SBRT for early stage lung cancer: outcomes from biopsy-proven and empirically treated lesions

AIM: Herein, we compare outcomes in patients treated with lung stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) with and without tissue confirmation. METHODS: We reviewed 196 patients that underwent lung SBRT for presumed (100 patients) or proven non-small-cell lung cancer (96 patients) over a 10-year period and compared outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 196 patients with a median age of 76 underwent lung SBRT to a median dose of 48 Gy in four fractions. Median follow up was 17 months. Local control and overall survival at 3 years was 94 and 58% for the entire group. There was no difference in overall survival, local control, regional control or distant control between the cohorts. CONCLUSION: SBRT is a safe and effective treatment for patients with non-small-cell lung cancer that are medically inoperable with comparable results in empirically treated patients.