2008 Volume 48 Issue 6 Pages 732-736
To treat lung cancer patients with preexisting interstitial pneumonia is a clinical challenge. Recent reports suggest that lung cancer patients with preexisting interstitial pneumonia are prone to drug-induced lung injury or acute exacerbation of interstitial pneumonia. We studied 52 lung cancer patients with preexisting interstitial pneumonia (male/female of 49/3, mean age of 70.5±7.5 years old (non-small-cell lung cancer: NSCLC/small-cell lung cancer: SCLC of 42/10). Among 19 of 30 nonresectable NSCLC patients who were treated with anti-cancer drugs, 3 experienced acute exacerbation during second line chemotherapy (paclitaxel 2, gefitinib 1), and one patient in 12 patients without chemotherapy developed acute exacerbation. Among 7 of 10 SCLC patients who were treated with anti-cancer drugs, no acute exacerbation case was observed. We conclude that lung cancer patients should be carefully evaluated for preexisting interstitial pneumonia and if interstitial pneumonia exists, informed decision-making on chemotherapy is crucial.
