Aim: Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in Australia with poor long-term survival outcomes. Stage III NSCLC is a highly heterogenous group with diverse tumour characteristics and multiple, possible treatment options. We present retrospective data on patient characteristics, treatment patterns and long-term outcomes in stage III NSCLC patients treated at a single cancer centre in NSW, Australia.
Methods: Stage III NSCLC patients were identified from the ‘Nepean Cancer Research Biobank’. Patient demographics, cancer-related information and long-term follow-up data were collected and analyzed.
Results: 88 patients were eligible for the study having their diagnosis established between March 2012 and April 2020, with 61% of them diagnosed as stage IIIA, 35% IIIB and 4% IIIC. Induction chemotherapy was administered in 20% of the patients. 48% of the study population underwent surgery and 38% underwent CCRT. Both median PFS and OS were superior in stage IIIA patients in comparison to stage IIIB (and IIIC) patients (22 versus 11 months, p=0.018 and 58 versus 19 months, p=0.048 respectively). Patients who were younger (<65 years old), good ECOG performance status (ECOG PS <2) and females had better prognosis on univariate analysis. There was a non-statistically significant trend towards better median OS with CCRT in comparison to surgery (58 versus 37 months, p=0.87).
Conclusion: We have presented some real word data from the past decade around the treatment patterns and long-term outcomes in stage III NSCLC patients. Equally, more robust, prospective studies would help delineate the optimal treatment modality in these patients who still face a dismal prognosis.