Radiotherapy and Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors in Stage IV Non-small Cell Lung Cancer: Real-life Experience

Abstract

Aim: To investigate the role of conventional radiotherapy (RT) and stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) in patients with epidermal growth factor (EGFR)-mutant or anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) rearrangement-positive metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Patients and methods: Fifty patients with EGFR-mutated or ALK rearrangement-positive NSCLC were treated at our Institution. Radiotherapy was delivered before, after or concomitantly with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). Acute toxicities and overall survival (OS) were assessed.

Results: Radiotherapy was performed within 30 days before TKI, concomitantly with TKI and within 30 days after TKI in eight (16%), 33 (66%) and 9 (18%) cases, respectively. The median duration of TKI therapy in the whole series was 11.9 months. The median OS was 19.3 months and 1- and 2-year OS was 71.5% and 36.5%, respectively. The group treated with SBRT had a significant benefit in terms of OS (p=0.043). Only two grade 3 toxicities were reported.

Conclusion: RT concomitantly or close to TKI administration in stage IV NSCLC was shown to be feasible and safe. Intriguing data on OS were also reported.

Keywords: NSCLC; TKI; stereotactic radiotherapy.