Definitive concurrent chemoradiotherapy outcomes in Stage IIIB nonsmall cell lung cancer patients younger than 45 years: A retrospective analysis of 145 patients

Abstract

Purpose: To assess the survival outcomes and prognostic factors of young (≤45 years) Stage IIIB nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients treated with definitive concurrent chemoradiotherapy (C-CRT).

Materials and methods: Medical records of 145 Stage IIIB NSCLC patients (≤45 years) who received 60-66 Gy thoracic radiotherapy and concurrent 1-3 cycles of cisplatin-based doublet chemotherapy were retrospectively evaluated. The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS), while locoregional progression-free survival (LRPFS), progression-free survival (PFS), and evaluation of potential prognostic factors constituted the secondary endpoints.

Results: At median 21.6 months (range: 7.3-62.5) of follow-up, the median and 4-year survival estimates were 24.8 months and 24.2% for OS, 15.7 months and 18.9%, for LRPFS and 12.0 months and 11.2% for PFS, respectively. On univariate analyses, among all factors, the smaller tumor size (≤7.0 cm; P = 0.03), lower T-stage (T1-T2; P = 0.02), lower N-stage (N2; P = 0.01), absence of anemia before C-CRT (hemoglobin [Hb] ≥12 g/dL; P < 0.001), and lower/no pretreatment weight loss (WL ≤5%; P < 0.001) were found to be associated significantly with longer median OS durations, which also retained their independent significance on multivariate analyses, except for tumor size category.

Conclusions: The encouraging median 24.8 months OS duration observed here in young NSCLC patients accords well with the results of recent landmark locally advanced NSCLC series without age stratification. Other than the well-established T and N stages, extra exhibit of superior OS in patients with initial Hb ≥12 g/dL and ≤5% WL levels suggests a noteworthy prognostic role for these two latter variables in the stratification of such patients.

Keywords: Concurrent chemoradiotherapy; nonsmall cell lung cancer; young patients.