Patterns of locoregional failure in stage III non-small cell lung cancer treated with definitive chemoradiation therapy.

Abstract

Chemoradiation therapy (CRT) is the core treatment of locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (LA-NSCLC), but potential toxicities limit radiation therapy dose. These toxicities, plus the advent of increasingly conformal radiation therapy, have prioritized target definition and the use of involved-field radiation therapy (IFRT). Published data largely focus on regional rather than local failure patterns. We report our pattern-of-failure experience treating patients with LA-NSCLC with definitive CRT, focusing on both local and regional recurrences with detailed dosimetric analyses of failure location.