Purpose: The purpose of this study was to report on the use of high-dose-rate (HDR) endobronchial interventional radiotherapy (brachytherapy) for isolated endobronchial tumor recurrence in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer, in whom a surgery or external radiation treatment is not possible.
Methods and materials: A retrospective review of the patients with endobronchial tumors treated with HDR-endobronchial interventional radiotherapy at our institution (1995-2015) was performed. Treatment results and treatment-related toxicity were recorded. Clinical response was evaluated by bronchoscopy 3 months after treatment. Disease-free survival and overall survival were analyzed.
Results: One hundred twenty-six patients were identified. The median age was 63 years, and median followup time was 67.2 months. Three-month complete local response was 86.5%. At 5 years, disease-free survival was 41.4% and overall survival was 23.6%. 12.7% of the patients died from massive hemoptysis.
Conclusion: HDR-endo brochial brachytherapy is an effective treatment option with acceptable toxicity for patients with endobronchial tumor recurrence in whom surgery and external beam radiotherapy are contraindicated.
Keywords: Endobronchial brachytherapy; High-dose-rate brachytherapy; Interventional radiotherapy; Non–small-cell lung cancer.
Copyright © 2019 American Brachytherapy Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.