Short summary

Some lung cancer patients with locally advanced disease are not fit for standard radiotherapy with 66 Gray in 33 fractions. They may instead receive 4, 5 or 10 fractions, but some patients received a higher dose of 39 Gray in 13 fractions, with the hope of a better effect, but it is not known whether this increased dose has actually led to longer survival. This retrospective study will compare survival between patients treated with either 39 or 30 Gray at our department between 2015 and 2021.

Rationale

25 % of patients diagnosed with lung cancer in Denmark have localized disease with a lung tumor and involvement of nearby lymph nodes. The standard treatment for these patients are 33 radiation treatments combined with 9 weeks of chemotherapy. Some of these patients cannot tolerate such aggressive treatment, which may be due to comorbidity and/or age. These patients can instead be offered palliative radiotherapy, usually with either 4, 5 or 10 radiation treatments. Since 2015 selected patients have been treated with a higher dose of 39 Gray over 13 treatment days, but it is not known whether this increased dose has led to longer survival.

In this study we will retrospectively analyze the 102 patients treated with 39 Gray over 13 treatment days at our department between 2015 and 2021 and compare them to a matched cohort of 102 patients treated with the normal dose of 30 Gray over 10 treatment days.

Description of the cohort

102 patients with localized lung cancer treated with 39 Gray/13 fractions and a matched cohort of 102 patients treated with 30 Gray/10 fractions. All patients were treated between 2015 and 2021 at our department.

Data and biological material

Demographic and disease-specific data from the patient journal and radiation treatment planning system:

Age, gender, Performance status, comorbidity and Charlsons Comorbidity Index, smoking status, pack years, BMI, histology, dose of radiotherapy, tumor location, GTV-volume, hospital admission 0-6 months after radiotherapy, treatment-demanding side effects after radiotherapy, overall survival.

Collaborating researchers and departments

Department of Oncology, Vejle Hospital

• Charlotte Kristiansen
• Rune Slot Thing
• Torben Schjødt Hansen
• Mikkel Drøgemüller Lund