Conformal high dose external radiation therapy, 80.5 Gy, alone for medically inoperable non-small cell lung cancer: a retrospective analysis.
BACKGROUND
Retrospective analysis of patients with medically inoperable non-small cell lung cancer treated with continuous high-dose external beam radiation therapy at the Medical University of South Carolina.


METHODS
We identified 35 patients with non-small cell lung cancer treated 1998-2002. None were candidates for resection for reasons including: pulmonary function (n = 23), previous cancer (n = 9), other co-morbidities (n = 2), and refusal of surgery (n = 1). Median percent predicted forced expiratory volume in 1 second was 41.5%. Median age was 71 years. Five patients had more than one primary tumor: three were concurrently treated, two were sequentially treated. Lesion sizes were <3 cm (n = 24); 3-5 cm (n = 12), and >5 cm (n = 5). Nodal stage was as follows: N0 (n = 33) and N1 (n = 2). Radiation therapy was administered once daily: median dose was 80.5 Gy/35 fx/2.3 Gy/fx. The clinical target volume was tumor plus nodes > or =1.0 cm. V20 data were available for 12 patients, with a mean value of 15.7%.


RESULTS
Thirty-four patients completed treatment. Median follow-up was 23.0 months. There were 26 deaths: 19 died from non-small cell lung (73%) and seven died from co-morbid illness (27%). Median survival was 24 months (95% CI, 18.0-31.9 months). Four patients were alive with disease, and five were alive disease-free at 10- and 68-month follow-ups. Of 41 lesions, local failure occurred in 15 lesions (37%) of which 3 local failure patients (9%) failed concomitantly in untreated regional lymph nodes. There were no isolated nodal recurrences. Distant progression: 10 patients (29%) of which 6 distant progression without local failure. Two patients who both had prior lobectomies experienced grade 5 toxicities.


CONCLUSIONS
Continuous high-dose external beam radiation therapy 80.5 Gy administered in 35 fractions was tolerated. Treatment-related death was rare (6%) and isolated to patients with prior lobectomies in an extremely high-risk population. Most mortality was lung cancer-related. The dose of 80.5 Gy in 7 weeks is supported for patients with single lesions and no prior lobectomy. Local failure dominates and higher effective doses should be explored.
Urbanic
James J
JJ
Department of Radiation Oncology, Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27157, USA.
Turrisi
Andrew T
AT
Sharma
Anand K
AK
Silvestri
Gerard A
GA
Williams
Todd E
TE
Vanek
Kenneth N
KN
Sherman
Carol A
CA
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001706:Biopsy; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D018450:Disease Progression; D004307:Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D020266:Radiotherapy, Conformal / Q000379:methods*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013022:South Carolina / Q000453:epidemiology; D015996:Survival Rate / Q000639:trends; D016896:Treatment Outcome