Twice Daily Radiation Therapy Plus Concurrent Chemotherapy for Limited-Stage Small Cell Lung Cancer

Yeo, Seung Gu; Cho, Moon June; Kim, Sun Young; Kim, Ki Whan; Kim, Jun Sang

Abstract

PURPOSE: A retrospective study was performed to evaluate the efficiency and feasibility of twice daily radiation therapy plus concurrent chemotherapy for limited-stage small cell lung cancer in terms of treatment response, survival, patterns of failure, and acute toxicities.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Between February 1993 and October 2002, 76 patients of histologically proven limited-stage small cell lung cancer (LS-SCLC) were treated with twice daily radiation therapy and concurrent chemotherapy. Male was in 84% (64/76), and median age was 57 years (range, 32~75 years). Thoracic radiation therapy consisted of 120 or 150 cGy per fraction, twice a day at least 6 hours apart, 5 days a week. Median total dose was 50.4 Gy (range, 45~51 Gy). Concurrent chemotherapy consisted of CAV (cytoxan 1000 mg/m2, adriamycin 40 mg/m2, vincristine 1 mg/m2) alternating with PE (cisplatin 60 mg/m2, etoposide 100 mg/m2) or PE alone, every 3 weeks. The median cycle of chemotherapy was six (range, 1~9 cycle). Prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI) was recommended to the patients who achieved a complete response (CR). PCI scheme was 25 Gy/ 10 fractions. Median follow up was 18 months (range, 1~136 months).
RESULTS
Overall response rate was 86%; complete response in 39 (52%) and partial response in 26 (34%) patients. The median overall survival was 23 months. One, two, and three year overall survival rate was 72%, 50% and 30%, respectively. In univariate analysis, the treatment response was revealed as a significant favorable prognostic factor for survival (p<0.001). Grade 3 or worse acute toxicities were leukopenia in 46 (61%), anemia in 5 (6%), thrombocytopenia in 10 (13%), esophagitis in 5 (6%), and pulmonary toxicity in 2 (2%) patients. Of 73 evaluable patients, 40 (55%) patients subsequently had disease progression. The most frequent first site of distant metastasis was brain.
CONCLUSION
Twice daily radiation therapy plus concurrent chemotherapy produced favorable response and survival for LS-SCLC patients with tolerable toxicities. To improve the treatment response, which proved as a significant prognostic factor for survival, there should be further investigations about fractionation scheme, chemotherapy regimens and compatible chemoradiotherapy schedule.