Congress Abstracts 2006

266

HANDHELD SPIROMETRY AS A TOOL FOR GATHERING QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH DATA IN LUNG CANCER. Cynthia Chernecky, RN, PhD, AOCN^® , Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, GA; and William Mayfield, MD, FACS, and E. Lewis Itkin, MD, FACS, Thoracic Surgery Associates, PC, Marietta, GA.

Spirometry values (FEV-1, FVC and FEV-1/FVC%) have not been successful in differentiating values from normal subjects, COPD patients and all lung cancer patients combined. No studies have used handheld spirometry, in newly diagnosed and treatment naive patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), in measuring peak expiratory flow (PEF) and forced expiratory ratio (FER). Comparison of these two values, to values taken from the literature for other groups will help determine if PEF and FER values are clinically appropriate in gathering data and use in interventional evaluation. The MicroPlus (TM), handheld spirometry machine, meets/exceeds all American Thoracic Society requirements.

What are the values of five handheld spirometry tests (FVC, FEV-1, FEV-1/FVC%, PEF and FER) in newly diagnosed persons with non-small-cell lung cancer? How do these values compare to the values in the literature for norms, patients with COPD and lung cancer patients? This study addresses a gap in the literature regarding PEF and FER values and group comparisons.

This translational framework can reveal a cost effective/efficient way to gather data useful in interventional research and clinical settings.

Prospective, descriptive. Convenience sample 23, 15 males and 8 females, newly diagnosed, treatment naive, NSCLC. 48% adenocarcinoma, 39% squamous cell, 13% large cell; Stage I (N=9), II (N=6) or III (N=8). Means were used to develop comparison histograms for 5 spirometry results in patients with NSCLC and 3 other groups whose norms were found in the literature. Limitations include small sample size, different stages of NSCLC, one clinical setting and values from the literature that did not use the same handheld machine.

FVC, FEV-1 and FEV-1/FVC% means were not different in this sample from 3 other groups and this supports the literature. However, PEF and FER mean values were different in patients with NSCLC from 3 other groups. PEF is at least 100 L/minute less and FER is 8 L/second less in persons with NSCLC than all 3 groups. PEF and FER, two handheld spirometry values, could be useful from a diagnostic perspective in lung cancer screening, interventional research and clinical areas of patient care.