Long-term Follow-up Results of Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy for Non-small Cell Lung Cancer

Objective. We evaluted long-term follow-up results of concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CRT) for locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and patients underwent surgery after CRT.Patients and Methods. Between January 1992 and April 2001, 82 patients with histologically proven NSCLC, stage II-III, were entered into this study. Chemotherapy consisted of cisplatin (20 mg/m2 on days 1-5, 22-26) and VP-16 (30 mg/m2 on days 1-5, 22-26) or cisplatin (10 mg/body) daily. Conventional thoracic radiotherapy was delivered at 2 Gy daily reaching a total dose of 60 Gy or 66 Gy. Thirty-two patients underwent surgery 4-5 weeks after CRT. Results. The median survival time, 2 and 5-year survival rates of 82 patients who underwent CRT and 32 patients who underwent surgery after CRT were 17 months, 41.8%, 19.4% and 14 months, 40.2%, 22.1%. The most common grade 3 and 4 toxicities included leukopenia (34.1%), thrombocytopenia (14.6%), esophagitis (2.4%), and radiation pnuemonitis (11.0%). There were no treatment related deaths. Conclusions. Our study of concurrent chemoradiotherapy for NSCLC demonstrated the potential to provide long-term survival and the safety.