title: Results of radiotherapy with curative intent in non-small cell lung cancer. An analysis of 130 patients.
abstract: Between 1970 and 1985, 130 patients were irradiated with curative intent at the Center of Oncology in Kraków. The histological diagnosis was squamous-cell carcinoma in 60.8% of patients, adenocarcinoma in 25.4% of patients and other non-small cell cancer in 13.8% of patients. Out of 130 irradiated patients 21.5% refused surgery, 26.2% were inoperable for medical reasons, and 52.3% had unresectable tumors. According to the UICC TNM 1987 classification, 62 (47.7%) patients had early (stages I and II) disease. The remaining 68 (52.3%) patients had stage III A cancer. Additional criteria for patients selection to radiotherapy with curative intent were: Karnofsky performance status > or = 50, and no respiratory insufficiency. All patients were treated with megavoltage radiation. Patients with stage I were treated by three isocentric beams. Tumor dose was 6000 cGy in 24 fractions over five weeks. In patients with stage II and III A disease the radiotherapy was started with two parallel opposed beams encompassing primary lesion and mediastinum. The dose of 4000 cGy was given in 20 fractions over four weeks, followed by a "boost" dose of 2000 cGy in the fractions over two weeks, delivered with three isocentric beams. 54% of patients were disease-free at the twelfth month, 24.6% at the 36th month, and 18.5% of patients survived five years without evidence of cancer. A significantly better survival has been observed in patients with stages I and II, with Karnofsky performance status > or = 70, and with complete radiological regression eight weeks after radiation therapy. The main cause of failure of the treatment were distant metastases.
authors.affiliation: Center of Oncology, Maria Sklodowska-Curie Memorial Institute, Kraków, Poland.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Reinfuss
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Skolyszewski
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Korzeniowski
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Rzepecki
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011044:Poland / Q000453:epidemiology; D011832:Radiation Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D011878:Radiotherapy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage; D016019:Survival Analysis