early Stage NSCLC
    • Presentations: 1
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      P1.05-064 - Global Practice Patterns of Multifocal Lung Cancer (ID 4398)

      14:30 - 15:45  |  Author(s): J.J. Mullon

      • Abstract

      Background:
      Multifocal lung cancer (MFLC) is a clinical scenario that is more frequently diagnosed with the increased utilization of computed tomography of the chest. The management of MFLC is limited by the difficulties in accurately staging a patient and understanding whether lesions represent separate primaries or metastatic disease. We sought to understand the global practice patterns of MFLC.

      Methods:
      A questionnaire was developed and sent to members of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer through REDCap electronic data capture tools to assess how a hypothetical patient with synchronous MFLC would be evaluated and treated. Responses were compared by specialty using the χ[2] test.

      Results:
      We received 221 responses from multiple specialists (74 Thoracic Surgeons, 68 Medical Oncologists, 32 Pulmonologists, 22 Radiation Oncologists and 25 others) primarily from Europe (n=76) and North America (n=62). Over 87 respondents reported 20 or more years of experience in the field. Most respondents recommended surgery (n=140, 63%), but many others did not (n=39, 18%) or were uncertain (42, 19%). Surgeons (n=60/74, 81%) were significantly more likely to recommend surgery than medical oncologists (n=37/68, 54%), pulmonologists (n=21/32, 66%) or radiation oncologists (n=10/22, 45%; p=0.01). Lobectomy of the primarily involved lobe (n=42, 30%) and various combinations of segmentectomies (n=48, 34%) were the most commonly recommended surgical approaches. Of those who recommended surgery, most would obtain a PET/CT to rule out distant metastasis (n=135, 97%) and an MRI to rule out brain metastases (n=76, 55%) but in the absence of radiographic lymph node involvement most would not stage the mediastinum by bronchoscopy or mediastinoscopy prior to resection (n=90, 65%). Many preferred obtaining multiple biopsies of separate lesions (n=139, 63%) and genetic testing of these lesions (n=146, 66%) to assess their histologic and genetic agreement. In the case that surgery was not offered or declined, more respondents recommended radiation (n=114, 52%) than those who did not (n=50, 23%) or were uncertain (56, 26%). Similarly, in the absence of surgery or radiotherapy, slightly more respondents recommended systemic chemotherapy (n=83, 38%) than those who did not (n=79, 36%) or those who were uncertain (n=59, 27%).

      Conclusion:
      Although most respondents favored surgery when feasible for MFLC, many were uncertain as to the optimal approach for this disease. Optimal management of MFLC requires greater evidence from studies which is currently lacking, and current strategies are strongly influenced by specialty bias.