Non-small Cell Lung Cancer With Concurrent Chemotherapy And Three-dimensional Conformal Radiotherapy, Radiation Pneumonitis Risk Factors

Purpose; Radiation pneumonitis (RP) is one of the major acute and dose-limiting toxicity in patients with locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy, but data on the predictive factors for RP in that setting have been scarce and inconsistent. We investigated the clinical and dosimetric factors associated with RP in NSCLC patients treated with concurrent chemotherapy and three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT). Patients and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical and radiation records of 223 NSCLC patients treated with definitive concurrent chemotherapy and 3D-CRT at a single institution between 2000 and 2003. The following dosimetric parameters were generated from the dose-volume histogram (DVH) for total normal lung: lung volume, mean dose to lung, and relative and absolute volumes of lung receiving more than a threshold dose of radiation (rVd and aVd, respectively). Radiographic and symptomatic evidence of RP was graded according to the Common Toxicity Criteria for Adverse Events version...