Higginson J. What’s hot that the other lot got. Thorax 2015;70:1010.

This Journal club article was originally published with 2 citations missing. The relevant citations have been added to the text below. The editors would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Beyond: first-line carboplatin/paclitaxel plus Bevacizumab or placebo in Chinese patients with advanced or recurrent non-squamous non-small-cell lung cancer

Zhou et al (J Clin Oncol 2015 Jul 1;33(19):2197–204) have performed a randomised, double-blind, multicentre, placebo-controlled, phase III study of first-line bevacizumab plus carboplatin/paclitaxel (B+CP) vs placebo plus carboplatin/paclitaxel (Pl+CP) in China where the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) prevalence is 30%. Progression-free survival (PFS) was significantly prolonged in the B+CP arm compared with Pl+CP: 9.2 months (95% CI 8.4 to 10.7) vs 6.5 months (95% CI 5.8 to 7.1), respectively. In the EGFR-positive group, the median PFS was 12.4 months with B+CP and 7.9 months with Pl+CP (HR 0.27; 95% CI 0.12 to 0.63); PFS was 8.3 and 5.6 months (HR 0.33; 95% CI 0.21 to 0.53) in wild-type tumours.

Reliable Egfr Mutation testing in ultrasound-guided Supraclavicular lymph node fine-needle Aspirates

‘Not enough tissue for EGFR testing’ is a phrase commonly heard in lung cancer multidisciplinary team meetings. Awwad et al (BMJ Open Respiratory Research 2015;2:e000075. doi: 10.1136/bmjresp-2014–0 00 075) have retrospectively assessed all ultrasound (US)-guided fine needle aspiration (FNA) of neck node procedures performed in Nottingham University Hospital from 2001 to 2013. The procedures were carried out by a radiologist with a 21-gauge needle; the average short axis of sampled nodes was 12.9 mm and 41% of nodes were<10 mm. A total of 228 patients underwent FNA, and 57 were adenocarcinoma; 34 were tested for EGFR (EGFR testing was not routine at that time), and 29 (80%) of those samples were sufficient. The authors conclude that US-guided neck FNA is a reliable procedure for diagnosis of lung cancer including EGFR mutation testing.