Purpose: We performed this study to explore the association of computed tomography (CT) findings with outcomes of patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with tyrosin kinase inhibitor (TKI) such as gefitinib or erlotinib.
Materials and methods: We analyzed outcomes for 240 patients according to primary tumor (T), regional nodal (N) staging and diffuse small pulmonary metastases (DSPM) at the initial presentation. Tests for epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation were performed in 92 patients.
Results: On multivariate analysis for tumor response, the N3 stage was predictive of a poor response (P < 0.001), whereas DSPM was a favorable factor (P = 0.007). Multivariate analysis for progression-free survival showed that the T3-4 stage (hazard ratio [HR]: 2.5, P < 0.001), in addition to the N3 stage (HR: 2.1, P < 0.001), was predictive of a poor outcome, whereas DSPM (HR: 0.6, P = 0.006) was a favorable factor. Notably, the multivariate model that included the EGFR mutational status revealed that the T3-4 stage predicted poor progression-free survival (HR: 2.2, P = 0.017) and poor overall survival (HR: 4.1, P < 0.001).
Conclusion: Our data suggest that, in addition to EGFR mutational status, T-stage based on CT is predictive of outcomes of TKI-treated NSCLC patients.