Impact of radiation dose on immune cells (EDIC) on oncologic outcome in small cell lung cancer (SCLC)

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BACKGROUND: Radiotherapy (RT) is an essential part of small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) treatment. It can however deplete circulating lymphocytes, impairing systemic immune surveillance and potentially reducing the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). The Effective Dose to Immune Cells (EDIC) quantifies RT-induced immune suppression and has been linked to survival in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but its prognostic significance in SCLC remains unclear. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 220 patients with SCLC who received thoracic RT at a German tertiary cancer center between 2006 and 2020. EDIC was calculated from treatment plans using the model developed by Jin et al., which approximates the dose to circulating immune cells based on the dose to circulating blood. The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS), secondary endpoints were progression-free survival (PFS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), and local progression-free survival (LPFS). Multivariable Cox regression identified independent prognostic factors. RESULTS: The median OS was 17.7 months (Q1-Q3: 11.6-38.8, 95 % CI: 16.0-19.3). In LD-SCLC, higher EDIC (> 4.9 Gy) was independently associated with shorter OS (HR 1.62, p = 0.011), PFS (HR 1.57, p = 0.037), and DMFS (HR 1.72, p = 0.017), but not LPFS (p = 0.308). In contrast, EDIC showed no prognostic impact in ED-SCLC. Other independent prognostic factors in LD-SCLC included prophylactic cranial irradiation (HR 0.43, p < 0.001) and bi-daily fractionation (HR 0.41, p = 0.002). CONCLUSION: Higher EDIC is an independent negative prognostic factor in LD-SCLC, correlating with shorter OS, PFS, and DMFS, but had no prognostic relevance in ED-SCLC in this analysis. As immunotherapy becomes part of LD-SCLC treatment, immune-preserving RT strategies should be developed to optimize patient outcomes.

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