Autoantibody Positivity Is a Risk Factor for Chemotherapy-induced Exacerbation of Interstitial Pneumonia in Lung Cancer.

Abstract

No study has yet investigated the incidence of chemotherapy-induced acute exacerbation of interstitial pneumonia (AE-IP) in patients with autoantibody-positive IP and lung cancer. Herein, we retrospectively compared the incidence of chemotherapy-induced AE-IP in patients with lung cancer between those with autoantibody-positive and -negative IP. Between October 2003 and December 2018, patients with lung cancer who received chemotherapy, underwent serological test of antinuclear antibody or rheumatoid factor, and were diagnosed with IP were enrolled. A total of 81 patients were enrolled; autoantibody-positive cases were observed in 23.5%. Autoantibody positivity was an independent risk factor for chemotherapy-induced AE-IP at 6 months after initiation of chemotherapy for lung cancer. The time to onset of AE-IP was significantly shorter in autoantibody-positive patients than in the seronegative patients. Chemotherapy-induced AE-IP developed earlier in patients with autoantibody than in those without. Therefore, the potential development of AE-IP in autoantibody-positive patients warrants monitoring.