title: Radiation therapy alone or combined with misonidazole in the treatment of locally advanced non-oat cell lung cancer: report of an RTOG prospective randomized trial.
abstract: From September 1979 to February 1983, 268 patients with unresectable, locally advanced (RTOG Stage III), non-small cell lung cancer were randomized to receive radiation therapy alone (RT) (50 Gy large field and 10 Gy boost), or combined with misonidazole (400 mg/m2 2-4 hr prior to RT daily for 5-6 weeks to a maximum dose of 12 g/m2 or until tumor progression). One hundred twenty-three patients who received irradiation alone and 116 given RT + misonidazole were evaluable for toxicity, time to tumor progression, and survival as of April 1987. The distribution of patient characteristics was similar in both treatment groups; 59% of the patients had a Karnofsky score of 90 or better, 53% had adenocarcinoma or large cell tumors, and 47% had Stage T3 tumors. Complete tumor regression was reported for 33 (27%) patients treated with radiation therapy alone and 24 (21%) who received misonidazole + RT. Median survival was 8 months with RT alone and 7.4 months with misonidazole + RT. Ninety-five percent of the patients have died. Seventy percent of the patients treated with radiation alone and 77% of those treated with misonidazole + RT died of progressive disease. Three patients treated with radiation alone and two with RT + misonidazole died subsequent to radiotherapy-related pneumonitis or pulmonary fibrosis. There was no significant improvement in response rates, local control, or survival for patients who received daily misonidazole along with irradiation compared with patients treated by irradiation alone.
authors.affiliation: Washington University School of Medicine, Radiation Oncology Center, Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, St. Louis, MO 63110.
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Simpson
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bauer
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Perez
authors.forename: T H
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Wasserman
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Emami
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Doggett
authors.forename: R W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Byhardt
authors.forename: T L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Phillips
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Mowry
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000532:radiotherapy; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000532:radiotherapy; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D008875:Middle Aged; D008920:Misonidazole / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015337:Multicenter Studies as Topic; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011897:Random Allocation
chemical_list: D008920:Misonidazole