The Clinical Outcomes, Prognostic Factors and Nomogram Models for Primary Lung Cancer Patients Treated With Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy

Abstract

PurposeStereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) is a standard treatment for early primary lung cancer patients. However, there are few simple models for predicting the clinical outcomes of these patients. Our study analyzed the clinical outcomes, identified the prognostic factors, and developed prediction nomogram models for these patients.Materials and MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed 114 patients with primary lung cancer treated with SBRT from 2012 to 2020 at our institutions and assessed patient’s clinical outcomes and levels of toxicity. Kaplan–Meier analysis with a log-rank test was used to generate the survival curve. The cut-off values of continuous factors were calculated with the X-tile tool. Potential independent prognostic factors for clinical outcomes were explored using cox regression analysis. Nomograms for clinical outcomes prediction were established with identified factors and assessed by calibration curves.ResultsThe median overall survival (OS) was 40.6 months, with 3-year OS, local recurrence free survival (LRFS), distant disease-free survival (DDFS) and progression free survival (PFS) of 56.3%, 61.3%, 72.9% and 35.8%, respectively, with grade 3 or higher toxicity rate of 7%. The cox regression analysis revealed that the clinical stage, immobilization device, and the prescription dose covering 95% of the target area (D95) were independent prognostic factors associated with OS. Moreover, the clinical stage, and immobilization device were independent prognostic factors of LRFS and PFS. The smoking status, hemoglobin (Hb) and immobilization device were significant prognostic factors for DDFS. The nomograms and calibration curves incorporating the above factors indicated good predictive accuracy.ConclusionsSBRT is effective and safe for primary lung cancer. The prognostic factors associated with OS, LRFS, DDFS and PFS are proposed, and the nomograms we proposed are suitable for clinical outcomes prediction.