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Adjuvant radiation therapy
Source: Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Treatment (PDQ®)–Health Professional Version, National Cancer Institute.
Source updated: May 15, 2025 · Captured 2026-09-09.
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The value of postoperative (adjuvant) radiation therapy (PORT) has been evaluated.[18]
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Evidence (adjuvant radiation therapy):
A meta-analysis, based on the results of ten randomized controlled trials and 2,232 individuals, reported the following:[18]
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A meta-analysis, based on the results of ten randomized controlled trials and 2,232 individuals, reported the following:[18]
An 18% relative increase in the risk of death for patients who received PORT compared with surgery alone (HR, 1.18; P = .002). This is equivalent to an absolute detriment of 6% at 2 years (95% CI, 2%–9%), reducing OS from 58% to 52%. Exploratory subgroup analyses suggested that this detrimental effect was most pronounced for patients with stage I/II, N0 to N1 disease, whereas for patients with stage III, N2 disease there was no clear evidence of an adverse effect.
A meta-analysis, based on the results of ten randomized controlled trials and 2,232 individuals, reported the following:[18]
Results for local (HR, 1.13; P = .02), distant (HR, 1.14; P = .02), and overall (HR, 1.10; P = .06) recurrence-free survival similarly showed a detriment of PORT.[18][Level of evidence A1]
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Further analysis is needed to determine whether these outcomes can potentially be modified with technical improvements, better definitions of target volumes, and limitation of cardiac volume in the radiation portals.
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Preserved source evidence · Not medical advice