For patients with small cell lung cancer, chest radiotherapy increases survival, decreases recurrence

the Oncology Nurse Advisor take:

According to a new study published in The Lancet, patients with advanced small cell lung cancer (SCLC) experienced prolonged survival and reduced recurrence of the disease after being treated prophylactic cranial radiotherapy plus thoracic radiotherapy compared with those treated with prophylactic cranial radiotherapy alone.

In the phase 3 clinical study, researchers enrolled 498 adults with advanced SCLC who had already responded to first-line chemotherapy from 42 hospitals in Europe. Patients were randomized to receive either prophylactic cranial radiotherapy plus chest radiotherapy or prophylactic cranial radiotherapy alone. Radiation was administered over 2 weeks and patients were followed for an average of 2 years.

The researchers found that patients survival rates were similar between both groups after 1 year, but they found that after 2 years, 13% of patients treated with combination radiotherapy were alive, while only 3% of those treated with prophylactic cranial radiotherapy were alive. In addition, 20% those who received combination radiotherapy experienced recurrence in the thoracic region compared with 46% of the cranial radiotherapy group.

The authors suggest that chest radiation therapy should be considered as a treatment approach in patients with extensive small cell lung cancer who have responded to first-line chemotherapy.