Core features of studies of post-operative outcomes, comparing patients treated and not treated with peri-operative pirfenidone (poPirf)
| First author [ref.] | Cohort size, treated and untreated arms | Study design | Post-operative AE-IPF | Post-operative mortality |
| Iwata [101] | n=50 poPirf n=33 No poPirf n=17 | Retrospective poPirf for 4 weeks before and after surgery | Reduction in AE-IPF with poPirf at 30 days (0% versus 10.5%, p=0.07) and at 90 days (3.2% versus 21.1%, p=0.04) | IPF progression-free survival curves difference between groups was statistically marginal (p=0.0676), better in the poPirf group poPirf was numerically, but not significantly, associated with better IPF progression-free survival |
| Sekihara [102] | n=56 poPirf n=36 No poPirf n=20 | Retrospective poPirf for 4 weeks before surgery; “longer periods” after surgery | Reduction in AE-IPF with poPirf (8%) compared with no poPirf (20%) Nonsignificant trend (p=0.21) | Reduced mortality in poPirf group (p=0.04) |
| Kanayama [103] | n=100 poPirf n=28 No poPirf n=72 | Retrospectives | No effect in low-risk group Reduction in AE-IPF with poPirf in high-risk group at 30 days (p=0.11) and at 90 days (p<0.05) | Disease-specific death (including due to acute exacerbation): no significant difference at 1 year (83% in poPirf and 83.7% in non-poPirf) or 3 years (66.4% in poPirf and 47.8 % in non-poPirf) (p=0.481) Progression-free survival: no significant difference at 1 year (61.5% in the poPirf and 55.4% in non-poPirf groups) or 3 years (46.1% in the poPirf and 42.8% in non-poPirf groups) (p=0.364) |
AE-IPF: acute exacerbation of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.