EVALUATION OF RESULTS IN LOCALLY ADVANCED NON-SMALL CELL LUNG CANCER PATIENTS TREATED BY CONVENTIONAL RADIOTHERAPY VERSUS CONTINUOUS HYPERFRACTIONATED ACCELARATED RADIOTHERAPY

Between January 1991 and July 1991, 25 patients with locally advanced non-small cell lung carcinoma were randomized in a prospective study at the Institute of Oncology, Istanbul University. Twelve patients were treated by conventional radiotherapy (60 Gy/30 fractions/6 weeks), and 13 patients were treated by radiotherapy using continuous, hyperfractionated, accelerated radiotherapy (54 Gy/36 fractions/12 days). Complete response rate, observed radiologically, was achieved by 25% in the conventional radiotherapy group, and 38% in the continuous, hyperfractionated accelerated radiotherapy group. Median survival times were 16 months and 14 months respectively. One, two and three year survival rates were 67%, 25% and 17% in the conventional radiotherapy group and 69%, 39% and 31% in the other group respectively. Progression free survival rates were 33%, 17% and 8% at 1, 2 and 3 years in the conventional group and 39%, 31 % and 23% in the other group. No significant difference was observed between the two groups in terms of radiological complete response, progression free survival and overall survival times (p>0.05).