[High-dose rate endobronchial brachytherapy: results and complications in 189 patients]

Between September 1990 and March 1995, 189 patients were treated with high-dose-rate endobronchial brachytherapy. Most patients (70%) presented with either recurrent or persistent symptomatic endobronchial tumor after standard therapy. A minority of the patients (12%) had small endobronchial tumor and were unfit for surgical resection or radiotherapy. Treatment was delivered weekly and consisted of three to four 8- to 10-Gy radiotherapy fractions applied at 10 mm from the source. Major symptomatic improvement was obtained on hemoptysis (74%), dyspnea (54%), and cough (54%). Complete endoscopic response occurred in 54.5% of the cases. Median survival was 7 months for the entire group. For small strictly endobronchial tumors, complete response rate was 95.5%, median survival was 17 months, and 30-month survival was 46%, with a plateau starting at 18 months. The rate of late grade 3 to 4 toxicity was 17%, including hemoptysis (n = 13), stenosis (n = 12), local necrosis (n = 8), and bronchial fistula (n = 3). By univariate analysis, no factor was found to be predictive of late toxicity. Our study confirms the benefit of endobronchial brachytherapy in the palliative treatment of endobronchial recurrences and in the curative intent treatment of small endobronchial tumors in patients not suitable for other forms of therapy.