Published in:
01-04-2012 | Original article
Factors affecting survival time after recurrence of non-small-cell lung cancer treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy
Published in: Japanese Journal of Radiology | Issue 3/2012
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Purpose
Dose-fractionation schedules of palliative or salvage radiotherapy (RT) for recurrence of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are various because they highly depend on patient prognosis. For optimal selection of dose-fractionation schedules, factors affecting survival time after recurrence were examined.
Materials and methods
From 1992 to 2005, 115 patients with stage III NSCLC received curative-intent concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT). Among these patients, 74 underwent recurrence and were reviewed. Evaluated factors were age at recurrence, gender, initial stage, histological subtype, initial radiation-field size, recurrent patterns (locoregional alone vs. distant ± locoregional), time to recurrence (≤6 vs. >6 months), and treatment for recurrence (chemotherapy, RT).
Results
Median follow-up time after recurrence was 7 (range 0–59) months. One- and 2-year overall survival rates after recurrence were 28 and 11%, respectively. Based on multivariate analysis, time to recurrence (p = 0.0001) and administration of chemotherapy for recurrence (p = 0.0190) were the independently significant factors.
Conclusions
Early recurrence was the most significant factor for survival after post-CCRT recurrence of NSCLC. Administration of chemotherapy for recurrence was also a significant factor, whereas RT for recurrence was not significant. When RT was given to patients with post-CCRT recurrence of NSCLC, dose-fractionated schedules should be determined considering these factors.