Feasibility of 125I seed implantation in the treatment of central lung cancer complicated with atelectasis / 中华放射医学与防护杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To investigate the feasibility, efficacy, and safety of CT- and bronchoscopy-guided 125I seed implantation in the treatment of central lung cancer complicated with atelectasis. Methods:Retrospective analysis was conducted on twenty-nine patients who were treated from May 2016 to Oct 2019 in the Second Hospital of Tianjin Medical University for central non-small-cell lung carcinoma complicated with pulmonary atelectasis that was inoperable due to medical reasons. 125I seeds were implanted into the trachea under the guidance of bronchoscopy first.The 125I seeds were then implanted into the hilum of the lungs by percutaneous puncture under the guidance of the CT and template.The seed activity was 18.5-29.6 MBq, and the prescription dose was 120 Gy.TPS planning and quality verification were performed before and after the operations.The rate of atelectasis recanalization, the satisfactory rate of dose verification, the improvement of dyspnea index, the survival time, and the adverse events during and after operation were observed. Results:All 29 patients with lung cancer complicated with atelectasis successfully completed the seed implantation, and the satisfactory rate of quality verification was 93.1%.The rate of atelectasis recanalization at 2, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months was 93.1%, 89.7%, 78.6%, 76.2%, and 60%, respectively.Their dyspnea and anoxia symptoms were significantly relieved in 5-28 months after treatment.The results showed that the patients′ dyspnea index was 2.8-0.8 before treatment and 1.4-0.9 after treatment.The median follow-up period was 20 months and median survival was 21 months.Adverse events associated with the radiation therapy included pneumothorax, hemoptysis, cough, fever, and particle displacement.No level-3 or more serious adverse events occurred.Conclusions:The CT- and bronchoscopy-guided 125I seed implantation is a safe and effective therapy option for the treatment of central non-small-cell lung carcinoma associated with atelectasis.It contributes to a high rate of local recanalization, and can rapidly improve clinical conditions and quality of life of the patients with few adverse reactions.