Volumetric response analysis during chemoradiation as predictive tool for optimizing treatment strategy in locally advanced unresectable NSCLC

Purpose: To study the feasibility of measuring volumetric changes in the primary tumor on megavoltage-computed tomography (MVCT) during chemoradiation and to examine the correlation with local response. Patients and methods: Fifteen consecutive patients with stage III, inoperable, locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were treated in a prospective dose escalation study protocol of concurrent chemoradiation. They were monitored for acute toxicity and evaluated with daily MVCT imaging. The volumetric changes were fitted to a negative exponential resulting in a regression coefficient (RC). Local response evaluation was done with positron emission tomography using the radio-labeled glucose analogue F18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG-PET). Results: The mean volume decrease (+/- standard deviation) was 73% (+/- 18%). With a mean treatment time of 42 days this treatment schedule resulted in a mean decrease of 1.74%/day. Of the 13 evaluable patients seven developed a metabolic complete remission (MCR). The mean RC of the patients with MCR is 0.050 versus a mean RC of 0.023 in non-responders (p=0.0074). Using a proposed cut-off value for the RC of 0.0380% of the non-responders will be detected correctly while misclassifying 16.4% of patients who will eventually achieve an MCR. The total cumulative percentage of esophageal grade 3 or more toxicity was 46.7%. Conclusion: The RC derived from volumetric analysis of daily MVCT is prognostic and predictive for local response in patients treated with chemoradiation for a locally advanced NSCLC. Because this treatment schedule is toxic in nearly half of the patient population, MVCT is a tool in the implementation of patient-individualized treatment strategies. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. Radiotherapy and Oncology 91 (2009) 438-442