Chemoradiotherapy in Patients With Localised Lung Cancer

A third of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) present with Stage IIIA or IIIB disease, which is not amenable to curative resection. Single modality local therapy, either surgery or radiation, only cures a fraction of such patients. Radical radiation is not feasible for all patients with unresectable Stage IIIA or IIIB non-small cell lung cancer, based upon the extent of the loco-regional disease or the medical state of the patient. Patients of good performance status receiving protracted high-dose palliative radiotherapy do obtain a survival benefit from this therapy. Studies have shown a survival advantage by adding chemotherapy to radical radiation therapy: but studies in the high-dose palliative radiotherapy setting are lacking. Two regimens of concurrent chemotherapy with high-dose palliative radiotherapy have been developed locally, with established MTDs. These 2 regimens do warrant a comparative assessment in a phase II trial, prior to a phase III trial against high dose palliative radiation alone (36Gy/12#/5). This is a randomised phase II trial comprising of 2 arms for randomization as follows: Arm A:External beam radiation, 40 Gy/20#/5 per week, Plus concurrent Vinorelbine, IV, 25mg/m2, days 1, 8, 22 and + Cisplatin 20mg/m2, IV, weekly Arm B:External beam radiation, 30 Gy/15#/5 per week, Plus concurrentGemcitabine, 200mg (flat dose) IV days 1, 8, 15 An equal number of patients will be randomised to each arm. The randomisation will be carried out by the Princess Alexandra Trial Centre. Patients will be assessed at baseline, weekly during treatment, and then at 3 weeks, 6 weeks and 12 weeks post treatment then 3 monthly thereafter.