Clinical outcomes of stereotactic body radiotherapy for elderly patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

AIM: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in elderly patients.

METHODS: From 2008 to 2015, 117 patients with HCC (≤3 nodules, ≤30 mm in diameter, Child-Pugh score ≤7, and no vascular or extracellular metastasis) were treated with SBRT at our hospital. We evaluated overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), local control, and adverse events. Patients were stratified according to age 75 years and older (elderly group, n = 54) and age younger than 75 years (young group, n = 63).

RESULTS: The median OS in the elderly group was not significantly different from that in the young group (52 months vs. not reached, P = 0.27). The 1-, 2-, and 3-year OS rates were 96.2%, 77.6%, and 63.9%, respectively, in the elderly group, and 96.8%, 84.8%, and 67.7%, respectively, in the young group. The median DFS in the elderly group was significantly shorter than that in the young group (13 vs. 25 months, respectively; P = 0.03). The 1-, 2-, and 3-year DFS rates were 50.6%, 30.4%, and 26.6%, respectively, in the elderly group and 66.5%, 50.7%, and 45.3%, respectively, in the young group. The 3-year local tumor control rate in the elderly group was 98.1%, and that in the young group was 98.4% (P = 0.83). There was no difference between groups in the incidence of any adverse events.

CONCLUSIONS: Stereotactic body radiotherapy can be effective and safe for the treatment of HCC in elderly patients.