Impact of radiation dose on concurrent chemoradiotherapy for limited-stage small-cell lung cancer

PURPOSE: To evaluate clinical outcomes according to radiation dose in patients with limited-stage small-cell lung cancer (LS-SCLC) treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: From January 2006 to December 2015, 38 patients with LS-SCLC were treated with CCRT with etoposide and cisplatin. Total radiation doses ranged from 45 Gy to 66 Gy (1.8–2 Gy/fraction) and were classified into three groups: 45–54 Gy, 60–63 Gy, and 66 Gy. The impact of radiation dose on survival outcomes were evaluated. Toxicities were evaluated according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 4.03. RESULTS: The median follow-up period was 21 months. The 2-year overall survival (OS) and local failure-free survival (LFFS) rates were 45.8% and 67.5%, respectively. The 2-year LFFS rates were 33.3% for 45–54 Gy group, 68.6% for 60–63 Gy group, and 87.1% for 66 Gy group (p = 0.014). In multivariate analysis, radiation dose was a significant factor for LFFS (p = 0.015). Although radiation dose was not a significant factor for OS and disease-free survival (DFS) in multivariate analysis, both OS and DFS of 66 Gy group tended to be better than that of 45–63 Gy group in univariate analysis. However, there were no differences in severe toxicities among three groups. CONCLUSION: Higher radiation dose achieved better local control in patients with LS-SCLC treated with CCRT. In addition, a total dose of 66 Gy tended to improve OS and DFS.