Evaluating the role of consolidative chest radiotherapy after chemo-immunotherapy in extensive-stage small cell lung cancer: a retrospective study.

BACKGROUND

Consolidative chest radiotherapy (XRT) after chemoimmunotherapy may provide benefits in extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC) due to the condition's high sensitivity to radiation. Current guidelines suggest chest XRT for patients with ES-SCLC who respond to chemotherapy, given its association with improved 2-year overall survival (OS), and reduced progression and recurrence rates. However, its role in the era of chemo-immunotherapy in ES-SCLC remains unclear.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Data from the National Cancer Database (NCDB) for patients diagnosed with ES-SCLC between 2017 and 2020 were analyzed (n = 24,676). Cases included those treated with multi-agent chemotherapy, with data for T, N, and M status, and chest XRT. Exclusion criteria included survival < 30 days, limited-stage SCLC cases, and missing key data elements. The primary outcome was OS from diagnosis, analyzed using Kaplan-Meier Methods and multi-variable Cox regression models. Propensity Score Matching (PSM) was performed to compare outcomes in ES-SCLC patients receiving chest XRT after immunotherapy versus immunotherapy alone, adjusting for T, N, and M status, institution, sex, and Charlson-Deyo score. A p-value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

RESULTS

The study stratified patients in two stratums: 10,437 patients who received immunotherapy and 14,239 who did not receive immunotherapy. The proportion of chest XRT receivers was similar across both stratum (13% vs. 14%, p = 0.17). Receipt of XRT was significantly associated with younger age (< 70), female sex, T3-4 stage, N2-N3, and M1a status; (p < 0.05). Chest XRT was associated with significantly increased median OS in both stratum: immunotherapy (13.1 months vs. 9.8 months; p < 0.001) and non-immunotherapy (11.6 months vs. 8.4 months; p < 0.001). XRT was an independent predictor of better OS in both stratum after controlling for selected covariates (HR 0.72 and 0.67; p < 0.001). PSM analysis of 1,399 patients receiving XRT and immunotherapy and 1,399 receiving immunotherapy alone confirmed that XRT after immunotherapy was associated with improved OS (13.1 months vs. 9.4 months; HR 0.63, p < 0.001) with a 3-year survival of 16% (95%CI 13.7-18.3%) vs 7% (95% CI 5.3-8.7%), respectively.

CONCLUSION

Our analysis shows that consolidative chest XRT is associated with improved overall survival in patients with ES-SCLC in patients receiving immunotherapy. These findings are hypothesis-generating and support ongoing randomized studies evaluating consolidative radiotherapy in the chemoimmunotherapy era.