title: Comparison of outcome between clinically staged, unresected superior sulcus tumors and other stage III non-small cell lung carcinomas treated with radiation therapy alone.
abstract: Several studies suggest that patients with non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) of the superior sulcus fare better after radiation therapy than those patients with comparable tumors at other thoracic sites. There is limited data on stage-by-stage comparisons between patients with superior sulcus tumors (SST) and non-SST (NSST). Thirty patients had SST among 656 patients with American Joint Committee on Cancer clinically staged IIIA (n = 389) and IIB (n = 267) primary NSCLC who received definitive once-daily radiation therapy. The median patient age, sex ratio, histologic findings, grade, weight loss, and performance status were similar for SST and NSST. Minimum follow-up was 24 months, with 88% of patients followed until death. The survival of patients with SST (median, 10.3 months) was similar to that of patients with tumors at other pulmonary sites (median, 10.8 months; P = 0.39). Survival for favorable patients with performance status 0 to 1 and weight loss of 5% or less was comparable between patients with SST (median, 15.0 months) and NSST were similar for patients with SST and NSST (P = 0.48). The brain was the site of first failure in 20% of patients with SST and 10% of patients with NSCLC at other sites (P = 0.10). The lack of apparent difference in outcome of comparably staged patients with SST and NSST treated with radiation alone may have significant therapeutic implications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA 19111.
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Herbert
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Curran
authors.forename: P M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Stafford
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Rosenthal
authors.forename: W G
authors.initials: WG
authors.lastname: McKenna
authors.forename: E N
authors.initials: EN
authors.lastname: Hughes
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000556:secondary; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage; D011882:Radiotherapy, High-Energy; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013899:Thoracic Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome