title: Treatment with curative intent of stage III non-small cell lung cancer patients of 75 years: a prospective population-based study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There is little data on the survival of elderly patients with stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients with stage III NSCLC in the Netherlands Cancer Registry/Limburg from January 1, 2002 to December 31, 2008 were included.
  
  
  RESULTS
  One thousand and two patients with stage III were diagnosed, of which 237 were 75 years or older. From 228 patients, co-morbidity scores were available. Only 33/237 patients (14.5%) had no co-morbidities, 195 (85.5%) had one or more important co-morbidities, 60 (26.3%) two or more co-morbidities, 18 (7.9%) three or more co-morbidities and 2 patients (0.9%) suffered from four co-morbidities. Forty-eight percent were treated with curative intent. No significant difference in Charlson co-morbidity, age or gender was found between patients receiving curative or palliative intent treatment. Treatment with curative intent was associated with increased overall survival (OS) compared to palliative treatment: median OS 14.2 months (9.6-18.7) versus 5.2 months (4.3-6.0), 2-year OS 35.5% versus 12.1%, for curative versus palliative treatment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients who received only radiotherapy with curative intent had a median OS of 11.1 months (95% confidence interval [95% CI] 6.4-15.8) and a 5-year OS of 20.3%; for sequential chemotherapy and radiotherapy, the median OS was 18.0 months (95% CI 12.2-23.7), with a 5-year OS of 14.9%. Only four patients received concurrent chemo-radiation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this prospective series treating elderly patients with stage III NSCLC with curative intent was associated with significant 5-year survival rates.
authors: Department of Radiation Oncology, MAASTRO Clinic, GROW School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, Maastricht University Medical Centre, The Netherlands.
authors: Rinus
authors: R
authors: Wanders
authors: Jessie
authors: J
authors: Steevens
authors: Anita
authors: A
authors: Botterweck
authors: Anne-Marie C
authors: AM
authors: Dingemans
authors: Bart
authors: B
authors: Reymen
authors: Angela van
authors: Av
authors: Baardwijk
authors: Jacques
authors: J
authors: Borger
authors: Gerben
authors: G
authors: Bootsma
authors: Cordula
authors: C
authors: Pitz
authors: Ragnar
authors: R
authors: Lunde
authors: Wiel
authors: W
authors: Geraedts
authors: Philippe
authors: P
authors: Lambin
authors: Dirk
authors: D
authors: De Ruysscher
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010166:Palliative Care; D011446:Prospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate