European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences, cilt.28, sa.4, ss.1562-1574, 2024 (SCI-Expanded)
OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to assess treatment outcomes of intensity-modulated radiotherapy with concomitant chemotherapy and to identify prognostic factors on survival in patients with limited-stage small-cell lung cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on a cohort of seventy-two patients who received curative treatment between December 2011 and January 2023. Several clinical and biochemical parameters were examined as potential prognostic factors. RESULTS: The median age was 63 years, and 79% of them were males. Concomitant chemotherapy was administered in 83% of patients. Prophylactic cranial irradiation was applied in 61% of the cohort. Two and five-year overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), and local relapse-free survival (LRFS) rates were 50% and 25%, 38% and 24%, and 44% and 25%, respectively. Univariate analysis revealed that older age, comorbid lung disease, advanced tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage, radiotherapy (RT) alone, and the absence of prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI) were adverse factors affecting OS. The advanced TNM stage emerged as a significant prognostic factor for LRFS and DFS, with a notable trend toward affecting OS. CONCLUSIONS: The TNM staging system is of significance in cases classified as limited-stage small-cell lung cancer due to its prognostic implications. Our results suggest that patients with more advanced TNM stage exhibit less favorable treatment outcomes, which may require individual tailoring of new systemic therapies.