Thoracic Radiation Therapy(TRT) Could Give Survival Benefit To Elderly Patients With Extensive-stage Small-cell Lung Cancer

To evaluate the effect of thoracic radiation therapy(TRT)in elderly patients(aged≥65years)with extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer(ES-SCLC).Patients & methods: This study reviewed the records of 118 elderly patients with ES-SCLC(all with distant metastasis)through January 2006–December 2013.The patients were divided into either a chemotherapy(ChT)/TRT-combination group or a ChT-alone group.Results: The median survival time and 3-year overall survival rates in the ChT/TRT group were significantly higher than those in the ChT-alone group(17.0 vs 11.7 months;18.1 vs 14.9%;p = 0.014).The 3-year overall survival rates in patients who received prophylactic cranial irradiation were also higher than the rates in patients who did not receive prophylactic cranial irradiation(18.1 vs 5.1%;p = 0.708).conclusion: TRT combined with ChT could provide a survival benefit to elderly patients withES-SCLC.