Radiotherapy for aged patients with non-small cell lung cancer

The patients with non-small cell lung cancer aged 80 years or more were treated with radiation. The one year survival rate was 70.0% and the median survival was 19.6 months. Clinical stage and performance status (PS) correlated with the survival and PS was the most important factor with regard to prognosis. All symptoms caused by lung cancer improved with radiotherapy but three patients developed radiation pneumonitis. One of them was complicated with adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and died. We conclude that radiotherapy is useful for treating elderly patients with lung cancer but its indications should be carefully evaluated, as in the case of surgery. (author)