Accelerated Hypofractionated Chemoradiation Followed by Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy Boost for Locally Advanced, Unresectable Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer

Abstract

Intrathoracic progression remains the predominant pattern of failure in patients treated with concurrent chemoradiation followed by a consolidation immune checkpoint inhibitor for locally advanced, unresectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). To determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and use of hypofractionated concurrent chemoradiation with an adaptive stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) boost. This was an early-phase, single-institution, radiation dose-escalation nonrandomized controlled trial with concurrent chemotherapy among patients with clinical stage II (inoperable/patient refusal of surgery) or III NSCLC (American Joint Committee on Cancer Staging Manual, seventh edition). Patients were enrolled and treated from May 2011 to May 2018, with a median patient follow-up of 18.2 months. Patients advanced to a higher SABR boost dose if dose-limiting toxic effects (any grade 3 or higher pulmonary, gastrointestinal, or cardiac toxic effects, or any nonhematologic grade 4 or higher toxic effects) occurred in fewer than 33% of the boost cohort within 90 days of follow-up. The current analyses were conducted from January to September 2023. All patients first received 4 Gy × 10 fractions followed by an adaptive SABR boost to residual metabolically active disease, consisting of an additional 25 Gy (low, 5 Gy × 5 fractions), 30 Gy (intermediate, 6 Gy × 5 fractions), or 35 Gy (high, 7 Gy × 5 fractions) with concurrent weekly carboplatin/paclitaxel. The primary outcome was to determine the MTD. Data from 28 patients (median [range] age, 70 [51-88] years; 16 [57%] male; 24 [86%] with stage III disease) enrolled across the low- (n = 10), intermediate- (n = 9), and high- (n = 9) dose cohorts were evaluated. The protocol-specified MTD was not exceeded. The incidences of nonhematologic acute and late (>90 days) grade 3 or higher toxic effects were 11% and 7%, respectively. No grade 3 toxic effects were observed in the intermediate-dose boost cohort. Two deaths occurred in the high-dose cohort. Two-year local control was 74.1%, 85.7%, and 100.0% for the low-, intermediate-, and high-dose cohorts, respectively. Two-year overall survival was 30.0%, 76.2%, and 55.6% for the low-, intermediate-, and high-dose cohorts, respectively. This early-phase, dose-escalation nonrandomized controlled trial showed that concurrent chemoradiation with an adaptive SABR boost to 70 Gy in 15 fractions with concurrent chemotherapy is a safe and effective regimen for patients with locally advanced, unresectable NSCLC. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01345851.