A Four-Tiered Prognostic Score for Patients Receiving Palliative Thoracic Radiotherapy for Lung Cancer

ABSTRACT

Palliative radiotherapy improves lung cancer related symptoms. Prognosis should be taken into account when deciding about fractionation. In this study, prognostic factors derived from multivariate analysis were used to assign a point sum reflecting 6-month survival. Four prognostic groups were compared. Performance status, lactate dehydrogenase, C-reactive protein, liver/adrenal gland metastases, and extrathoracic disease status significantly predicted survival and formed the basis of the score. The four groups had a median survival of 0.8, 1.6, 3.3, and 10.5 months (6-month survival 0, 10, 30, 70%; 12-month survival 0, 0, 12, 40%; p = 0.0001), respectively. In the unfavorable group best supportive care might be preferable.

KEYWORDS:

• Non-small cell lung cancer
• Palliative radiotherapy
• Prognostic factors
• Small cell lung cancer
• Survival score

Acknowledgments

None.

Declaration of interest

Conflicts of interest do not exist. This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.