Salvage Surgery for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer After Definitive Radiotherapy

Background. The aim of this study was to describe the characteristics and outcomes of patients with non-small cell lung cancer undergoing salvage surgery after chemoradiotherapy, conventional external beam, stereotactic body radiotherapy, and ion beam radiotherapy. Methods. We retrospectively evaluated patients who underwent salvage surgery between 2010 and 2016. Data on perioperative morbidity and mortality and patient outcomes were analyzed. Results. In total, 156 patients were included; of those, 110 were categorized into category 1, chemoradiotherapy or conventional external beam; and 46 into category 2, stereotactic body radiotherapy or ion beam radiotherapy. Three-year overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) in category 1 were 67.3% and 49.8%, respectively. In category 1, pathological nodal stage was an independent prognosticator of both OS (hazard ratio [HR] = 3.53, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.05-11.83) and RFS (HR = 4.32, 95% CI, 1.32-14.14). In category 2, 3-year OS and RFS were 57.7% and 46.4%, respectively. Age 70 years and greater at initial treatment was the only independent prognosticator of OS (HR = 5.61; 95% CI, 1.4421.87), whereas age at initial treatment (HR = 6.13; 95% CI, 1.38-27.12) and pathological nodal metastasis (HR = 3.84; 95% CI, 1.40-10.57) were independent prognosticators for RFS. Overall 30- and 90-day mortality were 0% and 0.9% in category 1 and 0% and 4.3% in category 2, respectively. Conclusions. Patients who undergo salvage surgery can have reasonable outcomes, and salvage surgery can be considered in selected patients. (C) 2021 by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons

Automated summary

The study found that pathological nodal stage was an independent prognosticator in the chemoradiotherapy or conventional external beam group, while age 70 years and greater was the only independent prognosticator in the stereotactic body radiotherapy or ion beam radiotherapy group. Overall, patients undergoing salvage surgery can have reasonable outcomes.