Prognostic Factors and Treatment of Early-stage Small-cell Lung Cancer.
Only 0.1-0.17% of all lung cancer patients are diagnosed with stage I or II small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Radiochemotherapy remains the standard treatment for limited stage disease. This study focused on prognostic factors in early stage SCLC treated with radiochemotherapy.



Seven factors in eight patients with early stage SCLC were analyzed concerning the impact on overall survival, namely gender, age, Karnofsky performance score, N-category, UICC-stage, concurrent chemotherapy and prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI).



Median overall survival was 46 months. On univariate analysis, UICC stage I (48 vs. 24 months, p=0.022) and PCI (48 vs. 20 months, p=0.004) were significantly associated with improved overall survival. On multivariate analysis, PCI was an independent positive prognostic factor (p<0.001).



UICC stage and PCI were identified as significant predictors of survival in early stage SCLC. PCI qualified as an independent positive prognostic factor and should be administered in early-stage SCLC.
Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany LKaesmann@gmail.com.
Lukas
L
Käsmann
Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany.
Louisa
L
Bolm
Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany.|Private Practice of Radiotherapy and Radiation Oncology, Hannover, Germany.
Stefan
S
Janssen
Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany.
Dirk
D
Rades
D000368:Aged; D016190:Carboplatin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D059248:Chemoradiotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D016371:Cranial Irradiation; D055088:Early Detection of Cancer; D005047:Etoposide / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D017567:Karnofsky Performance Status; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D055752:Small Cell Lung Carcinoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D005047:Etoposide; D016190:Carboplatin; D002945:Cisplatin
Small-cell lung cancer; early stage; predictors; prophylactic cranial irradiation; survival