Chemotherapy Followed by Surgery or Radiation Therapy in Treating Patients With Stage III Non-small Cell Lung Cancer

Summary

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Giving a chemotherapy drug before surgery may shrink the tumor so that it can be removed during surgery. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to damage tumor cells. It is not yet known whether chemotherapy followed by surgery with or without radiation therapy is more effective than chemotherapy followed by radiation therapy alone in treating non-small cell lung cancer. PURPOSE: Randomized phase III trial to compare the effectiveness of chemotherapy followed by surgery with or without radiation therapy to that of chemotherapy followed by radiation therapy alone in treating patients who have stage III non-small cell lung cancer.

Timeline

Start

1994-12

Primary completion

2002-12

Completion

—

Outcome

Missed primary endpoint

paper surgical resection did not improve overall or progression-free survival compared with radiotherapy. PMID 17374834 ↗

Publications

• Background Van Meerbeeck JP, De Pauw R, Tournoy K. What is the optimal treatment of stage IIIA-N2 non-small-cell lung cancer after EORTC 08941? Expert Rev Anticancer Ther. 2008 Feb;8(2):199-206. doi: 10.1586/14737140.8.2.199.
• Results van Meerbeeck JP, Kramer GW, Van Schil PE, Legrand C, Smit EF, Schramel F, Tjan-Heijnen VC, Biesma B, Debruyne C, van Zandwijk N, Splinter TA, Giaccone G; European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer-Lung Cancer Group. Randomized controlled trial of resection versus radiotherapy after induction chemotherapy in stage IIIA-N2 non-small-cell lung cancer. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2007 Mar 21;99(6):442-50. doi: 10.1093/jnci/djk093.
• Results Kramer GW, Legrand CL, van Schil P, Uitterhoeve L, Smit EF, Schramel F, Biesma B, Tjan-Heijnen V, van Zandwijk N, Splinter T, Giaccone G, van Meerbeeck JP; EORTC-Lung Cancer Group. Quality assurance of thoracic radiotherapy in EORTC 08941: a randomised trial of surgery versus thoracic radiotherapy in patients with stage IIIA non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after response to induction chemotherapy. Eur J Cancer. 2006 Jul;42(10):1391-8. doi: 10.1016/j.ejca.2006.01.052.
• Results Van Meerbeeck JP, Kramer GW, Legrand C, et al.: Does downstaging in patients (pts) with IIIA-N2 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and a response to induction chemotherapy (ICT) influence outcome with surgery (S) or radiotherapy (RT)? An exploratory analysis of EORTC 08941. [Abstract] J Clin Oncol 24 (Suppl 18): A-7047, 375s, 2006.
• Results Van Meerbeeck JP, Kramer G, Van Schil PE, et al.: A randomized trial of radical surgery (S) versus thoracic radiotherapy (TRT) in patients (pts) with stage IIIA-N2 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after response to induction chemotherapy (ICT) (EORTC 08941). [Abstract] J Clin Oncol 23 (Suppl 16): A-LBA7015, 624s, 2005.
• Results Van Schil P, Van Meerbeeck J, Kramer G, Splinter T, Legrand C, Giaccone G, Manegold C, van Zandwijk N. Morbidity and mortality in the surgery arm of EORTC 08941 trial. Eur Respir J. 2005 Aug;26(2):192-7. doi: 10.1183/09031936.05.00127204.
• Results van Meerbeeck JP, Kramer GWPM, van Schil PEY, et al.: Induction chemotherapy (CT) in stage IIIA-N2 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC):an analysis of different regimens used in EORTC 08941. [Abstract] Lung Cancer 41 (Suppl 2): A-O-273, S79, 2003.
• Results van Schil PE, van Meerbeeck JP, Kramer G, et al.: Surgery after induction chemotherapy: morbidity and mortality in the first 100 patients of the surgery arm of EORTC 08941 trial. [Abstract] Lung Cancer 41 (Suppl 2): A-O-147, S45, 2003.
• Results Splinter TA, van Schil PE, Kramer GW, van Meerbeeck J, Gregor A, Rocmans P, Kirkpatrick A. Randomized trial of surgery versus radiotherapy in patients with stage IIIA (N2) non small-cell lung cancer after a response to induction chemotherapy. EORTC 08941. Clin Lung Cancer. 2000 Aug;2(1):69-72; discussion 73. doi: 10.3816/clc.2000.n.020.

Drugs

Indications