BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVEThe efficacy of complete resection of the cancer for patients with stage IIIa non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is limited. Synthetic therapy is taken the lead in advocating at present. However, the value of post-operative radiotherapy is not still clear. The aim of this study is to evaluate the survival time and side effects of postoperative chemotherapy or chemoradiotherapy in the treatment of stage IIIa NSCLC.

METHODSBetween December 2003 and June 2007, 52 cases that have completed followed-up data with stage IIIa of NSCLC received in the First Affiliated Hospital of Dahan Medical University. Twenty-three patients received postoperative chemoradiotherapy (group A) and 29 patients received postoperative chemotherapy combined with radiotherapy (group B). Group A adopted platinum-based combination chemotherapy for 4-6 cycles. The chemotherapeutics included gemcitabine, vinorelbine and docetaxel. Group B used chemotherapy for 2-4 cycles and then received 3-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT). The prescribe dose of target volume was 50 Gy. The chemotherapy was same as for group A and needed 4 cycles in all. The impact of postoperative adjuvant treatment on survival and toxicity was observed in patients with stage IIIa NSCLC and the reason of disease progression was analyzed.

RESULTSThe median survival was 32.5 months in group A and 31.9 months in group B (P = 0.371). Progression-free survival extended about 6 months (P = 0.044). The survival rate was 87% at 1 year, 0.1% at 2 year, 33% at 3 year for group A compared with 93%, 69%, 45% for group B. The major side effects were hematological and gastrointestinal toxicities, including nausea, vomiting and neutropenia. There was no significant difference in these toxicities between the two groups (P > 0.05). Radioactive esophageal infection occurred in 17.2% of the patients. Acute and late radioactive lung infection occurred in 13.8% and 27.6% of the patients. All these toxicities were below degree 2. Distant metastases were the main reason of disease progression. There was no significant difference in the rates of local recurrence and metastases between the two groups (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONCombined modality therapy should be the main therapy of stage IIIa NSCLC. The addition of radiotherapy can effectively prolong progression-free survival and don't highly increase the toxicities.

Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung ; drug therapy ; mortality ; radiotherapy ; surgery ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Disease-Free Survival ; Female ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; mortality ; radiotherapy ; surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged

OBJECTIVETo study the therapeutic result of operation combined chemotherapy for stage IIIa non-small cell lung cancer.

METHODSFrom January 2000 to December 2003, the data of 83 cases with stage IIIa non-small cell lung cancer undergoing operation combined chemotherapy and 33 cases with stage IIIa non-small cell lung cancer undergoing non-operative therapy were retrospectively analyzed. The median survival time and the 1-, 2-, 3- year survival rates of the two groups were compared by the Kaplan-Meier method.

RESULTSThe median survival time of the operation group was 20.3 months, and the 1-, 2-, 3- year survival rates were 85%, 70%, and 35% respectively. The median survival time of the non-operation group was 14.5 months and the 1-, 2-, 3- year survival rates were 75%, 33%, and 15% respectively.

CONCLUSIONThe therapeutic result of the operation combined chemotherapy for the stage IIIa non-small cell lung cancer is better than that of the non-operative therapy obviously.

Adult ; Aged ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung ; drug therapy ; mortality ; pathology ; surgery ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; mortality ; pathology ; surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; Pneumonectomy ; methods ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate ; Treatment Outcome

Transglutaminase 2 (TG2), a cross-linking enzyme, is involved in drug resistance and in the constitutive activation of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappaB). We investigated the association of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treatment efficacy with TG2 and NF-kappaB expression in 120 patients: 102 with adenocarcinoma and 18 with other histologic types. All patients underwent surgery; 88 received adjuvant chemotherapy, with 28 receiving platinum-based doublet chemotherapy as first-line treatment and 29 receiving epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy. Patients' TG2 and NF-kappaB expression values were calculated semiquantitatively. The median TG2 value was 50 (range, 0-300) and the median NF-kappaB value was 20 (range, 0-240). Disease-free survival did not differ between the low- and high-TG2 groups. Among patients who received palliative platinum-based doublet chemotherapy, progression free survival (PFS) was longer in the low-TG2 group than in the high-TG2 group (11.0 vs. 7.0 months; P=0.330). Among those who received EGFR-TKI therapy, PFS was also longer in the low-TG2 group than in the high-TG 2 group (11.0 vs. 2.0 months; P=0.013). Similarly, in EGFR wild-type patients treated with EGFR-TKI, PFS was longer in patients with low TG2 expression (9.0 vs. 2.0 months; P=0.013). TG2 expression levels can predict PFS in patients with NSCLC treated with EGFR-TKI.
Adenocarcinoma/*drug therapy/mortality/surgery ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Antineoplastic Agents/therapeutic use ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung/*drug therapy/mortality/surgery ; Disease-Free Survival ; Female ; GTP-Binding Proteins/*biosynthesis ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms/*drug therapy/mortality/surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged ; NF-kappa B/biosynthesis ; Protein Kinase Inhibitors/therapeutic use ; Receptor, Epidermal Growth Factor/*antagonists & inhibitors/genetics ; Transglutaminases/*biosynthesis ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVETo observe the clinical effect of the combined therapy using argon-helium cryosurgery (Ar-He knife) and Chinese herbal medicine in treating non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

METHODSFifty-seven patients of NSCLC were treated with the combined therapy and observed.

RESULTSThe treatment was successfully completed in all patients with mild adverse reactions. The effective rate was 83.8% 3 months after the operation, 79.6% 6 months after the operation, and 77.3% 12 months after the operation, with median survival of 9 months. The survival rate after 12 months was 46.67% (21/45), 34.62% (9/26) after 18 months, and 36.36% (4/11) after 24 months.

CONCLUSIONArgon-helium cryosurgery therapy is superior in its assured orientation, quick tumor load deprivation and less postoperational reaction. Combined with Chinese herbal medication, Argon-helium cryosurgery therapy can prolong survival time, relieve clinical symptoms, and elevate the quality of life in NSCLC patients, and is thus worthy of promotion.

Adult ; Aged ; Argon ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung ; drug therapy ; mortality ; surgery ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Cryosurgery ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Helium ; Humans ; Karnofsky Performance Status ; Lung Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; mortality ; surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Postoperative Period ; Survival Rate ; Treatment Outcome