Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Clinical Trial
. 2001 Dec;120(6):1803-10.
doi: 10.1378/chest.120.6.1803.

Effects of proton and combined proton/photon beam radiation on pulmonary function in patients with resectable but medically inoperable non-small cell lung cancer

R B Bonnet  1 , D Bush, G A Cheek, J D Slater, D Panossian, C Franke, J M Slater
Affiliations
Clinical Trial

Effects of proton and combined proton/photon beam radiation on pulmonary function in patients with resectable but medically inoperable non-small cell lung cancer

R B Bonnet et al. Chest. 2001 Dec.

Abstract

Study objectives: We evaluated the effects on pulmonary function of irradiating lung cancer with protons alone or protons combined with photons.

Design: Prospective phase I/II study.

Setting: University medical center.

Patients and interventions: Ten patients with stage I-II non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and FEV(1) < or = 1.0 L were irradiated with protons to areas of gross disease only, using 51 cobalt gray equivalents (CGE) in 10 fractions (protocol 1). Fifteen patients with stage I-IIIA NSCLC and FEV(1) > 1.0 L received 45-Gy photon irradiation to the primary lung tumor and the mediastinum, plus a 28.8-CGE proton boost to the gross tumor volume (protocol 2).

Measurements: Pulmonary function was evaluated prior to treatment and 1 month, 3 months, and 6 to 12 months following irradiation.

Results: In patients receiving protocol 1, no significant changes in pulmonary function occurred. In patients receiving protocol 2, at 6 to 12 months, the diffusion capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide had declined from 61% of predicted to 45% of predicted (p < 0.05), total lung capacity had declined from 114% of predicted to 95% of predicted (p < 0.05), and residual volume had declined from 160% of predicted to 132% of predicted (p < 0.05). Airway resistance increased from 3.8 to 5.2 cm H(2)O/L/s (p < 0.05). No statistically significant changes occurred in vital capacity, FEV(1), or PaO(2).

Conclusions: Our observations indicate that it is feasible to apply higher-than-conventional doses of radiation at a higher-than-conventional dose per fraction without excess pulmonary toxicity when conformal radiation techniques with protons are used.

PubMed Disclaimer