Prognostic Factor and Clinical Outcome in Stage III Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Study Based on Real-World Clinical Data in the Korean Population

• Published in: Cancer research and treatment 2021, 53(4), , pp.1033-1041
• Main Authors: Kim, Ho Cheol, Ji, Wonjun, Lee, Jae Cheol, Kim, Hyeong Ryul, Song, Si Yeol, Choi, Chang-Min
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adenocarcinoma of Lung - mortality; Adenocarcinoma of Lung - pathology; Adenocarcinoma of Lung - therapy; Aged; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung - mortality; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung - pathology; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung - therapy; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell - mortality; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell - pathology; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell - therapy; Chemoradiotherapy - mortality; Combined Modality Therapy; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Lung Neoplasms - mortality; Lung Neoplasms - pathology; Lung Neoplasms - therapy; Male; Middle Aged; Neoplasm Staging; Original; Pneumonectomy - mortality; Retrospective Studies; Survival Rate; 의학일반
• ISSN: 1598-2998; 2005-9256
• DOI: 10.4143/crt.2020.1350

The optimal treatment for patients with stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains controversial. This study aimed to investigate prognostic factors and clinical outcome in stage III NSCLC using real-world clinical data in the Korean population. Among 8,110 patients with lung cancer selected from 52 hospitals in Korea during 2014-2016, only patients with stage III NSCLC were recruited and analyzed. A standardized protocol was used to collect clinical information and cox proportional hazards models were used to identify risk factors for mortality. A total of 1,383 patients (46.5% had squamous cell carcinoma and 40.9% had adenocarcinoma) with stage III NSCLC were enrolled, and their median age was 70 years. Regarding clinical stage, 548 patients (39.6%) had stage IIIA, 517 (37.4%) had stage IIIB, and 318 (23.0%) had stage IIIC. Pertaining to the initial treatment method, the surgery group (median survival period: 36 months) showed better survival outcomes than the non-surgical treatment group (median survival period: 18 months, p=0.001) in patients with stage IIIA. Moreover, among patients with stage IIIB and stage IIIC, those who received concurrent chemotherapy and radiation therapy (CCRT, median survival period: 24 months) showed better survival outcomes than those who received chemotherapy (median survival period: 11 months), or radiation therapy (median survival period: 10 months, p