In a nutshell
The authors evaluated the safety and efficacy of combining three different types of treatment in non-small-cell lung cancer.
Some background
Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for the majority (80%) of lung cancers. Surgery is the typical treatment, however patient outcomes are typically poor without a second treatment option. As good patient outcomes decline as the cancer progresses, early diagnosis and treatment is important.
In patients with NSCLC, chemotherapy both before and after undertaking surgery has been shown to increase survival rates. The effect of a combination of radiation therapy and chemotherapy following surgery is less understood.
Methods & findings
The current study examined the safety and effectiveness of a combination of three treatments in NSCLC. The records of 71 patients who had stage 3 (spread to the local lymph nodes) NSCLC were examined. All of these patients had been treated with three different treatments. All patients underwent surgery followed by radiotherapy. 23 patients were treated with chemotherapy before surgery, and 48 were treated with chemotherapy after surgery.
The average 3-year survival rate was 49.6%, and the average 5-year survival rate was 35.5%. The average 3-year disease free survival rate (time from treatment until cancer recurrence) was 41.8%, and the average 5-year rate was 27.4%. 12.6% of patients developed a local recurrence (recurrence at the same site as the original tumor). 44% developed a distant metastasis (spread of the disease to a different area of the body).
There was no significant difference in survival for patients who underwent chemotherapy before or after surgery. Cisplatin-based chemotherapy led to an average survival of 41 months. Non-cisplatin-based chemotherapy led to an average survival or 22 months.
The safety of the three treatments was closely monitored in this study. Just over 8% of patients were found to have inflammation of the lungs following radiation. 5.6% had inflammation in their throat.
The bottom line
This study concluded that the use of a combination of three treatments was safe and effective in treating patients with stage 3 non-small-cell lung cancer.
The fine print
The study was carried out in only one medical center and very few patients were used. The study should be repeated with a larger number of randomly selected patients with non-small-cell lung cancer.
What’s next?
Discuss the benefits of multiple treatments for NSCLC with your doctor.
Published By :
BMC cancer
Date :
Aug 09, 2014
