title: Chemotherapy for patients with advanced lung cancer receiving long-term oxygen therapy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT) is sometimes prescribed for patients with advanced lung cancer who are potential candidates for chemotherapy. The aim of this study was to assess the usefulness of chemotherapy for patients with this disease who require LTOT.
  
  
  METHODS
  The medical records of 40 patients with advanced lung cancer who received LTOT while undergoing systemic chemotherapy at our institution between January 2009 and December 2014 were retrospectively reviewed. Chemotherapy consisted of cytotoxic or molecular-targeted agents.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-four patients had adenocarcinoma, 6 had squamous cell carcinoma, and 10 had small cell lung cancer (SCLC). The median survival time from the date of the first chemotherapy cycle performed in conjunction with LTOT was 194 days. In a multivariate analysis, the only factor significantly associated with better prognosis was the line (first or second) of the first chemotherapy with LTOT (hazard ratio =0.42; 95% confidence interval, 0.18 to 0.94). Among the 40 patients, 10 (25%) received chemotherapy during the last 30 days of their lives, 2 of whom died of chemotherapy-related adverse events.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Chemotherapy for patients with advanced lung cancer who receive LTOT may be acceptable if it is the first- or second-line treatment. However, we should be mindful of the potential overuse of chemotherapy and its negative impact on quality of life.
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Malignancy, Osaka Prefectural Medical Center for Respiratory and Allergic Diseases, Habikino City, Japan.
authors.forename: Manabu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hayama
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Malignancy, Osaka Prefectural Medical Center for Respiratory and Allergic Diseases, Habikino City, Japan.
authors.forename: Hidekazu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Malignancy, Osaka Prefectural Medical Center for Respiratory and Allergic Diseases, Habikino City, Japan.
authors.forename: Takayuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shiroyama
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Malignancy, Osaka Prefectural Medical Center for Respiratory and Allergic Diseases, Habikino City, Japan.
authors.forename: Motohiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tamiya
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Malignancy, Osaka Prefectural Medical Center for Respiratory and Allergic Diseases, Habikino City, Japan.
authors.forename: Norio
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Okamoto
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Malignancy, Osaka Prefectural Medical Center for Respiratory and Allergic Diseases, Habikino City, Japan.
authors.forename: Ayako
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Malignancy, Osaka Prefectural Medical Center for Respiratory and Allergic Diseases, Habikino City, Japan.
authors.forename: Naoko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Morishita
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Malignancy, Osaka Prefectural Medical Center for Respiratory and Allergic Diseases, Habikino City, Japan.
authors.forename: Takuji
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nishida
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Malignancy, Osaka Prefectural Medical Center for Respiratory and Allergic Diseases, Habikino City, Japan.
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nishihara
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Malignancy, Osaka Prefectural Medical Center for Respiratory and Allergic Diseases, Habikino City, Japan.
authors.forename: Tomonori
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hirashima
keywords: Lung cancer; chemotherapy; comorbidity; long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT); performance status