Purpose: The forced mid-expiratory flow (FEF_25-75%) value is a potentially sensitive marker of obstructive peripheral airflow. We aimed to assess whether FEF_25-75% can be an early predictor of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Patients and Methods: Between July 1, 2007 and June 31, 2009, we identified 3624 patients who underwent a pulmonary function test (PFT) in Gangnam Severance Hospital. We selected 307 patients aged over 40 years without COPD who had normal PFT results at baseline and who had follow-up PFT records more than 1 year later. A FEF_25-75% z-score less than − 0.8435 was considered low. We defined COPD as a forced expiratory volume in one second/forced vital capacity value of less than 0.7 before July 31, 2019. Results: Among 307 patients, 91 (29.6%) had low FEF_25-75% at baseline. After 10 years, the incidence rate of COPD in the low FEF_25-75% group was significantly higher than that in the normal FEF_25-75% group (41.8% vs 7.4%; P-value< 0.001). The Cox proportional hazard model showed that age (hazard ratio [HR] 1.09; P-value< 0.001), smoking status (occasional smoker HR, 4.59; P-value< 0.001 and long-term smoker HR, 2.18; P-value=0.023), and low FEF_25-75% (HR, 3.31; P-value< 0.001) were predictive factors for the development of COPD. Conclusion: The FEF_25-75% value in patients with normal lung function is a useful predictor for the development of COPD. We should carefully monitor patients who present with low FEF_25-75% values, even if they have normal lung function.

Background: Hyperprogressive disease (HPD) is a paradoxical acceleration of tumor growth after immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) treatment. This study aimed to identify the risk factors and to present a predictive model for HPD in patients treated with ICIs.Methods: A total of 78 non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cases, treated with at least two cycles of ICIs who underwent computed tomography (CT) for response assessment were recruited into the study from January 2016 to August 2019. HPD was defined by the following criteria: (i) time‐to‐treatment failure <2 months; (ii) a 50% increase in the sum of target lesion diameters; (iii) new development of at least two lesions in an already involved organ; (iv) appearance of a new organ lesion; and (v) a decrease in ECOG PS 2.Results: Of the 78 total patients, 15 (19.2%) had HPD. The risk factors of HPD were age; primary lesion size; and metastases in the contralateral lung, pleura, liver, and bone in multivariable logistic regression (odds ratio [OR]; 0.9038, 1.6619, 28.5913, 23.8264, 14.5711, and 20.1533, respectively, all P‐values < 0.05). By using these risk factors, we developed a prediction model for HPD and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the model was 0.9556 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.9133–0.9978).Conclusions: HPD is relatively common and associated with a grave clinical outcome, requiring a careful monitoring in lung cancer patients treated with ICIs. Moreover, risk factors such as age, size of tumor and number of various metastatic lesions should be taken into consideration before ICI administration.Key points: Significant findings of the study: Age, primary lesion size, and number of metastases are risk factors of HPD. HPD is strongly associated with poor prognosis. HPD during ICI use needs comprehensive monitoring.What this study adds: This is the first study to develop a prediction model. The area under the curve of the prediction model for HPD was 0.9556.

Kim T, et al. J Korean Med Sci. 2024 Mar;39(11):e105. https://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2024.39.e105

There are insufficient data regarding the relationship between non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis and incident aspergillosis. We performed a population-based, matched cohort study using data from the Korean National Health Insurance database between 2003 and 2013. The incidence of aspergillosis was 50/100,000 person-years in the bronchiectasis cohort and 11/100,000 person-years in the matched cohort (subdistribution hazard ratio, 4.53; 95% confidence interval (CI), 3.25–6.32). Among the bronchiectasis cohort, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (adjusted HR, 1.95; 95% CI, 1.07–3.57), previous pulmonary tuberculosis (adjusted HR, 3.67; 95% CI, 2.03–6.64), and non-tuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease (adjusted HR, 11.25; 95% CI, 1.49–85.18) increased the risk of incident aspergillosis. The incidence of aspergillosis in patients with bronchiectasis was approximately 4.5-fold that in those without bronchiectasis. Comorbid pulmonary diseases—chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, previous pulmonary tuberculosis, and non-tuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease—significantly increased the risk of aspergillosis in patients with bronchiectasis. Our study indicates that close monitoring is warranted for aspergillosis in patients with bronchiectasis.

Kim T, et al. Tuberc Respir Dis. 2019 Feb;82:e21. https://doi.org/10.4046/trd.2019.0026