ABSTRACT
Objective To observe the clinical efficacy of large fraction intensity modulated radiation therapy combined with apatinib in the treatment of elderly patients with non-small cell lung cancer and superior vena cava syndrome. Methods A retrospective analysis was made on 46 elderly patients with non-small cell lung cancer and superior vena cava syndrome who were admitted to Xuzhou Cancer Hospital Affiliated to Jiangsu University from February 2015 to December 2017. The patients were divided into observation group and control group with 23 cases in each group. The control group received radiation therapy only. Apatinib was enrolled in the observation group on the first day synchronously. The remission time of symptoms, short-term efficacy, occurrence of adverse reactions and 1-year overall survival rate were observed and compared between the two groups. Results The complete remission rate was 78.3％ (18/23) in the observation group and 43.3％ (10/23) in the control group, and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant (χ 2 = 4.60, P < 0.05). The effective response rate was 86.9％ (21/23) in the observation group and 65.2％ (15/23) in the control group, and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant (χ 2 = 4.294, P < 0.05). The main adverse reactions in the two groups were radioactive esophagitis, radiation pneumonitis and leukopenia, and most of them were grade Ⅰ-Ⅱ, there was no significant difference between the two groups (all P > 0.05). The 1-year overall survival rate was 56％ in the observation group and 40％ in the control group, and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P = 0.009). Conclusion Large fraction intensity modulated radiation therapy combined with apatinib is effective in the treatment of elderly patients with non-small cell lung cancer and superior vena cava syndrome, and theadverse reactions are well tolerated.