ACR Appropriateness Criteria(®) induction and adjuvant therapy for N2 non-small-cell lung cancer.

The integration of chemotherapy, radiation therapy (RT), and surgery in the management of patients with stage IIIA (N2) non-small-cell lung carcinoma is challenging. The American College of Radiology (ACR) Appropriateness Criteria Lung Cancer Panel was charged to update management recommendations for this clinical scenario. The Appropriateness Criteria are evidence-based guidelines for specific clinical conditions that are reviewed every 3 years by a multidisciplinary expert panel. The guideline development and review include an extensive analysis of current medical literature from peer-reviewed journals and the application of a well-established consensus methodology (modified Delphi) to rate the appropriateness of imaging and treatment procedures by the panel. In those instances where evidence is lacking or not definitive, expert opinion may be used to recommend imaging or treatment. There is limited level I evidence to guide patient selection for induction, postoperative RT (PORT), or definitive RT. Literature interpretation is complicated by inconsistent diagnostic procedures for N2 disease, disease heterogeneity, and pooled analysis with other stages. PORT is an appropriate therapy following adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with incidental pN2 disease. In patients with clinical N2 disease who are potential candidates for a lobectomy, both definitive and induction concurrent chemotherapy/RT are appropriate treatments. In N2 patients who require a pneumonectomy, definitive concurrent chemotherapy/RT is most appropriate although induction concurrent chemotherapy/RT may be considered in expert hands. Induction chemotherapy followed by surgery +/- PORT may also be an option in N2 patients. For preoperative RT and PORT, 3-dimensional conformal techniques and intensity-modulated RT are most appropriate.

ACR Appropriateness Criteria® nonsurgical treatment for locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer: good performance status/definitive intent.

Concurrent chemotherapy/radiotherapy has been considered the standard treatment for patients with a good performance status and inoperable stage III non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Three-dimensional chemoradiation therapy and intensity-modulated radiation therapy have been reported to reduce toxicity and allow a dose escalation to 70 Gy and beyond. However, the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group 0617 trial recently showed that dose escalation from 60 Gy to 74 Gy with concurrent chemotherapy in stage III NSCLC was associated with higher toxicity and worse survival. A "one size fits all" treatment approach may need to be changed and adapted to each patient's particular disease and unique biologic/anatomic features, as well as the most appropriate radiotherapy modalities for that patient. The American College of Radiology Appropriateness Criteria are evidence-based guidelines for specific clinical conditions that are reviewed every 3 years by a multidisciplinary expert panel. The guideline development and review include an extensive analysis of current medical literature from peer-reviewed journals and the application, by the panel, of a well-established consensus methodology (modified Delphi technique) to rate the appropriateness of imaging and treatment procedures. In instances in which evidence is lacking or not definitive, expert opinion may be used as the basis for recommending imaging or treatment.

Predicting esophagitis after chemoradiation therapy for non-small cell lung cancer: an individual patient data meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: Concurrent chemoradiation therapy (CCRT) improves survival compared with sequential treatment for locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer, but it increases toxicity, particularly radiation esophagitis (RE). Validated predictors of RE for clinical use are lacking. We performed an individual-patient-data meta-analysis to determine factors predictive of clinically significant RE. METHODS AND MATERIALS: After a systematic review of the literature, data were obtained on 1082 patients who underwent CCRT, including patients from Europe, North America, Asia, and Australia. Patients were randomly divided into training and validation sets (2/3 vs 1/3 of patients). Factors predictive of RE (grade≥2 and grade≥3) were assessed using logistic modeling, with the concordance statistic (c statistic) used to evaluate the performance of each model. RESULTS: The median radiation therapy dose delivered was 65 Gy, and the median follow-up time was 2.1 years. Most patients (91%) received platinum-containing CCRT regimens. The development of RE was common, scored as grade 2 in 348 patients (32.2%), grade 3 in 185 (17.1%), and grade 4 in 10 (0.9%). There were no RE-related deaths. On univariable analysis using the training set, several baseline factors were statistically predictive of RE (P<.05), but only dosimetric factors had good discrimination scores (c>.60). On multivariable analysis, the esophageal volume receiving ≥60 Gy (V60) alone emerged as the best predictor of grade≥2 and grade≥3 RE, with good calibration and discrimination. Recursive partitioning identified 3 risk groups: low (V60<0.07%), intermediate (V60 0.07% to 16.99%), and high (V60≥17%). With use of the validation set, the predictive model performed inferiorly for the grade≥2 endpoint (c=.58) but performed well for the grade≥3 endpoint (c=.66). CONCLUSIONS: Clinically significant RE is common, but life-threatening complications occur in <1% of patients. Although several factors are statistically predictive of RE, the V60 alone provides the best predictive ability. Efforts to reduce the V60 should be prioritized, with further research needed to identify and validate new predictive factors.

