Toxicity and Efficacy of Stereotactic Ablative Body Radiotherapy for Moderately Central Non-small Cell Lung Cancers Using 50 Gy in Five Fractions

Abstract Aims Stereotactic ablative body radiotherapy doses for peripheral lung lesions caused high toxicity when used for central non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). To determine a safe stereotactic ablative body radiotherapy dose for central tumours, the phase I/II Radiation Therapy Oncology Group RTOG 0813 trial used 50 Gy/five fractions as a baseline. From 2013, 50 Gy/five fractions was adopted at the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre for inoperable early stage central NSCLC. We report our prospectively collected toxicity and efficacy data. Materials and methods Patient and treatment characteristics were obtained from electronic medical records. Tumours were classed as moderately central or ultra-central tumours using published definitions. Toxicity was assessed in a centralised follow-up clinic at 2 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, 1 year and 2 years after treatment. Results Fifty patients (31 women, 19 men, median age 75.1 years) were identified with T1-2N0M0 moderately central NSCLC; one patient had both an ultra-central and a moderately central tumour. Eighty-four per cent were medically unfit for surgery. Forty per cent had biopsy-proven NSCLC and 60% were diagnosed radiologically using 18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography imaging. Fifty-six per cent of patients were Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status 2 or worse. All patients received 50 Gy/five fractions on alternate days on schedule. Two patients died within 90 days of treatment, one from a chest infection, the other cause of death was unknown. There was one episode of early grade 3 oesophagitis and one grade 3 late dyspnoea. There was no grade 4 toxicity. Over a median follow-up of 25.2 months (range 1–70 months), there were 34 deaths: 18 unrelated to cancer and 16 due to cancer recurrence. The median overall survival was 27.0 months (95% confidence interval 20.6–35.9) and cancer-specific survival was 39.8 months (95% confidence interval 28.6, not reached). Conclusion This study has shown that 50 Gy/five fractions is a safe dose and fractionation for early stage inoperable moderately central NSCLC, with outcomes comparable with other series, even with patients with a poor performance status.