TURKISH JOURNAL OF ONCOLOGY 1999 , Vol 14 , Num 2
TREATMENT OUTCOME IN PATENTS WITH LIMITED STAGE SMALL CELL CANCER AND THE ROLE OF RADIATION THERAPY
ETHEM NEZİH ORAL, AHMET KİZİR, SEDEN ÖZBİLEN, MEHMET ASLAN, AHMET KARADENİZ, ERKAN TOPUZ
İstanbul Üniversitesi, Onkoloji Enstitüsü We retrospectively analyzed the records of 178 patients with limited stage small-cell lung cancer treated at our institute between 1990-1997. Fifty six patients (31 %) were treated only by chemotherapy and 122 patients (69%) by combined chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Chemotherapy was cisplatin based, the most frequent regimen being cisplatin and etoposide with a median cycle of 6. Median radiation therapy dose was 39 Gy (13x300 cGy). In 63 patients (52%) radiotherapy was delivered during or after 3 cycles of chemotherapy and in 59 patients (48%) during or after 4 cycles of chemotherapy. Median follow-up was 12.2 months (range 4-73 months). Median and overall survival at 2 years were 13 months and 21% respectively in chemotherapy group; and 18 months and 34% respectively in the combined chemotherapy and radiotherapy group (P=0.009). The median and overall survival at 2 years were 12 months and 14% respectively in the patients who received radiotherapy during or after 3 cycles of chemotherapy; and 18 "months and 31% respectively in the patients who received radiotherapy during or after 4 or more cycles of chemotherapy (P=0.0011). As a result, the combined chemotherapy and radiotherapy significantly improves the overall survival in limited stage small cell lung cancer but the timing of radiotherapy has conflincting results. Keywords :