Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy Plus Adjuvant Chemotherapy for Older Patients With Lung Cancer
Posted: Monday, August 31, 2020
Results from a retrospective study analyzing stereotactic body radiotherapy in patients older than 70 with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were published in the Journal of Geriatric Oncology. According to Apar Kishor Ganti, MD, of the University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, and colleagues, adjuvant chemotherapy was linked to an improvement in overall survival in this patient population with tumors 4 cm or greater and node-negative disease.
The authors searched the National Cancer Database for patients older than 70 with stage I or II NSCLC. Data from 7,042 patients, of whom 3,533 were female and 6,074 had stage I disease, were analyzed for the study. Patient outcomes were compared between those who had received stereotactic body radiotherapy with and without adjuvant chemotherapy.
The authors found it unlikely that patients older than 70 with NSCLC received adjuvant therapy (14%). And when they did, patients with stage II disease were more likely to receive it (38.4% vs. 10.6%). Patients with stage I disease had better overall survival than those with stage II disease when receiving stereotactic body radiotherapy alone (25.4 vs. 20.3 months; P < .001). Patients with stage II disease fared better when receiving both stereotactic body radiotherapy and adjuvant chemotherapy (20.2 vs. 14.2 months; P < .001).
Furthermore, for patients who had tumors at least 4 cm, overall survival was improved when receiving stereotactic body radiotherapy plus adjuvant chemotherapy (18.5 vs. 15.5 months; P = .003). In contrast, stereotactic body radiotherapy alone was better for patients with tumors smaller than 4 cm (24.1 vs. 20.3 months; P < .001).
Disclosure: The study authors reported no conflicts of interest.
