SBRT Well Tolerated, Effective for Primary Lung Neuroendocrine Tumors

For patients with primary lung neuroendocrine tumors (LNETs), stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) is well tolerated and pro-vides excellent locoregional control, according to a study published in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics. Daniel E. Oliver, MD, and colleagues conducted a retrospective review of 48 tumors in 46 patients from 11 institutions with a histologically confirmed diagnosis of LNET. Patients were treated nonoperatively with primary radiotherapy from 2006 to 2020. The median tumor size was 2 cm and median age at treatment was 71. Overall, 32, seven, and nine lesions were typical carcinoid histology, atypical, and indeterminate, respectively. The SBRT fractionation schedule given most often was
50-60 Gy in five daily fractions. Overall survival rates were 64%, 43%, and 26% at 3, 6, and 9 years, while progression-free survival rates were 88%, 78%, and 78%, respectively. Local control rates were 97%, 91%, and 91% at 3, 6, and 9 years, respectively. One regional recurrence occurred in a paraesophageal lymph node. No grade 3 or higher toxicities were found.