Publications by authors named "Laura Cove-Smith"

Curative-intent multimodality treatment-combining local treatments such as surgery or radiotherapy with systemic therapy-is the cornerstone of care in stage II-III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Since 2017, the systemic therapy backbones with multimodality treatment have undergone a dramatic transformation, driven by a series of pivotal, practice-changing clinical trials. Immunotherapy and targeted therapies, previously confined to the advanced/metastatic setting, are now firmly embedded in curative-intent regimens.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Chemo-immunotherapy (CT-IO) has improved median overall survival (mOS) for patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC), but its association with immune-related adverse events (irAEs) remains unclear. While irAEs are often linked to better outcomes in other cancers, their prognostic value in ES-SCLC is not well understood.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 399 consecutive ES-SCLC patients treated with first-line CT-IO between January 2020 and September 2024 across five European centres.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Second-line treatment for small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) typically depends on how long it's been since the last platinum therapy, with carboplatin and etoposide showing better results if the interval is over 90 days, but this study looks at its effectiveness post-chemo-immunotherapy.
  • A retrospective review of 93 patients who received this rechallenge after initial chemo-immunotherapy revealed a 59.1% overall response rate, with a median progression-free survival of 5 months and overall survival of 7 months.
  • The findings indicate that carboplatin and etoposide remain a valid second-line option for extensive-stage SCLC, providing consistent outcomes regardless of the platinum-free interval as long as it exceeds
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Extended pleurectomy decortication for complete macroscopic resection for pleural mesothelioma has never been evaluated in a randomised trial. The aim of this study was to compare outcomes after extended pleurectomy decortication plus chemotherapy versus chemotherapy alone.

Methods: MARS 2 was a phase 3, national, multicentre, open-label, parallel two-group, pragmatic, superiority randomised controlled trial conducted in the UK.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The Christie NHS Foundation Trust launched an electronic patient-reported outcome measures (ePROMs) service for lung cancer patients in January 2019, enabling them to report symptoms and quality of life (QoL) online.
  • Over 1,400 patients participated, with results showing significant differences in symptoms related to ECOG performance status and comorbidity scores, but no notable differences among age groups.
  • Patients receiving palliative treatment reported improvements in cough and hemoptysis, though mobility declined; those undergoing radical thoracic radiotherapy experienced better hemoptysis but worse pain and fatigue.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: On the basis of the findings of the phase 3 PACIFIC trial (NCT02125461), durvalumab is standard of care for patients with stage III, unresectable NSCLC and no disease progression after concurrent chemoradiotherapy (cCRT). Many patients are considered unsuitable for cCRT owing to concerns with tolerability. The phase 2 PACIFIC-6 trial (NCT03693300) evaluates the safety and tolerability of durvalumab after sequential CRT (sCRT).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Pembrolizumab is licensed for the treatment of pre-treated and PD-L1 positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but response is heterogeneous. In this context, the Lung Immune Prognostic Index (LIPI) has been proposed as tool to prognosticate outcome.

Objective: To investigate the real-world efficacy and safety of pembrolizumab in pre-treated NSCLC patients and the clinical utility of LIPI for patients' selection.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: A proportion of patients with lung cancer will not be suitable for anti-cancer treatment and are managed with best supportive care (BSC). The aim of this retrospective case series analysis was to critically review the use of diagnostic and staging investigations in patients who were ultimately managed with BSC.

Methods: A retrospective review of all lung cancer patients with a multidisciplinary team outcome of BSC from 01 June 2018 to 01 June 2019 was performed.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

High-dose interleukin 2 (HD-IL2) is one of the therapeutic options for patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma. In well-selected patients with favorable clinical and pathologic features, it offers impressive response and potential long-term remission. It also has a place for treatment for metastatic malignant melanoma and in adoptive cell therapy.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Many efficacious cancer treatments cause significant cardiac morbidity, yet biomarkers or functional indices of early damage, which would allow monitoring and intervention, are lacking. In this study, we have utilized a rat model of progressive doxorubicin (DOX)-induced cardiomyopathy, applying multiple approaches, including cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), to provide the most comprehensive characterization to date of the timecourse of serological, pathological, and functional events underlying this toxicity. Hannover Wistar rats were dosed with 1.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF