The impact of induction chemotherapy on the dosimetric parameters of subsequent radiotherapy: an investigation of 30 consecutive patients with locally-advanced non-small cell lung cancer and modern radiation planning techniques

To investigate the influence of induction chemotherapy (ICT) on dosimetric outcomes in patients with inoperable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with definitive chemoradiation (CRT).

30 patients with inoperable stage II-III NSCLC treated with 2–4 cycles of ICT followed by definitive CRT to ≥ 60 Gy were selected. Tumor response to chemotherapy was scored by RECIST criteria. Treatment plans based on tumor extent prior to chemotherapy were generated based on equivalent planning constraints and techniques as the original post-chemotherapy plans. Dosimetric parameters predictive of toxicity for lung, esophagus, heart, and spinal cord were compared amongst the pre- and post-ICT plans.

The majority of patients (70%) experienced an overall reduction in GTV size between the pre-ICT imaging and the time of simulation. Comparing pre-and post-ICT diagnostic imaging, 5 patients met the RECIST criteria for response, 23 were classified as stable, and 2 experienced disease progression on diagnostic imaging. Despite a significantly reduced GTV size in the post-ICT group, no systematic improvements in normal tissue doses were seen amongst the entire cohort. This result persisted amongst the subgroup of patients with larger pre-ICT GTV tumor volumes (>100 cc³). Among patients with RECIST-defined response, a significant reduction in lung mean dose (1.9 Gy absolute, median 18.2 Gy to 16.4 Gy, p = 0.04) and V_20, the percentage of lung receiving 20 Gy (3.1% absolute, median 29.3% to 26.3%, p = 0.04) was observed. In the non-responding group of patients, an increased esophageal V₅₀ was found post-chemotherapy (median 28.9% vs 30.1%, p = 0.02).

For patients classified as having a response by RECIST to ICT, modest improvements in V₂₀ and mean lung dose were found. However, these benefits were not realized for the cohort as a whole or for patients with larger tumors upfront. Given the variability of tumor response to ICT, the a priori impact of induction chemotherapy to reduce RT dose to normal tissue in these patients is minimal in the setting of modern treatment planning.