Split-course radiotherapy with or without concurrent or sequential chemotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer.

In our department we designed a three-armed study to compare the effects of sequential and concurrent chemoradiotherapy in locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer. Each treatment arm consisted of 15 patients with histologically confirmed stage III non-small cell lung cancer. In group 1, the main treatment approach was split-course radiotherapy alone. In group 2, 6 mg/m2 of cisplatin was applied daily and concurrently with split-course radiotherapy. In group 3, two cycles of etoposide, ifosfamide, and cisplatin chemotherapy, which ended three weeks before split-course radiotherapy, was applied. Overall response rates were 40%, 66%, and 53% in groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Median survival was 10, 11, and 10 months for groups 1, 2, and 3 respectively. Results are discussed in the light of the literature.