Role of consolidative thoracic radiation in extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer with first-line chemoimmunotherapy: a retrospective study from a single cancer center

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the role of consolidative thoracic radiation (TRT) in extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC) receiving first-line chemo-immunotherapy followed by immunotherapy maintenance. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Outcomes of patients without disease progression after first-line chemotherapy were retrospectively reviewed (January 2020 to December 2021). Based on TRT or not, patients were allocated to TRT group or non-TRT group. Progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS) and local-recurrence free survival (LRFS) were calculated by the Kaplan–Meier method and compared by log-rank test. RESULTS: Of 100 patients, 47 received TRT and 53 non-TRT. The median follow-up was 20.3 months. The median PFS and OS in TRT were 9.1 months and 21.8 months, versus 8.8 months (p = 0.93) and 24.3 months (p = 0.63), respectively, in non-TRT. The median LRFS time in TRT was not reached, but significantly longer than 10.8 months in non-TRT (HR = 0.27, p < 0.01). Second-line chemotherapy significantly prolonged survival compared to that with chemo-free patients (mOS: 24.5 vs. 21.4 months, p = 0.026). The subgroup analysis showed a trend of patients with brain metastases benefit from TRT (21.8 versus 13.7 months, HR 0.61, p = 0.38) while liver metastases did not. Of 47 patients with TRT, only 10.6% of patients experienced grade 3 radiation-induced pneumonitis, while no grade 4 or 5 adverse events occurred. CONCLUSION: Consolidative TRT in the period of immunotherapy maintenance followed first-line chemo-immunotherapy did not prolong OS and PFS but associated with improved LRFS in ES-SCLC. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12672-023-00666-7.