125Iodine brachytherapy stents for lung cancer with superior vena cava syndrome

To determine the feasibility and efficacy of 125Iodine brachytherapy stent (IBS) for lung cancer associated with superior vena cava syndrome (SVCS). From May 2018 to August 2022, a retrospective analysis of 76 patients diagnosed with SVCS who underwent SVC stenting in our department. The ISB group (n = 33) underwent self-expandable metallic stent (SEMS) combined with 125Iodine seed strand implantation (called ISS), while the conventional stent group (n = 43) underwent SEMS implantation alone. The primary endpoints were technical success, clinical success, complications, stent patency, Karnofsky score; secondary endpoints were progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). There was a significant difference in the stent patency (93.93% vs. 76.74% at 4 months) and Karnofsky scores [(81.52 ± 7.95) vs. (77.44 ± 7.90) at 1 month, all P < 0.05] between the ISB and conventional stent groups (P < 0.05). No statistically significant differences were observed between two groups in technical success (100% vs. 100%), clinical success (96.97% vs. 93.02%), complication rates (24.24% vs. 11.63%), median PFS (3.40 vs. 3.80 months), or median OS (20.40 vs. 20.40 months) (P > 0.05). The ISB can effectively relieve SVCS, improve functional status, and prolong stent patency, while showing no significance on PFS and OS. Ethics Committee of Scientific Research and Clinical Trial, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University. Unique identifying number: Ethics Approval Number: 2023ky0106. Date of registration: 2023.01.12.