Purpose: To determine the patterns of care for lung cancer in Turkish radiation oncology centers.
Methods and Materials: Questionnaire forms from 21 of 24 (87.5%) centers that responded were evaluated.
Results: The most frequent histology was non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) (81%). The most common postoperative radiotherapy (RT) indications were close/(+) surgical margins (95%) and presence of pN2 disease (91%). The most common indications for postoperative chemotherapy (CHT) were ">= IB" disease (19%) and the presence of pN2 disease (19%). In Stage IIIA potentially resectable NSCLC, the most frequent treatment approach was neoadjuvant concomitant chemoradiotherapy (CHRT) (57%). In Stage IIIA unresectable and Stage IIIB disease, the most frequent approach was definitive concomitant CHRT (91%). In limited SCLC, the most common treatment approach was concomitant CHRT with cisplatin+etoposide for cycles 1-3, completion of CHT to cycles 4-6, and finally prophylactic cranial irradiation in patients with complete response (71%). Six cycles of cisplatin + etoposide CHT and palliative thoracic RT, when required, was the most commonly used treatment (81%) in extensive SCLC. Sixty-two percent of centers did not have endobronchial brachytherapy (EBB) facilities.
Conclusion: There is great variation in diagnostic testing, treatment strategies, indications for postoperative RT and CHT, RT features, and EBB availability for LC cases. To establish standards, national guidelines should be prepared using a multidisciplinary approach. (c) 2008 Elsevier Inc.
C1 [Demiral, Ayse Nur; Alicikus, Zuemre Arican; Kinay, Muenir] Dokuz Eylul Univ, Sch Med, Dept Radiat Oncol, TR-35340 Izmir, Turkey.
[Ugur, Vahide Isil] Ankara Oncol Hosp, Dept Radiat Oncol, Ankara, Turkey.
[Karadogan, Ilker] Izmir Private Oncol Ctr, Izmir, Turkey.
[Yoeney, Adnan; Dincer, Selvi] Okmeydani Training & Res Hosp, Dept Radiat Oncol, Istanbul, Turkey.
[Andrieu, Meltem Nalca] Ankara Univ, Sch Med, Dept Radiat Oncol, TR-06100 Ankara, Turkey.
[Yalman, Deniz] Ege Univ, Sch Med, Dept Radiat Oncol, Izmir, Turkey.
[Pak, Yuecel] Gazi Univ, Sch Med, Dept Radiat Oncol, Ankara, Turkey.
[Aksu, Gamze] Akdeniz Univ, Sch Med, Dept Radiat Oncol, TR-07058 Antalya, Turkey.
[Oezyigit, Goekhan] Hacettepe Univ, Sch Med, Dept Radiat Oncol, Ankara, Turkey.
[Oezkan, Luetfi] Uludag Univ, Sch Med, Dept Radiat Oncol, Bursa, Turkey.
[Kilciksiz, Sevil] Gaziantep Univ, Sch Med, Dept Radiat Oncol, Gaziantep, Turkey.
[Koca, Sedat] Istanbul Univ, Cerrahpasa Med Sch, Dept Radiat Oncol, Istanbul, Turkey.
[Caloglu, Murat] Trakya Univ, Sch Med, Dept Radiat Oncol, Edirne, Turkey.
[Yavuz, Ali Aydin] Baskent Univ, Sch Med, Dept Radiat Oncol, Adana, Turkey.
[Caglar, Hale Basak] Marmara Univ, Sch Med, Dept Radiat Oncol, Istanbul, Turkey.
[Beyzadeoglu, Murat] Gulhane Mil Med Acad, Dept Radiat Oncol, Ankara, Turkey.
[Igdem, Sefik] Metropolitan Florence Nightingale Hosp, Dept Radiat Oncol, Istanbul, Turkey.
[Serin, Meltem] Inonu Univ, Sch Med, Dept Radiat Oncol, Malatya, Turkey.
[Kaplan, Buenyamin] Erciyes Univ, Sch Med, Dept Radiat Oncol, Kayseri, Turkey.
[Koc, Mehmet] Ataturk Univ, Sch Med, Dept Radiat Oncol, Erzurum, Turkey.
[Korkmaz, Esra] Tepec Educ & Res Hosp, Dept Radiat Oncol, Izmir, Turkey.
[Karakoyun-Celik, Oemuer] Celal Bayar Univ, Sch Med, Dept Radiat Oncol, Manisa, Turkey.