According to a detailed comparison of the SEER-17 (Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results) for the years 1999-2003 and the years 2004-2008, patients with stage I, non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with radiation therapy have an increased median survival of 21 months (2004-2008) compared with 16 months (1999-2003). Furthermore, the percentage of patients who receive no treatment for NSCLC declined from 20% for the years 1999-2003 to 16% for the years 2004-2008.
For patients who are otherwise healthy, stage I NSCLC has traditionally been treated effectively with surgery. However, technological advances in radiation therapy have allowed for high-dose, targeted, noninvasive, and painless radiation treatment as an alternative curative option for patients who are not candidates for surgery.
This study assessed a total of 53,764 patients with stage I NSCLC: 27,469 from 1999-2003 and 26,195 from 2004-2008. Results showed a 12-month increase in overall survival for all patients with stage I disease in the later era. Overall survival went from 44 months to 56 months. Although the proportion of patients who were treated with radiation therapy alone was relatively stable at 14% and 13% in the later era, the proportion of patients who received surgery increased from 64% to 70%. Patients who received neither radiation nor surgery remained high for both eras: 5514 patients (20%) from the earlier period, and 4218 (16%) in the later period.
“Stage I NSCLC patients who receive radiation therapy alone are surviving longer than they used to,” said lead author Nirav S. Kapadia, MD, a chief resident in the department of radiation oncology at the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor, Michigan. “However, at least 16% of patients are still not getting the care that they need – care that could save their lives.”
Source: NCI.