title: [Thoracic radiation therapy improves the prognosis for patients with extensive stage small-cell lung cancer].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the effect of thoracic radiation therapy (TRT) on patients with extensive stage small-cell lung cancer (SCLC).
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred and fifty-four patients with extensive stage SCLC treated in our department between January 2003 and December 2006 were enrolled in this study. Eighty nine patients received chemotherapy and thoracic radiation therapy (ChT/TRT), and 65 patients were treated with chemotherapy alone (ChT without TRT). The chemotherapy was CE (carboplatin and etoposide), PE (cisplatin and etoposide) or CAO (CTX, ADM and VCR) regimens. The total dose of thoracic irradiation was 40-60 Gy with 1.8 - 2.0 Gy per fraction.
  
  
  RESULTS
  For the whole group, the median survival time (MST) was 13.7 months, the 2-year and 5-year overall survival rates were 27.9% and 8.1%, respectively. The MST, overall survival rates at 2 years and 5 years in the ChT/TRT group and ChT without TRT group were 17.2 months, 36.0%, 10.1% and 9.3 months, 16.9%, 4.6%, respectively (P = 0.001). The median progression-free survival (PFS) for all patients was 8.0 months, the 2-year and 5-year PFS were 13.6% and 8.2%, respectively. The median PFS, 2-year and 5-year PFS in the ChT/TRT group and ChT without TRT group were 10.0 months, 17.4%, 10.5% and 6.2 months, 9.8%, 4.9%, respectively (P < 0.001). The incidence of intra-thoracic local failure was 29.6% in the ChT/TRT group and 70.0% in the ChT/without TRT group (P = 0.000).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Chemotherapy plus thoracic radiation therapy can improve the overall survival, progress free survival and reduce local regional failure rate in patients with extensive stage SCLC compared with that by chemotherapy alone.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Therapy, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Bejing 100021, China.
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Zong-mei
authors.initials: ZM
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Qin-fu
authors.initials: QF
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: Guang-fei
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Ou
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.forename: Xiang-ru
authors.initials: XR
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Hong-xing
authors.initials: HX
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Dong-fu
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Ze-fen
authors.initials: ZF
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.forename: Lü-hua
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016190:Carboplatin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005047:Etoposide / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D011379:Prognosis; D055752:Small Cell Lung Carcinoma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D015996:Survival Rate
chemical_list: D005047:Etoposide; D016190:Carboplatin; D002945:Cisplatin