Objective: Chest wall (CW) toxicity (rib fracture and/or pain) is a recognized complication of stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) for non-small-cell lung cancer. The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency of CW toxicity following SABR and to propose a new dosimetric parameter.
Methods: We reviewed the charts and SABR plans from patients treated for T1-T2N0 peripheral non-small-cell lung cancer between 2009 and 2015. The CW structure was created through a 3-cm expansion of the lung. The median dose delivered to the planning target volume was 60 Gy. SABR was delivered in three fractions for patients with CW V30 < 30 cm3. If the CW V30 exceeded 30 cm3, five fractions were used, and the plan was optimized based on CW V37 (biologically equivalent to the V30 of three-fraction plans).
Results: In 6 years, 361 lesions from 356 patients were treated (3 fractions: 297; 5 fractions: 64). The median follow-up was 16 months. 23 patients (6.5%) developed CW toxicity after a median time of 10 months following treatment. The mean CW V30/V37 was 21 cm3 for patients with CW toxicity and 17 cm3 for patients without toxicity (p < 0.05). The 2-year local control and the CW toxicity rates were similar, whether patients received three or five fractions (97% vs 96% and 7% vs 5%).
Conclusion: When the CW V30 is >30 cm3, altered fractionation combined with V37 optimization can limit CW toxicity. Advances in knowledge: The CW V37 is a suggested dosimetric parameter adapted to fractionation that may potentially limit CW toxicity after lung SABR.