VATS Lobectomy Is Associated With Greater Recurrence-Free Survival Than SBRT for Clinical Stage I Lung Cancer
Using propensity score matching, patients with clinical stage I NSCLC who underwent either VATS lobectomy or stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) were compared for long-term outcomes. Among 37 matched pairs, tumor control at 3 years was twice as good for surgery (p=.0038), cancer-specific survival was 15 percentage points better for surgery (p=.055), and overall survival and recurrence-free survival were superior for surgery (p<.005 for both). SBRT was an independent predictor of recurrence and poorer survival .
I guess SBRT is still a questionable palliation modality for unfit patients with CURABLE bronchial carcinomas……..