title: Thoracic Re-irradiation for Locally Recurrent Lung Cancer
abstract: Background: Patients with recurrent or progressive lung cancer experience a significant symptom burden, negatively
  affecting quality of life and reducing life expectancy. Thoracic re-irradiation can be used for palliative treatment to
  relieve symptoms or as a curative treatment. Methods: Using patient charts, we identified and reviewed 28 cases that
  had received palliative thoracic re-irradiation for recurrent lung cancer. Results: Before re-irradiation, 32% of patients
  had stage III non-small cell lung cancer and six had small cell lung cancer. The median interval between treatments was
  18.7 months. Median follow-up was 31.2 months from the initial radiotherapy and 5 months after re-irradiation. A better
  performance status before re-irradiation (<80 vs >80, p=0.09) and a lower overlap 90% isodose (<70 vs >70, p=0.09)
  showed trends toward improved survival. Grade 1-2 toxicity from re-irradiation was recorded in 12/28 patients, and no
  grade 3 or 4 acute toxicity was encountered. Conclusion: The role of palliative treatment in survival is not clear but it
  can provide symptomatic relief in patients, with no high grade toxicity. Further studies with greater patient numbers and
  longer follow-up times should facilitate determination of the role of this treatment in toxicity and effects on survival.
authors.forename: Meryem
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Aktan
authors.forename: Gul
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kanyilmaz
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Koc
authors.forename: Serhat
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aras
keywords: Re-irradiation; locally recurrent lung cancer; quality of life