title: Involved field radiotherapy for locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer: isolated mediastinal nodal relapse.
abstract: The current standard of care for locally advanced inoperable non-small cell lung cancer is high dose radiotherapy with concurrent chemotherapy. We report on a patient with stage IIIA NSCLC treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy on the primary tumor and the 18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography ((18)FDG-PET) positive hilar and mediastinal lymph nodes. Six months after treatment this patient developed a single isolated contralateral mediastinal nodal relapse outside but in the proximity of the irradiated target volume. This patient was successfully re-irradiated to this isolated nodal relapse after reconstruction of the dose given to the localisation of this regional recurrence. This case describes the clinical problem of a regional recurrence after involved field radiotherapy that occasionally occurs. A possible explanation for those regional recurrences is an under staging of extension of the disease because the time-interval between the staging (18)FDG-PET-CT scan and the start of the irradiation was too long. If the time-interval is 4 weeks or more, we strongly recommend a new (18)FDG-PET-CT because of the possibility of upstaging of the disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, The Netherlands Cancer Institute/Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: B G L
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Vanneste
authors.forename: R L M
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Haas
authors.forename: M P L
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Bard
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rijna
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Váldes Olmos
authors.forename: J S A
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Belderbos
mesh_terms: D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D002985:Clinical Protocols; D018450:Disease Progression; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008482:Mediastinum / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011859:Radiography; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage