Strategies for enhanced radiation delivery in patients with lung cancer

Abstract

Since the 1970s primary management for regionally advanced non-small cell lung cancer has shifted from radiotherapy alone to sequential chemoradiation to concurrent chemoradiation. The increase in survival with these approaches has been small; an ~ 3 – 4 month per decade increase in median survival. Future avenues to improve on these outcomes could involve: i)dose-intense radiotherapy; ii) better target delineation; and iii) combining molecularly targeted agents with optimised radiation therapy. However, to accomplish this, techniques to control tumour motion and decrease toxicity must be developed.

• dose intensification
• image guidance
• lung cancer
• motion control
• radiotherapy