Comparison of the Efficacy of Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy versus Surgical Treatment for Early-Stage Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer after Propensity Score Matching

Background: The objective of this study was to evaluate the clinical efficacy of stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) and surgical treatment for stage I–II non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods: This retrospective analysis included 879 patients with primary NSCLC who underwent SBRT or surgical treatment in Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou, China from January 2012 to December 2017. Results: Propensity score matching (PSM) analysis was performed between the two groups. Each group included 66 patients who met the inclusion criteria. The median follow-up in the SBRT and surgery groups was 30.8 and 48.4 months, respectively. In the SBRT group, the 1- and 3-year overall survival rates were 98.5 and 83.9%, respectively. In the surgery group, these rates were 98.5 and 89.4%, respectively (P = .248). The 3-year cancer-specific survival rates in the SBRT and surgery groups were 89.1 and 95.2%, respectively (P = .056). Conclusions: In these propensity score matched early-stage NSCLC patients, the 1- and 3-year overall survival rates associated with SBRT were similar to those observed with surgery. In addition, there was no significant difference in cancer-specific survival between the two groups.