Showing posts with label PCI. Show all posts
Showing posts with label PCI. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Optimal RT regimen for PCI in LS SCLC

Also in the Lancet Oncology this week:

The PCI collaborative group (RTOG, EORTC, &others), published their results in a randomization between three different PCI doses and schedules for patients with LS-SCLC.

720 patients with limited stage SCLC and complete response to thoracic RT with concurrent chemotherapy were randomized to:
1. 25Gy in 2.5Gy QD x 10
2. 36Gy in 2Gy QD x 18 or 1.5Gy BID x 24.

2-year incidence of brain metastases was 29% (95% CI 24–35) with 25Gy and 23% (18–29) with 36Gy (HR 0.80 [95% CI 0.57–1.11], p=0.18).

2-year OS was 42% (95% CI 37–48) with 25Gy and 37% (32–42) with 35Gy (HR 1.20 [1.00–1.44]; p=0.05). Deaths in the 35Gy seem to have been cancer related. Five serious adverse events occurred in the standard-dose group versus zero in the higher-dose group. Acute fatigue seen in 30% with 25Gy vs 34% with 35Gy, headache in 24% vs 28%, and nausea or vomiting 23% vs 28%.

Their conclusions were that 25Gy in 10 results in equivalent brain control and superior survival.

One comment that I would add to this is that brain mets did trend towards an improvement with higher dose, and that the deaths in the high dose arm are difficult to ascribe directly to the intervention. It is also interesting that there were more serious adverse event in the low dose arm, perhaps reflecting the larger dose per fraction? That said, the results are the results, and this trial should help us in PCI regimen selection.

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Quality of Life after PCI

Article from Slotman in the JCO this week:

This is a report from the PCI trial in extensive stage SCLC, looking at the quality of life in both arms. At 3 months, fatigue and hair loss were worse in the treatment arm, with a number of other scales slightly worse in the PCI arm as well.

Of course this is in light of the overall survival benefit of the treatment as reported in the NEJM. And one must also keep in mind selection bias in all of these QOL reports, in that if patients felt to ill to complete the form, no data is captured.

Still this is an interesting report and gives us data to base consent conversations upon.

Link