Follow-up and Surveillance – Curatively-Treated Lung Cancer

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Follow-up and Surveillance Recommendations for Patients Treated Curatively for Lung Cancer.

Recommendations:

Surveillance for relapse or new primaries in patients treated with curative intent for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) or stage I-IIA (T1-2 N0 M0) small cell lung cancer (SCLC):

  1. Low dose chest computed tomography (CT) with or without contrast every 6 months for 2 to 3 following curative intent treatment1-8.
  2. Low dose chest CT with or without contrast annually` thereafter1-8

 

Discussion / Summary of the literature

Despite advances in the care of patients with NSCLC, many patients with NSCLC treated with curative intent will eventually have progression of their disease. The rationale for surveillance following the treatment of lung cancer is the detection of relapse or a new primary lung cancer. There are no randomized trials that exist to support specific recommendations for surveillance modality and interval. Most recommendations are based on expert consensus and cohort studies, and the effect of surveillance on survival continues to be debated. Data extrapolated from screening trials does demonstrate a survival benefit to the detection of early-stage cancers and most guideline-setting groups recommend a surveillance strategy involving regular clinical examinations and imaging. 1-15

CT dose (i.e. Low dose vs Minimal dose) and the use of contrast is controversial. There are no data to suggest one dose over another. Extrapolation of data from the National Lung Cancer Screening Trial would suggest Low dose CT provides good sensitivity for the detection of early stage cancers.4,5,16 Contrast enhanced CT chest may provide superior assessment of mediastinal nodal involvement.8

Finally, recommendations for surveillance post curative intent treatment of SCLC are based on expert consensus and parallel those for NSCLC1-15

Recommended Reading:

NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines). Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. Available at http://www.nccn.org

Hanna WC, Paul NS, Darling GE, Moshonov H, Allison F, Waddell TK, et al. Minimal-dose computed tomography is superior to chest x-ray for the follow-up and treatment of patients with resected lung cancer. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2014;147(1):30-5.

References:

  1. Calman L, Beaver K, Hind D, Lorigan P, Roberts C, Lloyd-Jones M. Survival benefits from follow-up of patients with lung cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Thorac Oncol. 2011;6(12):1993-2004.
  2. Sugimura H, Yang P. Long-term survivorship in lung cancer: a review. Chest.2006;129(4):1088-97
  3. Srikantharajah D, Ghuman A, Nagendran M, Maruthappu M. Is computed tomography follow-up of patients after lobectomy for non-small cell lung cancer of benefit in terms of survival? Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg. 2012;15(5):893-8.
  4. Hanna WC, Paul NS, Darling GE, Moshonov H, Allison F, Waddell TK, et al. Minimal-dose computed tomography is superior to chest x-ray for the follow-up and treatment of patients with resected lung cancer. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2014;147(1):30-5.
  5. National Lung Screening Trial Research Team, Church TR, Black WC, Aberle DR, Berg CD, Clingan KL, et al. Results of initial low-dose computed tomographic screening for lung cancer. N Engl J Med. 2013;368(21):1980-91
  6. Colt HG, Murgu SD, Korst RJ, et al. Follow-up and surveillance of the patient with lung cancer after curative-intent therapy: Diagnosis and management of lung cancer, 3rd ed: American College of Chest Physicians evidence-based clinical practice guidelines. Chest 2013;143:e437S-454S. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23649451
  7. Vansteenkiste, et al. 2nd ESMO Consensus Conference on Lung Cancer: early-stage non-small-cell lung cancer consensus on diagnosis, treatment and follow-up. Annals of Oncology 25: 1462–1474, 2014
  8. Ung YC, Souter LH, Darling G, Dobranowski J, Donohue L, Leighl N, et al. Follow-up and surveillance of curatively treated lung cancer patients. Toronto (ON): Cancer Care Ontario; 2014 Aug 29. Program in Evidence-Based Care Evidence-Based Series No.: 26-3
  9. Lou F, Huang J, Sima CS, et al. Patterns of recurrence and second primary lung cancer in early-stage lung cancer survivors followed with routine computed tomography surveillance. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2013;145:75-81; discussion 81-72. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23127371.
  10. Srikantharajah D, Ghuman A, Nagendran M, Maruthappu M. Is computed tomography follow-up of patients after lobectomy for non-small cell lung cancer of benefit in terms of survival? Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg 2012;15:893-898. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22859511.
  11. Dane B, Grechushkin V, Plank A, et al. PET/CT vs. non-contrast CT alone for surveillance 1-year post lobectomy for stage I non-small-cell lung cancer. Am J Nucl Med Mol Imaging
  12. Nakamura R, Kurishima K, Kobayashi N, et al. Postoperative follow-up for patients with non-small cell lung cancer. Onkologie. 2010;33(1-2):14-18
  13. Johnson BE. Second lung cancers in patients after treatment for an initial lung cancer. J Natl Cancer Inst 1998; 90: 1335–1345.
  14. Demicheli R, Fornili M, Ambrogi F et al. Recurrence dynamics for non-small-cell lung cancer: effect of surgery on the development of metastases. J Thorac Oncol 2012; 7: 723–730.
  15. Toba H, Sakiyama S, Otsuka H et al. 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography is useful in postoperative follow-up of asymptomatic non-small cell lung cancer patients. Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg 2012; 15: 859–864
  16. Crabtree TD, Puri V, Chen SB, et al. Does the method of radiologic surveillance affect survival after resection of stage I non-small cell lung cancer? J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2015;149:45-52, 53 e41-43