Korean J Intern Med.  2013 Jul;28(4):449-455. 10.3904/kjim.2013.28.4.449.

The start of chemotherapy until the end of radiotherapy in patients with limited-stage small cell lung cancer

• Lee KJ
• Lee EJ
• Hur GY
• Lee SY
• Kim JH
• Shin C
• Shim JJ
• In KH
• Kang KH
• Yoo SH
• Lee SY

• KMID: 1503782
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3904/kjim.2013.28.4.449

Abstract

BACKGROUND/AIMS
Chemotherapy combined with radiation therapy is the standard treatment for limited stage small cell lung cancer (LS-SCLC). Although numerous studies indicate that the overall duration of chemoradiotherapy is the most relevant predictor of outcome, the optimal chemotherapy and radiation schedule for LS-SCLC remains controversial. Therefore we analyzed the time from the start of any treatment until the end of radiotherapy (SER) in patients with LS-SCLC.
METHODS
We retrospectively analyzed 29 patients diagnosed histologically with LS-SCLC and divided them into two groups: a short SER group (< 60 days) and a long SER (> 60 days) group. Patients were treated with irinotecan-based chemotherapy and thoracic radiotherapy.
RESULTS
Sixteen patients were in the short SER group and 13 patients were in the long SER group. Short SER significantly prolonged survival rate (p = 0.03) compared with that of long SER. However, no significant differences in side effects were observed.
CONCLUSIONS
Short SER should be considered to improve the outcome of concurrent chemoradiotherapy for LS-SCLC.

Keyword

Small cell lung carcinoma; Limited-stage; Chemoradiotherapy; Start of any treatment until the end of radiotherapy

MeSH Terms

Aged
*Chemoradiotherapy
Chi-Square Distribution
Female
Humans
Kaplan-Meier Estimate
Lung Neoplasms/mortality/pathology/*therapy
Male
Middle Aged
Neoplasm Staging
Odds Ratio
Proportional Hazards Models
Retrospective Studies
Small Cell Lung Carcinoma/mortality/pathology/*surgery
Time Factors
Treatment Outcome