• Gijsbert W P M Kramer, Steven Gans, Eric Ullmann, Jan P van Meerbeeck, Catherine C Legrand, and Jan-Willem H Leer.
• Radiotherapy Institute ARTI, Joint Centre of Oncology RADIAN, Arnhem, The Netherlands. g.kramer@radian.nl
• Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. 2004 Apr 1;58(5):1388-93.

PurposeTo evaluate prospectively the efficacy, toxicity, and duration of the palliative effect of retreatment with external beam radiotherapy in symptomatic patients with recurrent non-small-cell lung cancer.Methods And MaterialsTwenty-eight symptomatic patients with local recurrence of non-small-cell lung cancer underwent repeated treatment after previous radiotherapy (equivalent dose, 46-60 Gy). Reirradiation consisted of two fractions of 8 Gy on Days 1 and 8 with two opposed beams using 6-18-MV photon beams at the site of pulmonary recurrence. The physician scored symptom resolution.ResultsRelief of hemoptysis and superior vena cava syndrome could be obtained in all assessable cases (100%). Treatment was less effective for coughing (67%) and dyspnea (35%). The overall median duration of this palliative effect was 4 months. Palliation in almost all patients lasted more than one-half of their remaining life span. The Karnofsky performance score improved in 45% of assessable cases. One patient had Grade 2 esophagitis. Complications consisted of tumor-related fatal hemoptysis in 5 patients (17%) and 1 death from bronchoesophageal fistula (4%).ConclusionExternal beam hypofractionated reirradiation can be effective as a palliative treatment for local complaints in non-small-cell lung cancer. The complication rate of reirradiation was acceptably low.

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