Simultaneous chemoradiation in advanced non‐small cell lung cancer

Abstract

We designed our study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of simultaneous chemoradiation therapy in an accelerated, twice-a-day schedule to improve local control and survival in advanced lung cancer patients. Forty-one patients were entered into the study. Twenty-three had stage IIIB and 18 had stage IIIA disease. They received cisplatin 30 mg/m2, VP-16 80 mg/m2, and 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) 900 mg/m2 in iv infusion. Radiation therapy consisted of 2G twice a day for 5 days, followed by a 2-week rest. This cycle was repeated 3 times. Patients were evaluated for surgical resection after the second cycle. Acute toxicity was acceptable: 3 patients expired (1 congestive heart failure, 1 sepsis, 1 pulmonary embolism). The 1-year actuarial survival was 60.3%; the 2-year actuarial survival was 55.3%. Our results show that this regimen is well tolerated and that the 2-year actuarial survival appears to be comparable to that reported in the literature.