Hyponatremia normalization as an independent prognostic factor in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer treated with first-line therapy

Oncotarget. 2017 Apr 4;8(14):23871-23879. doi: 10.18632/oncotarget.13372.

Abstract

The aim of the study was to assess, for the first time, the prognostic role of hyponatremia and sodium normalization in patients receiving first-line chemo- or targeted therapy for advanced non-small cell lung cancer.Four hundred thirty-three patients with advanced non small cell lung cancer were treated with first line chemo- or targeted therapy between 2006 and 2015 at our institutions. Patients were stratified in two groups, with or without hyponatremia (group A and B, respectively). Progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were estimated using Kaplan-Meier method. A Cox regression model was carried out for univariate and multivariate analyses.Sixty-nine patients (16%) presented with hyponatremia at the start of first-line therapy. The median OS was 8.78 months in Group A and 15.5 months in Group B (p < 0.001), while the median PFS was 4.1 months and 6.3 months respectively (p = 0.24). In Group A, median OS was significantly higher in patients who normalized their sodium levels (11.6 vs. 4.7 months, p = 0.0435). Similarly, the median PFS was significantly higher in patients who normalized their sodium levels (6.7 vs. 3.3 months, p = 0.011). At multivariate analysis, sodium normalization was an independent prognostic factor for both OS and PFS.Sodium normalization during first-line therapy is an independent prognostic factor for OS and PFS in patients with advanced lung cancer treated with first-line therapies. Frequent clinical monitoring and prompt treatment of hyponatremia should be emphasized to optimize the outcome of these patients.

Keywords: hyponatremia; lung cancer; platinum-base chemotherapy; prognosis; targeted therapy.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / blood*
  • Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / drug therapy*
  • Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / pathology
  • Disease-Free Survival
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Hyponatremia / blood*
  • Lung Neoplasms / blood*
  • Lung Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Lung Neoplasms / pathology
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Prognosis
  • Proportional Hazards Models