Definitive thoracic radiation is safe and effective in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) even after multiple prior treatments, according to results published in Clinical Lung Cancer. Matthew S. Ning, MD, MPH, and colleagues examined the medical records of patients who received three or more definitive thoracic radiation therapy (RT) courses for new or recurrent NSCLC. In 51 patients, there were 161 definitive thoracic RT courses, including eight patients who received four courses. Most (74%) involved stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for localized lesions. There was an overlap of treatment fields between separate courses for 75% of patients. After the last course of thoracic RT, median overall survival (OS) was 2.9 years and median progression-free survival was 14 months. Three-year estimated OS (±standard error) was 81% (±10%) for patients who received SBRT for every course and 32% (±9%) among those treated with mixed modality. Overall, grade 3 toxicity incidence was 6% and there were no grade 4-5 events.