A dose-volume analysis of radiation pneumonitis in non-small cell lung cancer patients treated with stereotactic body radiation therapy.

PURPOSE: To examine the rates and risk factors of radiation pneumonitis (RP) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients treated with stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT). METHODS AND MATERIALS: Dosimetry records for 251 patients with lymph node-negative Stage I-IIB NSCLC and no prior chest radiation therapy (RT) treated with SBRT were reviewed. Patients were coded on the basis of the presence of at least Grade (G) 2 RP using the Common Toxicity Criteria version 2 criteria. Radiation doses, V5, V10, V20, and mean lung dose (MLD) data points were extracted from the dose-volume histogram (DVH). RESULTS: Median PTV volume was 48 cc. Median prescribed radiation dose was 60 Gy delivered in three fractions to the 80% isodose line. Median age at treatment was 74 years. Median follow-up was 17 months. RP was reported after treatment of 42 lesions: G1 in 19 (8%), G2 in 17 (7%), G3 in 5 (2%), and G4 in 1 (0.4%). Total lung DVHs were available for 143 patients. For evaluable patients, median MLD, V5, V10, and V20 were 4.1 Gy, 20%, 12%, and 4%, respectively. Median MLDs were 4 Gy and 5 Gy for G0-1 and G2-4 groups, respectively (p = 0.14); median V5 was 20% for G0-1 and 24% for G2-4 (p = 0.70); median V10 was 12% in G0-1 and 16% in G2-4 (p = 0.08), and median V20 was 4% in G0-1 and 6.6% in G2-4 (p = 0.05). G2-4 RP was noted in 4.3% of patients with MLD ≤4 Gy compared with 17.6% of patients with MLD >4 Gy (p = 0.02), and in 4.3% of patients with V20 ≤4% compared with 16.4% of patients with V20 >4% (p = 0.03). CONCLUSION: Overall rate of G2-4 RP in our population treated with SBRT was 9.4%. Development of symptomatic RP in this series correlated with MLD and V20.

Dose-volume analysis of radiation pneumonitis in non-small-cell lung cancer patients treated with concurrent cisplatinum and etoposide with or without consolidation docetaxel.

PURPOSE: To examine the rates and risk factors for radiation pneumonitis (RP) in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients treated with chemoradiotherapy. METHODS AND MATERIALS: We reviewed dosimetry records from Stage III NSCLC patients treated on a prospective randomized trial. Patients received concurrent cisplatinum/etoposide with radiation therapy to 59.4 Gy. A total of 243 patients were enrolled; 167 did not experience progression and were randomized to observation (OB) or consolidation docetaxel (CD). Toxicity was coded based on the presence of Grade 0 to 1 vs. Grade 2 to 5 RP using the Common Toxicity Criteria and Adverse Events (CTCAE) v3.0. RESULTS: Median age and follow-up were 63 years and 16 months, respectively. Overall, Grade 0 to 1 and Grade 2 to 5 RP were reported in 226 patients and 17 patients (7%) respectively. Median mean lung dose (MLD), V5, V20, and V30 for evaluable patients were 18 Gy, 52%, 35%, and 29%. MLD in Grade 0 to 1 and Grade 2 to 5 patients was 1,748 c Gy and 2,013 cGy in respectively (p = 0.12). Grade 2 to 5 RP developed in 2.2% and 19% of patients with MLD < 18 Gy and MLD > 18 Gy, respectively (p = 0.015). Mean V20 was 33.7% and 37.7% for Grade 0 to 1 and Grade 2 to 5 groups, respectively (p = 0.29). Grade 2 to 5 RP developed in 4.8% and 17% of patients with V20 < 35% and V20 > 35%, respectively. The OB and CD groups had similar MLD and V20, and the RP rates were 3.6% and 14.6%, respectively (p = 0.015). Patients who developed Grade 0 to 1 and Grade 2 to 5 RP had similar mean V5, V10, V15, V20, V25, V30, age, smoking history, and tumor characteristics. CONCLUSIONS: The overall rate of Grade 2 to 5 RP was 7% in patients treated with chemoradiotherapy. In this analysis, predictive factors for RP were MLD > 18 Gy and treatment with CD.