BJR
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
British Journal of Radiology (2003) 76, 891-896
© 2003 British Institute of Radiology
doi: 10.1259/bjr/97164438
This Article
Right arrow Figures Only
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Milker-Zabel, S
Right arrow Articles by Debus, J
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Milker-Zabel, S
Right arrow Articles by Debus, J

Full Paper

Calcification in coronary arteries as quantified by CT scans correlated with tobacco consumption in patients with inoperable non-small cell lung cancer treated with three-dimensional radiotherapy

S Milker-Zabel, MD1, A Zabel, MD1,2, C Manegold, MD3, I Zuna, PhD2, M Wannenmacher, MD1 and J Debus, MD, PhD1,2

1 Department of Clinical Radiology, Radiation Therapy, University of Heidelberg, 2 Department of Radiotherapy, German Cancer Research Centre, Heidelberg and 3 Department of Internal Medicine/ Medical Oncology, Thoraxklinik, Heidelberg, Germany

It has been shown that radiological manifestations of coronary artery sclerosis are an indirect measure of co-morbidity and predictive of survival. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the outcome and side effects after three-dimensional (3D) radiotherapy in patients with unresectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) stage I, II and IIIA, depending on coronary artery calcification, Karnofsky performance index (KI) and co-morbidity. Between 1993 and 1999, 89 patients with unresectable NSCLC were treated with 3D-radiotherapy. The median age was 66.6 years and median KI 80%. All patients had 3D-treatment planning, based on CT scans. The median total dose was 60 Gy in 2 Gy fractions five times a week. The mean follow-up period was 13.2 months and mean survival time 12.2 months. Significant prognostic factors for improved survival were KI and tumour stage. Patients with a KI<90% had a median survival of 6.5 months compared with 14 months, in patients with KI>=90% (p<0.001). NSCLC stage I+II showed a significantly longer median survival than patients with NSCLC stage IIIA (16.5 months versus 7 months, p<0.004). A significant correlation was seen between pack-years and coronary artery calcification (p<0.05) and between age and marked coronary artery calcification. The incidence of calcification was 67% in smokers (>=20 pack-years) and 43/58 in patients >60 years (p<0.007). Side effects, e.g. pneumonitis, did not correlate with coronary artery calcification but correlated with chronic obstructive lung disease in 19/89 patients. Conventional CT scans for 3D-treatment planning are able to detect coronary artery calcification. There is a significant correlation between age, KI, tobacco consumption and vascular calcification. Although there was a trend to worse overall survival, coronary artery calcification was not a significant predictor of progression-free and overall survival.






HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
BJR DMFR IMAGING  ALL BIR JOURNALS 
Copyright © 2003 by the British Institute of Radiology.