Radical radiotherapy for medically inoperable non-small cell lung cancer in clinical stage I: a retrospective analysis of 149 patients.
OBJECTIVE
In order to obtain the standard treatment results of medically inoperable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in Stage I in the post-CT scan era, a retrospective analysis of patients who were treated by radical radiotherapy was performed.


METHODS
149 cases treated between 1980 and 1989 were accumulated from ten large hospitals in Japan. All patients received a total dose of 55-75 Gy (mean 64.7 Gy) with conventional fractionation. For evaluation of treatment results, complete response (CR) rate, median survival period and long-termed survival rates were used.


RESULTS
The median survival of the all cases was 27.2 months and the actuarial 3- and 5-year survival rates were 34.2% and 22.2%, respectively. CR was obtained in 57 cases (38%). The CR rate was strongly correlated with the long-term survival (5-year survival rate in CR group: 35.1% compared with PR + NC group: 14.1% (P < 0.0001)). The size of tumor was also of prognostic importance. In 116 patients who died within 5 years after treatment, 66 patients (57%) died of local tumor regrowth.


CONCLUSIONS
Although the medically inoperable NSCLC patients in Stage I should be offered curative radiation therapy, development of some new steps to increase the CR rate and local control rate is urgently needed.
Morita
K
K
Department of Radiation Oncology, Aichi Cancer Center, Nagoya, Japan.
Fuwa
N
N
Suzuki
Y
Y
Nishio
M
M
Sakai
K
K
Tamaki
Y
Y
Niibe
H
H
Chujo
M
M
Wada
S
S
Sugawara
T
T
Kita
M
M
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate