title: Combined modality treatment for locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer: preoperative chemoradiation does not result in a poorer quality of life.
abstract: The German Lung Cancer Cooperative Group (GLCCG) is assessing the impact of chemoradiation in addition to chemotherapy in the neoadjuvant treatment of stage III NSCLC. After three cycles of cisplatin/etoposide patients receive either hyperfractionated radiotherapy (RT) with concurrent carboplatin/vindesine and then surgery (arm A) versus surgery and then conventional RT (arm B). Quality of life (QL) was assessed throughout therapy using the EORTC QLQ-C30 and EORTC QLQ-LC 13. Of 126 eligible patients, 54 completed treatment. For patients in both treatment arms physical functioning decreased, whereas dyspnoea, fatigue and pain increased from beginning to the end of treatment. For self-assessed QL no statistically significant effect was found in or between the two treatment arms. The combined modality approach with preoperative radio/chemotherapy proves to be feasible in treating locally advanced NSCLC patients without decreasing their subjective QL.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine/Hematology, University of Münster, 48129 Münster, Germany. anschum@uni-muenster.de
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schumacher
authors.forename: Dorothea
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Riesenbeck
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Braunheim
authors.forename: Dieter
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wewers
authors.forename: Achim
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Heinecke
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Semik
authors.forename: Petra
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hoffknecht
authors.forename: Hans N
authors.initials: HN
authors.lastname: Macha
authors.forename: Folker
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Klinke
authors.forename: Ernst-Wilhelm
authors.initials: EW
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.forename: Normann
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Willich
authors.forename: Wolfgang E
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Berdel
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Thomas
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016190:Carboplatin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D019583:Dose Fractionation, Radiation; D004417:Dyspnea / Q000209:etiology; D005047:Etoposide / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010146:Pain; D011788:Quality of Life; D014751:Vindesine / Q000008:administration & dosage
chemical_list: D005047:Etoposide; D016190:Carboplatin; D002945:Cisplatin; D014751:Vindesine