Cancer Management and Research

Pulmonary Toxicities of Cancer Therapies

Pulmonary toxicities are increasingly recognized as major complications associated with modern cancer therapies. The expanding use of immune checkpoint inhibitors, molecular targeted therapies, antibody-drug conjugates, radiation therapy, and combination regimens has improved survival outcomes across multiple malignancies; however, these advances have also led to an increasing incidence of treatment-related pulmonary adverse events. These toxicities include pneumonitis, interstitial lung disease, pulmonary edema, airway disorders, pulmonary hypertension, alveolar hemorrhage, and pleural diseases. Among them, immune checkpoint inhibitor-related pneumonitis has emerged as one of the most clinically significant complications because of its potentially fatal nature and its impact on treatment continuation. Despite increasing recognition, many aspects of pulmonary toxicities remain insufficiently understood, including their pathophysiology, risk factors, radiological characteristics, biomarkers, optimal management strategies, and long-term outcomes.

This Article Collection aims to provide a comprehensive overview of pulmonary toxicities associated with contemporary cancer therapies while highlighting recent advances in translational and clinical research in this rapidly evolving field. Pulmonary adverse events can substantially impair quality of life, interrupt anticancer treatment, and contribute to increased morbidity and mortality. Furthermore, the increasing use of immunotherapy and molecular targeted therapies in elderly patients and individuals with pre-existing lung diseases, such as interstitial lung disease, has created new clinical challenges. There is a critical need to improve the early diagnosis, risk stratification, monitoring, and management of these complications while balancing treatment efficacy and safety. Advances in imaging analysis, biomarker discovery, translational immunology, and real-world data analyses are expected to deepen our understanding of treatment-related pulmonary toxicities and contribute to more personalized approaches to cancer therapy.

This Article Collection welcomes any article type accepted by the journal related to pulmonary toxicities associated with cancer therapies. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, pulmonary toxicities and radiation-induced lung injury associated with antineoplastic agents, including immune checkpoint inhibitors, tyrosine kinase inhibitors, antibody-based therapies, proteasome inhibitors, mTOR inhibitors, PARP inhibitors, CDK4/6 inhibitors, KRAS inhibitors, alkylating agents, antimetabolites, antitumor antibiotics, microtubule inhibitors, topoisomerase inhibitors, and platinum-based agents. Additional topics include mechanisms of lung injury, predictive biomarkers, radiological and pathological findings, risk factors, management strategies, prognosis, artificial intelligence-based imaging analysis, and outcomes research using real-world data. Studies focusing on translational approaches that bridge clinical observations and underlying biological mechanisms are particularly encouraged.

Ryota Kikuchi, MD, PhD, is a Lecturer in the Department of Respiratory Medicine at Tokyo Medical University Hospital, Japan. His clinical and research interests focus on thoracic oncology, immune checkpoint inhibitor-related pneumonitis, drug-induced interstitial lung disease, and pulmonary complications associated with cancer therapies. His recent work has investigated the clinical impact of interstitial lung abnormalities in patients with lung cancer receiving immunotherapy. Dr. Kikuchi has authored multiple peer-reviewed publications in the fields of thoracic oncology and pulmonary toxicities and actively participates in translational and clinical research collaborations.