title: Relation between elective nodal failure and irradiated volume in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with radiotherapy using conventional fields and doses.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The role of elective nodal irradiation of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients treated with radiotherapy remains unclear. We investigated the significance of treating clinically uninvolved lymph nodes by retrospectively analyzing the relationship between loco-regional failure and the irradiated volume.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between 1998 and 2003, patients with IA-IIIB NSCLC were treated with radiotherapy. The eligibility criteria for this study were an irradiation dose of 60Gy or more and a clinical response better than stable disease. Typical radiotherapy consisted of 40 Gy/20 fr to the tumor volumes (clinical target volume of the primary tumor [CTVp], of the metastatic lymph nodes [CTVn], and of the subclinical nodal region [CTVs]), followed by off-cord boost to CTVp+n to a total dose 60-68 Gy/30-34 fr. The relationship between the sites of recurrence and irradiated volumes was analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 127 patients fulfilled the eligibility criteria. Their median overall and progression-free survival times were 23.5 (range, 4.2-109.7) and 9.0 months (2.2-109.7), respectively. At a median follow-up time of 50.5 months (range, 14.2-83.0) for the surviving patients, the first treatment failure was observed in 95 patients (loco-regional; 41, distant; 42, both; 12). Among the patients with loco-regional failure, in-field recurrence occurred in 38 patients, and four CTVs recurrences associated with CTVp+n failure were observed. No isolated recurrence in CTVs was observed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In-field loco-regional failure, as well as distant metastasis, was a major type of failure, and there was no isolated elective nodal failure. Radiation volume adequacy did not seem to affect elective nodal failure.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, National Cancer Center Hospital, Tokyo, Japan. nao5-tky@umin.ac.jp
authors.forename: Naoko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sanuki-Fujimoto
authors.forename: Minako
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sumi
authors.forename: Yoshinori
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Imai
authors.forename: Yoshikazu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kagami
authors.forename: Ikuo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Sekine
authors.forename: Hideo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kunitoh
authors.forename: Yuichiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ohe
authors.forename: Tomohide
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tamura
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ikeda
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D017211:Treatment Failure
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents