30 Gy or 34 Gy? comparing 2 single-fraction SBRT dose schedules for stage i medically inoperable non-small cell lung cancer

Purpose To review outcomes of 2 single-fraction lung stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) schedules used for medically inoperable early stage lung cancer. Methods and Materials Patients in our institution have been treated on and off protocols using single-fraction SBRT (30 Gy and 34 Gy, respectively). All patients had node-negative lung cancer measuring ≤5 cm and lying ≥2 cm beyond the trachea-bronchial tree and were treated on a Novalis/BrainLAB system with the ExactTrac positioning system for daily image guidance. Results For the interval from 2009 to 2012, 80 patients with 82 lesions were treated with single-fraction lung SBRT. Fifty-five patients (69%) and 25 patients (31%) received 30 Gy and 34 Gy, respectively. In a comparison of 30 Gy and 34 Gy cohorts, patient and tumor characteristics were balanced and median follow-up in months was 18.7 and 17.8, respectively. The average heterogeneity-corrected mean doses to the target were 33.75 Gy and 37.94 Gy for the 30-Gy and 34-Gy prescriptions, respectively. Comparing 30-Gy and 34-Gy cohorts, 92.7% and 84.0% of patients, respectively, experienced no toxicity (P was not significant), and had neither grade 3 nor higher toxicities. For the 30-Gy and 34-Gy patients, rates of 1-year local failure, overall survival, and lung cancer-specific mortality were 2.0% versus 13.8%, 75.0% versus 64.0%, and 2. 1% versus 16.0%, respectively (P values for differences were not significant). Conclusions This is the largest single-fraction lung SBRT series yet reported. and it confirms the safety, efficacy, and minimal toxicity of this schedule for inoperable early stage lung cancer.