ASTRO 2017: Long-Term Survival With Standard-Dose Chemoradiation in Stage III Lung Cancer
Posted: Wednesday, September 27, 2017
Based on the long-term results of the phase III RTOG 0617 trial, presented at the 2017 Annual Meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) in San Diego (Abstract 227), 60 Gy of radiation with concurrent chemotherapy should remain the standard of care for patients with unresectable, locally advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The 32% overall survival rate at 5 years is among the highest reported in the literature for stage III NSCLC.
“The current report establishes an overall 5-year survival standard for patients receiving standard-dose chemoradiation for stage III NSCLC that is substantially higher than previously estimated,” reported principal investigator Jeffrey D. Bradley, MD, FASTRO, of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, in an ASTRO press release.
Nearly 500 patients with unresectable stage III NSCLC were eligible for analysis, representing 185 institutions in the United States and Canada. Median overall survival in those who received standard treatment (60 Gy total radiation dose) was 28.7 months, compared with 20.3 months for those who received the high radiation dose (74 Gy total). The 5-year overall survival and progression-free survival also favored the standard-dose arm (32.1% vs. 23% and 18.3% vs 13%, respectively). In addition, the use of cetuximab seemed to offer no additional survival benefit.
