Fludeoxyglucose F 18 PET/CT Scans in Predicting Therapy Response in Patients With Stage IIIA Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Undergoing Chemoradiation

• Induction therapy failure [ Time Frame: 6 weeks after completion of chemoradiation therapy (CRT) ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  Defined as any evidence by clinically unresectable disease based on tumor board consensus and review of restaging scans demonstrating locoregional progression or distant metastasis, surgically unresectable disease based on surgical exploration, or suboptimal resection disease still requiring pneumonectomy and still having R1 resection.
  
  
• Early positron emission tomography (PET) response of group A [ Time Frame: Baseline and between standard radiotherapy (RT) fractions 5-6 ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  Measured by the change in Standard Uptake Value (SUV)max from baseline at the research PET scan in 1 of 3 scheduled time point.
  
  
• Early positron emission tomography (PET) response of group B [ Time Frame: Baseline and between standard radiotherapy (RT) fractions 10-11 ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  Measured by the change in Standard Uptake Value (SUV)max from baseline at the research PET scan in 1 of 3 scheduled time point.
  
  
• Early positron emission tomography (PET) response of group C [ Time Frame: Baseline and between standard radiotherapy (RT) fractions 15-16 ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  Measured by the change in Standard Uptake Value (SUV)max from baseline at the research PET scan in 1 of 3 scheduled time point.
  
  

• Pathologic response [ Time Frame: 6 weeks after completion of chemoradiation therapy (CRT) ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  
• Progression-free survival [ Time Frame: Every 3 months for 2 years and every 6 months thereafter ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  
• Overall survival [ Time Frame: Every 3 months for 2 years and every 6 months thereafter ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES:

I. To determine whether early response of the research positron emission tomography (PET)-computed tomography(CT) scan measured by change in Standard Uptake Value (SUV)max relative to baseline scan can predict induction chemoradiation therapy (CRT) failures sooner than post-treatment PET-CT scan.

II. To determine the optimal timing for 18FDG PET-CT that best predicts for induction CRT failure.

SECONDARY OBJECTIVES:

I. To correlate early 18 fludeoxyglucose (FDG) PET-CT response metrics with pathologic response, progression-free survival separately for: induction CRT failures vs. non-failures, or overall survival separately for induction CRT failures vs. non-failures.

OUTLINE: Patients are randomized to 1 of 3 groups.

Patients undergo a baseline FDG PET/CT scan and receive standard radiotherapy (RT) for 28 fractions with concurrent chemotherapy.

GROUP A: Patients undergo a FDG PET/CT scan between RT fractions 5-6 (before course 2 of chemotherapy).

GROUP B: Patients undergo a FDG PET/CT scan between RT fractions 10-11 (before course 3 of chemotherapy).

GROUP C: Patients undergo a FDG PET/CT scan between RT fractions 15-16 (before course 4 of chemotherapy).

Approximately 6 weeks after completion of CRT, patients undergo a FDG PET/CT scan and undergo standard tumor resection.

After completion of study treatment, patients are followed up every 3 months for 2 years and then every 6 months thereafter.