Thoracic radiation therapy could give survival benefit to elderly patients with extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the effect of thoracic radiation therapy (TRT) in elderly patients (aged ≥65 years) with extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC).


METHODS
This study reviewed the records of 118 elderly patients with ES-SCLC (all with distant metastasis) through January 2006-December 2013. The patients were divided into either a chemotherapy (ChT)/TRT-combination group or a ChT-alone group.


RESULTS
The median survival time and 3-year overall survival rates in the ChT/TRT group were significantly higher than those in the ChT-alone group (17.0 vs 11.7 months; 18.1 vs 14.9%; p = 0.014). The 3-year overall survival rates in patients who received prophylactic cranial irradiation were also higher than the rates in patients who did not receive prophylactic cranial irradiation (18.1 vs 5.1%; p = 0.708).


CONCLUSIONS
TRT combined with ChT could provide a survival benefit to elderly patients with ES-SCLC.
School of Medicine & Life Sciences, University of Jinan-Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong Province, China.|Department of Radiation Oncology, Shandong Cancer Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong Province, China.
Changchun
C
An
Department of Radiation Oncology, Shandong Cancer Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong Province, China.|Department of Radiation Oncology, the First Affiliated Hospital to Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China.
Wang
W
Jing
Department of Medical Oncology, Shandong Cancer Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong Province, China.
Yan
Y
Zhang
Department of Radiation Oncology, Yantai Yuhuangding Hospital, Affiliated Hospital Medical College of Qingdao University, Yuhuangding Rd. 20, Yantai, Shandong Province, China.
Sujing
S
Liu
Department of Radiation Oncology, Shandong Cancer Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong Province, China.
Haiyong
H
Wang
Department of Radiation Oncology, Shandong Cancer Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong Province, China.
Kunli
K
Zhu
Department of Radiation Oncology, Shandong Cancer Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong Province, China.
Li
L
Kong
Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shandong Cancer Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong Province, China.
Hongbo
H
Guo
Department of Radiation Oncology, Shandong Cancer Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong Province, China.
Hui
H
Zhu
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005047:Etoposide / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D055752:Small Cell Lung Carcinoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D016019:Survival Analysis; D015996:Survival Rate
D005047:Etoposide
elderly patients; extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer; thoracic radiation therapy