Targeted percutaneous microwave ablation at the pulmonary lesion combined with mediastinal radiotherapy with or without concurrent chemotherapy in locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer evaluation in a randomized comparison study

Concurrent chemoradiotherapy is the standard treatment for patients with locally advanced lung cancer. The most common dose-limiting adverse effect of thoracic radiotherapy (RT) is radiation pneumonia (RP). A randomized comparison study was designed to investigate targeted percutaneous microwave ablation at pulmonary lesion combined with mediastinal RT with or without chemotherapy (ablation group) in comparison with RT (target volume includes pulmonary tumor and mediastinal node) with or without chemotherapy (RT group) for the treatment of locally advanced non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLCs). From 2009 to 2012, patients with stage IIIA or IIIB NSCLCs who refused to undergo surgery or were not suitable for surgery were enrolled. Patients were randomly assigned to the RT group (n = 47) or ablation group (n = 51). Primary outcomes were the incidence of RP and curative effectiveness (complete response, partial response, and stable disease); secondary outcome was the 2-year overall survival (OS). Fifteen patients (31.9 %) in the RT and two (3.9 %) in the ablation group experienced RP (P < 0.001). The ratio of effective cases was 85.1 versus 80.4 % for mediastinal lymph node (P = 0.843) and 83.0 versus 100 % for pulmonary tumors (P = 0.503), respectively, for the RT and ablation groups. Kaplan–Meier analysis demonstrated 2-year OS rate of NSCLC patients in ablation group was higher than RT group, but no statistical difference (log-rank test, P = 0.297). Percutaneous microwave ablation followed by RT for inoperable stage III NSCLCs may result in a lower rate of RP and better local control than radical RT treatments.