The effect of institutional clinical trial enrollment volume on survival of patients with stage III non-small cell lung cancer treated with chemoradiation: A report of the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) 0617.

7551 Background: This analysis evaluates the potential association between institutional clinical trial accrual volume and the outcome of patients with locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (LA-NSCLC) receiving chemoradiation therapy (CRT) on a phase III trial (RTOG 0617). Methods: Patients with LA-NSCLC were randomized to 60 Gy vs. 74 Gy with concurrent carboplatin and paclitaxel +/- cetuximab, with initial results reported at ASCO 2013 (abst # 7501) and IASLC 2013. Participating institutions were divided into tertiles based on accrual to RTOG 0617. Those within the two lowest accrual tertiles were categorized as low volume centers (LVC), and those within the highest accrual tertile were categorized as high volume centers (HVC). Results: Range of accrual for LVC (n=195) vs. HVC (n=300) was 1-3 vs. 4-18 patients. Patients treated at HVC were more likely to be treated with intensity modulated RT (54.0% vs. 39.5%, p=0.002), to have a lower mean esophageal RT dose (26.1 Gy vs. 28.0 Gy, p=0.03), and to ...