Removal of endobronchial malignant mass by cryotherapy improved performance status to receive chemotherapy.
Although malignant endobronchial mass (MEM) has poor prognosis, cryotherapy is reportedly a palliative treatment. Clinical data on postcryotherapy MEM patients in a university-affiliated hospital between 2007 and 2011 were evaluated. Survival curve with or without postcryotherapy chemotherapy and performance status (PS) improvement of these subjects were analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method. There were 59 patients (42 males), with median age of 64 years (range, 51-76, and median performance status of 2 (interquartile range [IQR], 2-3). Postcryotherapy complications included minor bleeding (n = 12) and need for multiple procedures (n = 10), while outcomes were relief of symptoms (n = 51), improved PS (n = 45), and ability to receive chemotherapy (n = 40). The survival of patients with chemotherapy postcryotherapy was longer than that of patients without such chemotherapy (median, 534 versus 106 days; log-rank test, P = 0.007; hazard ratio, 0.25; 95% confidence interval, 0.10-0.69). The survival of patients with PS improvement postcryotherapy was longer than that of patients without PS improvement (median, 406 versus 106 days; log-rank test, P = 0.02; hazard ratio, 0.28; 95% confidence interval, 0.10-0.81). Cryotherapy is a feasible treatment for MEM. With better PS after cryotherapy, further chemotherapy becomes possible for patients to improve survival when MEM caused dyspnea and poor PS.
Department of Internal Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Yueh-Fu
0000-0003-2211-3076
YF
Fang
Department of Internal Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Meng-Heng
MH
Hsieh
Department of Internal Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Tsai-Yu
TY
Wang
Department of Internal Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Horng-Chyuan
0000-0002-1830-1819
HC
Lin
Department of Internal Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Chih-Teng
CT
Yu
Department of Internal Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Chun-Liang
CL
Chou
Department of Internal Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Shu-Min
SM
Lin
Department of Internal Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Chih-Hsi
CH
Kuo
Department of Internal Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taipei, Taiwan ; Graduate Institute of Clinical Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taiwan ; Department of Thoracic Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, No. 5, Fusing Street, Gueishan Township, Taoyuan County 333, Taiwan.
Fu-Tsai
FT
Chung
D000368:Aged; D017679:Cryotherapy / Q000009:adverse effects; D004358:Drug Therapy; D004417:Dyspnea / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D016896:Treatment Outcome