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Stereotactic body radiation therapy stopped cancer growth in inoperable early-stage NSCLC

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51st ASTRO Annual Meeting

In frail patients with inoperable non–small cell lung cancer, treatment with stereotactic body radiation therapy resulted in a high rate of local tumor control for three years, according to the findings of a phase-2 trial.

Researchers from the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) enrolled 55 patients at eight RTOG institutions in the United States and Canada from May 2004 to October 2006. Patients were assigned to stereotactic body radiation therapy, a specialized type of external beam radiation therapy, at a dose of 54 Gy in three fractions. Treatment was performed for 1.5 to two weeks rather than the standard duration of six to eight weeks. Median follow-up was 34 months.

Robert D. Timmerman, MD, professor of radiation oncology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, presented the findings from the trial at the 51st ASTRO Annual Meeting, held in Chicago.

“The primary endpoint of this trial showed a high rate of local control, such that the three-year local control was nearly 98%,” Timmerman said during the presentation. Fifty-six percent of patients survived for three years after diagnosis. Forty-eight percent survived for three years after treatment with no sign of disease recurrence. In addition, less than 20% of patients experienced a serious decline in their health status.

“The results of the RTOG 0236 study confirm that stereotactic body radiation therapy should now be considered a standard treatment in patients with early-stage lung cancer and co-existing serious medical problems, such as emphysema, heart disease and stroke,” Timmerman said in a press release. “It also begs the question of whether stereotactic body radiation therapy should be considered in healthier patients with lung cancer who are treated with surgery.”

For more information:

• Timmerman RD. #5. Presented at: 51st ASTRO Annual Meeting; Nov. 1-5, 2009, Chicago.

More ASTRO meeting highlights>>