Radiotherapy and small cell carcinoma of the lung (limited disease)

From January 1980 to December 1989, 86 patients with limited small cell lung carcinoma were treated in our Institution. Sixty-eight of them were males, 18 females; mean age was 58 years (range: 40-74) Karnofsky index was 80 or higher. All patients received induction multiagent chemotherapy (CAV or CAVE), usually fractionated into 3/4 cycles. Radiotherapy was administred by means of a 10 MV linear accelerator, 2-3 Gy/day, 5 days/week. Radiation dose was 60 Gy for 39 patients, 50 Gy for 25 patients, and 30 Gy for 22 patients. Parallel opposed fields (AP and PA) were used for administering the 30-Gy dose, while higher doses were delivered by multiportal arrangement (3/4 fields). Overall survival (corrected Kaplan.Meier) was 21.3% and 13.4% at 2 and 3 years, respectively; 2 years' survival according to dose was 24.5% for 60 Gy, 19.9% and 11% for 50 and 30 Gy, respectively. Mean survival time (MST) was 14 months for 60Gy, 13 months and 10 months, respectively, for 50 and 30 Gy. Survival and disease-free survival rates were similar in patients who received 50 and 60 Gy. No major complications related to irradiation were observed, not even in the group receiving the highest dose. Our data are similar to those reported in the literature