Proton beam therapy for patients with medically inoperable stage I non-small-cell lung cancer at the university of tsukuba.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate in a retrospective review the role of proton beam therapy for patients with medically inoperable Stage I non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).


METHODS
From November 2001 to July 2008, 55 medically inoperable patients with Stage I NSCLC were treated with proton beam therapy. A total of 58 (T1/T2, 30/28) tumors were treated. The median age of study participants was 77 years (range, 52-86 years). A total dose of 66 GyE in 10 fractions was given to peripherally located tumors and 72.6 GyE in 22 fractions to centrally located tumors.


RESULTS
The rates (95% confidence interval) of overall and progression-free survival of all patients and of local control of all tumors at 2 years were 97.8% (93.6-102.0%), 88.7% (77.9-99.5%), and 97.0% (91.1-102.8%), respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in progression-free rate between T1 and T2 tumors (p = 0.87). Two patients (3.6%) had deterioration in pulmonary function, and 2 patients (3.6%) had Grade 3 pneumonitis.


CONCLUSIONS
Proton beam therapy was effective and well tolerated in medically inoperable patients with Stage I NSCLC.
Nakayama
Hidetsugu
H
Proton Medical Research Center, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan. hnakayama@pmrc.tsukuba.ac.jp
Sugahara
Shinji
S
Tokita
Mari
M
Satoh
Hiroaki
H
Tsuboi
Koji
K
Ishikawa
Shigemi
S
Tokuuye
Koichi
K
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D061766:Proton Therapy; D011522:Protons / Q000009:adverse effects; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage; D011880:Radiotherapy Planning, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D011522:Protons