Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33209608›Full record

ArticleTranslational lung cancer research2020

Stereotactic body radiation therapy for empirically treated hypermetabolic lung lesions: a single-institutional experience identifying the Charlson score as a key prognostic factor.

Roman O Kowalchuk, Michael R Waters, Sujith Baliga, K Martin Richardson, Kelly M Spencer, James M Larner, Charles R Kersh

Open access · diamondAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Translational lung cancer research, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
0.3field-weighted citation impact, top 38% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 3 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. From protocol to practice: long-Term outcomes of single-Fraction stereotactic body radiotherapy for primary non-Small cell lung cancer.Strahlentherapie und Onkologie : Organ der Deutschen Rontgengesellschaft ... [et al] · 2026
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Roman O KowalchukUniversity of Virginia/Riverside, Radiosurgery Center, Newport News, VA, USA.
Michael R WatersUniversity of Virginia/Riverside, Radiosurgery Center, Newport News, VA, USA.
Sujith BaligaDepartment of Radiation Oncology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
K Martin RichardsonUniversity of Virginia/Riverside, Radiosurgery Center, Newport News, VA, USA.
Kelly M SpencerUniversity of Virginia/Riverside, Radiosurgery Center, Newport News, VA, USA.
James M LarnerDepartment of Radiation Oncology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA.
Charles R KershUniversity of Virginia/Riverside, Radiosurgery Center, Newport News, VA, USA.
Riverside Regional Medical Center · USThe Ohio State University · USUniversity of Virginia · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThough pathologic evidence for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is preferred, many patients do not receive a biopsy prior to treatment with stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT). This study seeks to analyze the overall survival (OS), local control, and toxicity rates for such patients.

methodsThis retrospective review included patients empirically treated with SBRT for presumed non-metastatic NSCLC at a single institution. Inclusion criteria included a hypermetabolic pulmonary lesion noted on positron emission tomography (PET) imaging but no pathological evidence of NSCLC. Patients with another known metastatic tumor were excluded. Statistical analysis was conducted with Cox proportional hazards analysis, univariate analysis, and the Kaplan-Meier method.

resultsNinety-one treatments in 90 unique patients met inclusion criteria. Patients were a median 77.9 years at the start of treatment and had a median Charlson score of 7. Pre-treatment standardized uptake value (SUV) was a median 4.5 and 1.5 after treatment. At a median follow-up of 12.9 months, 36-month local control of 91.3% was achieved. Twenty-four-month OS and progression-free survival were 65.4% and 44.8%, respectively. On univariate analysis, biologically effective dose (BED) ≥120 Gy was predictive of improved OS (P=0.001), with 36-month OS of 50.5% for patients with BED ≥120 Gy and only 31.6% for patients with BED <120 Gy. On Kaplan-Meier analysis, Charlson score ≥9 was predictive of decreased OS (P=0.04), and BED ≥120 Gy trended towards improved OS (P=0.08). Thirty-two cases of grade <3 toxicity were reported, and only two cases of grade 3 morbidity (fatigue) were noted.

conclusionsLocal control rates for empiric SBRT treatment for hypermetabolic, non-metastatic NSCLC are similar to those for biopsied NSCLC. OS is primarily dependent on a patient's overall health status, which can be accurately assessed with the Charlson score. BED ≥120 Gy may also contribute to improved OS.

Indexed as

Lung neoplasmsnon-small cell lungpatient selectionradiosurgery

Identifiers

PMID33209608
PMCPMC7653131
OpenAlexW3085110224

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.