• Mohan Suntharalingam, Rebecca Paulus, Martin J Edelman, Mark Krasna, Whitney Burrows, Elizabeth Gore, Lynn D Wilson, and Hak Choy.
• Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Cancer Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, USA. msuntha@umm.edu
• Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. 2012 Oct 1; 84 (2): 456-63.

PurposeTo evaluate mediastinal nodal clearance (MNC) rates after induction chemotherapy and concurrent, full-dose radiation therapy (RT) in a phase II trimodality trial (Radiation Therapy Oncology Group protocol 0229).Patients And MethodsPatients (n=57) with stage III non-small cell lung cancer (pathologically proven N2 or N3) were eligible. Induction chemotherapy consisted of weekly carboplatin (AUC = 2.0) and paclitaxel 50 mg/m(2). Concurrent RT was prescribed, with 50.4 Gy to the mediastinum and primary tumor and a boost of 10.8 Gy to all gross disease. The mediastinum was pathologically reassessed after completion of chemoradiation. The primary endpoint of the study was MNC, with secondary endpoints of 2-year overall survival and postoperative morbidity/mortality.ResultsThe grade 3/4 toxicities included hematologic 35%, gastrointestinal 14%, and pulmonary 23%. Forty-three patients (75%) were evaluable for the primary endpoint. Twenty-seven patients achieved the primary endpoint of MNC (63%). Thirty-seven patients underwent resection. There was a 14% incidence of grade 3 postoperative pulmonary complications and 1 30-day, postoperative grade 5 toxicity (3%). With a median follow-up of 24 months for all patients, the 2-year overall survival rate was 54%, and the 2-year progression-free survival rate was 33%. The 2-year overall survival rate was 75% for those who achieved nodal clearance, 52% for those with residual nodal disease, and 23% for those who were not evaluable for the primary endpoint (P=.0002).ConclusionsThis multi-institutional trial confirms the ability of neoadjuvant concurrent chemoradiation with full-dose RT to sterilize known mediastinal nodal disease.Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

40 keywords...

hide…