title: Survival and Quality of Life Benefit after Endoscopic Management of Malignant Central Airway Obstruction.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although interventional management of malignant central airway obstruction (mCAO) is well established, its impact on survival and quality of life (QoL) has not been extensively studied.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We prospectively assessed survival, QoL and dyspnea (using validated EORTC questionnaire) in patients with mCAO 1 day before interventional bronchoscopy, 1 week after and every following month, in comparison to patients who declined this approach. Material/Patients/Methods: 36 patients underwent extensive interventional bronchoscopic management as indicated, whereas 12 declined. All patients received full chemotherapy and radiotherapy as indicated. Patients of the 2 groups were matched for age, comorbidities, type of malignancy and level of obstruction. Follow up time was 8.0±8.7 (range 1-38) months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean survival for intervention and control group was 10±9 and 4±3 months respectively (p=0.04). QoL improved significantly in intervention group patients up to the 6(th) month (p<0.05) not deteriorating for those surviving up to 12 months. Dyspnea decreased in patients of the intervention group 1 month post procedure remaining reduced for survivors over the 12th month. Patients of the control group had worse QoL and dyspnea in all time points.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Interventional management of patients with mCAO, may achieve prolonged survival with sustained significant improvement of QoL and dyspnea.
authors.affiliation: 1. 1st Pulmonary Medicine Department of National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, "Sotiria" General Hospital Athens, Greece;
authors.forename: Grigoris
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Stratakos
authors.affiliation: 2. 1st Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine department of National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, "Evangelismos" Hospital Athens, Greece;
authors.forename: Vasiliki
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Gerovasili
authors.affiliation: 1. 1st Pulmonary Medicine Department of National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, "Sotiria" General Hospital Athens, Greece;
authors.forename: Charalampos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dimitropoulos
authors.affiliation: 3. Oncology Unit, 3rd Department of Internal Medicine of National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, "Sotiria" General Hospital, Athens, Greece;
authors.forename: Ioannis
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Giozos
authors.affiliation: 2. 1st Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine department of National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, "Evangelismos" Hospital Athens, Greece;
authors.forename: Filippos T
authors.initials: FT
authors.lastname: Filippidis
authors.affiliation: 1. 1st Pulmonary Medicine Department of National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, "Sotiria" General Hospital Athens, Greece;
authors.forename: Sofia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gennimata
authors.affiliation: 4. Pulmonary Oncology Unit, "G. Papanikolaou" General Hospital, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece;
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zarogoulidis
authors.affiliation: 5. Nuclear Medicine Department, University General Hospital of Alexandroupolis, Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis, Greece.
authors.forename: Athanasios
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zissimopoulos
authors.affiliation: 4. Pulmonary Oncology Unit, "G. Papanikolaou" General Hospital, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece;
authors.forename: Athanasia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pataka
authors.affiliation: 1. 1st Pulmonary Medicine Department of National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, "Sotiria" General Hospital Athens, Greece;
authors.forename: Nikos
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Koufos
authors.affiliation: 2. 1st Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine department of National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, "Evangelismos" Hospital Athens, Greece;
authors.forename: Spyros
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zakynthinos
authors.affiliation: 3. Oncology Unit, 3rd Department of Internal Medicine of National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, "Sotiria" General Hospital, Athens, Greece;
authors.forename: Konstantinos
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Syrigos
authors.affiliation: 1. 1st Pulmonary Medicine Department of National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, "Sotiria" General Hospital Athens, Greece;
authors.forename: Nikos
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Koulouris
keywords: intervention; lung cancer; quality of life.