title: Non-small cell lung cancer: radiation therapy for locoregional recurrence after complete resection.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We investigated patterns of failure after radical radiation therapy in relation to the radiation field in patients with postsurgical locoregional recurrence of non-small cell lung cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between 1992 and 2002, 31 patients with locoregional recurrence were treated with radiation therapy. At the time of radiation therapy, the sites of recurrence were the bronchial stump, the regional lymph nodes, the chest wall, and both the regional lymph nodes and the chest wall in 7, 20, 3, and 1 patient, respectively. The prescribed dose was 60 Gy in 30 fractions over 6 weeks in all patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The response rate was 87%. The overall 1-year, 2-year, and 4-year Kaplan-Meier survival rates were 61%, 30%, and 15%, respectively, and the median survival time was 14 months. Locoregional relapse with or without distant metastasis occurred in 15 patients (in-field, 7; marginal, 7; out-field, 1), and distant metastasis alone occurred in 7 patients. The sites of marginal relapse were the upper margin in two patients, the ipsilateral margin in one patient, the contralateral margin in one patient, and the lower margin in three patients, respectively (in one patient, the data for marginal relapse overlapped). In all patients with relapse on the lower margin, the mediastinal lymph nodes were dissected at the initial surgery.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Postoperative recurrent non-small cell lung cancer showed distinctive features: the response rate was high, and the incidence of marginal relapse was also high, as in small cell lung cancer. The incidence of lower marginal relapse was high, in contrast to that in surgery-naive patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Osaka City University Graduate School of Medicine, 1-4-3 Asahimachi, Abeno-ku, Osaka 545-8585, Japan. tada@msic.med.osaka-cu.ac.jp
authors.forename: Takuhito
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tada
authors.forename: Haruyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fukuda
authors.forename: Katsuhiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakagawa
authors.forename: Kaoru
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Matsui
authors.forename: Masako
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hosono
authors.forename: Yoshie
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takada
authors.forename: Yuichi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Inoue
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000401:mortality / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D017211:Treatment Failure