(ChemotherapyAdvisor) – Patients with non-small cell lung cancer who receive stereotactic ablative radiotherapy maintain the same quality of life as those who receive surgery, according to a team of researchers from The Netherlands. This conclusion is based on a study entitled “Patient-Reported Quality of Life after Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy for Early-Stage Lung Cancer,” which is published in the July issue of the Journal of Thoracic Oncology.
According to the authors, deterioration in health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is frequently observed after surgery for stage 1 non–small-cell lung cancer. To evaluate changes in patient-reported quality of life, the investigators collected HRQOL data prospectively using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) QLQ-C30 questionnaire in 382 consecutive patients treated with SABR. Patients received an SABR dose of 60Gy, which was delivered in 3-, 5-, or 8 treatment fractions, depending on tumor diameter and location. HRQOL data were collected at baseline (pre-SABR), and post-SABR.
The investigators reported a median survival of 40 months; two-year survival: 66%. Local, regional, and distant failure percentages at two years were 6%, 13%, and 22%, respectively. Mean baseline global HRQOL and physical functioning scores were 62.9 ± 1.1 and 61.7 ± 1.1, respectively. Baseline symptom scores were highest for dyspnea (47.1 ± 1.7) and fatigue (37.4 ± 1.3). Except for a non-significant decrease in two to three points per year in physical functioning, no statistically or clinically significant worsening of any of the HRQOL functioning or symptom scores at any follow-up time point was observed.
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The investigators concluded: “Patients referred for SABR have substantially worse baseline HRQOL scores than those reported in the surgical literature; clinically relevant deteriorations in HRQOL subscale scores were not observed after SABR.”
