[Abstract]
Objective To determine the optimal timing for local SBRT intervention in advanced NSCLC with EGFR-sensitive mutations undergoing first-generation EGFR-TKI therapy.
Methods This retrospective study evaluated advanced NSCLC patients diagnosed at Taizhou Hospital, Zhejiang Province, between September 2016 and November 2022. Patients were matched based on a prospective single-arm Phase II clinical trial (ChiCTR-OIN-17013920) and included those who underwent SBRT for primary lesion progression following first-generation EGFR-TKI therapy. The study compared early (within one month of starting TKI) versus late (upon primary lesion progression) SBRT intervention, evaluating progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), adverse effects (AEs), and the incidence of T790M mutations after resistance.
Results The study included 68 patients: 41 in the early SBRT group and 27 in the late SBRT group. Baseline characteristics, including age, gender, smoking history, ECOG performance status, EGFR mutation type, TNM stage, number of metastases, and sites of metastasis, were comparable between the groups. The median PFS for early SBRT was 15.23 months, compared to 10.20 months for those without local treatment (P=0.13), and 18.20 months for late SBRT (P=0.54). The median OS was 27.90 months for early SBRT and 36.61 months for late SBRT (P=0.54). No grade 3 or higher adverse effects were observed, and grade 2 or lower toxicities were comparable between groups. The incidence of T790M mutations after resistance was significantly higher in the early SBRT group (58.5%, 24/41) compared to the late SBRT group (33.3%, 9/27) (P=0.05).
Conclusion In EGFR-sensitive NSCLC patients treated with first-generation EGFR-TKIs, early SBRT showed no significant differences in OS, PFS, or adverse effects compared to late SBRT. However, early SBRT was associated with a higher incidence of T790M mutations after resistance,warranting further investigation.
[Key words] EGFR mutation; Body stereotactic radiotherapy; Advanced non-small cell lung cancer; Progression-free survival; Long-term survival; T790M mutation |