Comparison of chemotherapy regimens for concurrent chemoradiotherapy in unresectable stage III non-small cell lung cancer

Background. The purpose of this study was to retrospectively compare the survival and toxicities associated with chemoradiotherapy using full-dose and weekly regimens in patients with stage III non-small cell lung cancer. Methods. Consecutive patients who received concurrent chemoradiotherapy between October 2002 and June 2006 at our institution were enrolled. The prescribed dose for thoracic radiotherapy was 60 Gy in 30 fractions for all the patients. Results. Fifty-nine patients were enrolled; 36% of the patients were treated with full-dose regimens and 64% with weekly regimens. The patient characteristics were similar in the two groups. In both univariate and multivariate analyses, treatment with weekly regimens was associated with a better overall survival than that with full-dose regimens (2-year survival rates: 75% for weekly regimens vs 41% for full-dose regimens). The toxicities and compliance in the two groups were comparable. Conclusion. Weekly regimens exhibited more favorable overall survival as compared to full-dose regimens in this retrospective study. Confirmation of the results by a randomized phase III trial is warranted.