title: Combined modality therapy for stage III non-small cell lung carcinoma: results of treatment and patterns of failure.
abstract: Patients with Stage III non-small cell lung carcinoma continue to pose a therapeutic problem with dismal cure rates. In an effort to improve on these results, 129 patients with biopsy-proven clinical Stage III non-small cell lung carcinoma from November 1982 through November 1987, were entered into two consecutive Phase II studies at Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center. Treatment in the first study consisted of Cisplatin and 5-Fluorouracil infusion with concomitant split course radiation; in the second Etoposide was added. Radiation and chemotherapy were given simultaneously on days one through five of each cycle in a preoperative fashion for four cycles in patients considered eligible for surgery and in a definitive fashion for six cycles in patients considered ineligible for surgery. Radiation was given in 2 Gy fractions for a planned preoperative dose of 40 Gy and a definitive dose of 60 Gy. Surgical resection was attempted four to five weeks later in patients treated preoperatively. Thus, 83 patients were treated preoperatively and 46 definitively. Eighty-three patients (64%) had IIIA disease and IIIB disease was found in the remainder of the patients. Sixty-two patients (75%) in the eligible for surgery group had a thoracotomy after the combined treatment with a resectability rate of 97% and an operative mortality rate of 5%. There were 17 patients (27%) with no evidence of residual cancer in the resected specimen. Three-year survival for the eligible for surgery group at 40% was significantly better than 19% observed in the ineligible for surgery group (p = 0.003). Seventy-six percent of the patients with no residual cancer in the resected specimen are recurrence-free at three years compared to 34% of the patients with gross residual. A total of 81 patients have failed after their treatment; 49 (59%) in the eligible for surgery group and 32 (70%) in the ineligible for surgery group. Of all the patients who failed, local failure alone and as a component occurred in 21 (26%) and 36 (44%) patients, respectively. Failure in distant sites alone was noted in 56% of the overall failures. Severe toxicity was unusual. There were three treatment related deaths (2%). Radiation esophagitis and pneumonitis were only mild to moderate seen in less than 10% of the patients. Survival rates and patterns of failure according to the stage of the disease, histology, treatment group and pathologic response will be presented in detail.
authors.affiliation: Department of Therapeutic Radiology, Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60612.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Reddy
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bonomi
authors.forename: S G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kaplan
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gale
authors.forename: L P
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Faber
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Warren
authors.forename: C F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Kittle
authors.forename: F R
authors.initials: FR
authors.lastname: Hendrickson
mesh_terms: D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D015996:Survival Rate