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Updated: Jun 27, 2026
Endobronchial Ultrasound-guided Intratumoral Injection of Cisplatin for the Treatment of Isolated Mediastinal Recurrence of Lung Cancer
Published on: February 12, 2017
Definitive treatment of poor-risk patients with stage I lung cancer: a single institution experience
Michael Hsie1, Stefania Morbidini-Gaffney, Leslie J Kohman
1SUNY Upstate Medical University, Department of Radiation Oncology, Syracuse, New York, USA. hsiem@upstate.edu
Purpose:
Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer death in both men and women. A substantial number of patients with early stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are unfit for standard surgery due to cardiopulmonary dysfunction and/or other comorbidity. The appropriate management for this population has not been defined.
Methods:
Retrospective analysis of patients with clinical stage I NSCLC judged to be unsuitable for lobectomy between 1996 and 2005.
Results:
Ninety-six patients, representing 23% of all patients treated for clinical stage I NSCLC were included in this analysis. The median age was 73 years and most patients were female. Patients underwent limited resection (LR, n = 45), primary radiotherapy (RT, n = 39) or radiofrequency ablation (n = 12). With median follow-up of 30 months, 61 patients remain alive. Actuarial 3-year survival is 65% following LR and 60% after primary RT. Local tumor relapse and distant metastases were observed with approximate equal probability following either LR or RT.
Conclusion:
Medical inoperability does not necessarily correspond to poor survival in patients with early stage NSCLC. A nihilistic approach is not warranted towards this population, and prospective trials are needed to better define optimal treatment strategies.
