Effectiveness of radiation therapy for elderly patients with unresected stage I and II non-small cell lung cancer.

ABSTRACT:

Rationale

Radiotherapy (RT) is considered the standard treatment for patients with stage I or II non-small lung cancer who are not surgical candidates because of comorbities or preferences against surgery.

Objectives

To compare the outcomes of patients treated with RT alone with those who were untreated to assess the effect of RT on survival.

Methods

Using the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) registry linked to Medicare files, we identified 6,065 unresected patients with histologically confirmed stage I and stage II non-small cell lung cancer, diagnosed between 1992 and 2002. We used propensity score methods and instrumental variable analysis to control for the possible effects of known as well as unmeasured confounders.

Measurements and main resul

SUBMITTER: Wisnivesky JP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2817815 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature