Concurrent chemoradiotherapy using cisplatin plus S-1, an oral fluoropyrimidine, followed by surgery for selected patients with stage III non-small cell lung cancer: A single-center feasibility study

Purpose: This single-institutional study was designed to determine whether S-1, an oral fl uoropyrimidine, plus cisplatin with concurrent radiotherapy is feasible as an induction treatment for locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods: Eighteen patients were analyzed in this study from July 2005 to March 2008. The patients received 40 mg/m ² S-1 orally twice per day on days 1 through 14 and 22 through 35, and cisplatin (60 mg/m ²) was injected intravenously on days 8 and 29. The patients also underwent radiotherapy, and received a total dose of 40 Gy in 20 fractions beginning on day 1. Surgical resection was performed from 3 to 6 weeks after completing the induction treatment. Results: Nine (50%) of the 18 patients who received the induction treatment achieved a partial response. One patient refused to undergo surgery. The remaining 17 patients underwent a complete surgical resection. There were no deaths nor any major morbidities during the perioperative period. The recurrence-free survival and overall survival rate at 2 years for the patients who underwent resection were 63.3% and 88.2%, respectively. Conclusion: Induction treatment using S-1 plus cisplatin and concurrent radiotherapy and surgical resection for selected patients with stage III NSCLC is a feasible and promising new treatment modality.