Failure of T stage to predict survival in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer treated by radiotherapy with or without concomitant chemotherapy

Abstract

PURPOSE: Because T stage does not consistently reflect tumor size in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), we hypothesized that T stage may be of limited prognostic value in patients with locoregional NSCLC treated by nonsurgical means. METHODS AND MATERIALS: The study population consisted of 243 patients with histologically or cytologically proven NSCLC treated in three consecutive prospective trials between 1989 and 1998. The eligibility criteria for this analysis included planned for and began treatment at 60 Gy; Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status 0 or 1; weight loss < or = 10%; no prior treatment; and no supraclavicular nodes, pleural effusion, or distant metastas..