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Vol.39 No.3 contents | Japanese/English |
- Original Article -
Patterns of Relapse and Procedures for Detecting Relapse after Complete or Partial Response in Patients with Small Cell Lung Cancer
Takashi Hirose1,2, Kiyoshi Mori1, Suguru Machida1, Takeshi Yoshida1, Munehide Noda1, Keigo Tominaga1, Kohei Yokoi1, Tetsuji Ozawa2, Kentaro Okuda2 and Mitsuru Adachi21Tochigi Cancer Center, 2First Department of Internal Medicine, Showa University School of Medicine
From January 1987 to April 1998, a total of 103 patients with small cell lung cancer received treatment with combination chemotherapy, with or without radiotherapy, with a variety of regimens. Of them, 85 patients who achieved complete or partial responses were studied. We retrospectively studied the patterns of relapse, procedures for detecting relapse, and whether the relapse was diagnosed at the time of routine follow-up or between scheduled follow-up evaluations. Relapse developed in 60 patients. The chest was the most frequent site of relapse (46%, 42%) followed by the brain (33%, 25%) in patients with both limited disease and extensive disease. Relapses were detected by radiographic imaging in 51% of the patients, by clinical histories in 41%, by physical examinations in 4%, and by blood testing in 4%. Fifty-one percent of relapses in the chest were detected by plain chest X ray film, 38% of relapses in the brain were detected by computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Most relapses except those in the brain were detected at the time of routine follow-up. The median relapse-free survival was 17.5 months (2-125 months), and all relapses occurred within 2 years. We recommend follow-up including plain chest X ray and brain CT or MRI for 2 years.
key words: Small cell lung cancer, Relapse, Surveillance testing
Received: February 12, 1999
Accepted: March 25, 1999
JJLC 39 (3): 267-273, 1999
