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Semin Respir Crit Care Med 2005; 26(3): 278-288
DOI: 10.1055/s-2005-871986
Copyright © 2005 by Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc., 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

The Role of Radiation Therapy in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Majid M. Mohiuddin1 , 2 , Noah C. Choi1 , 2
  • 1Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
  • 2Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
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Publication History

Publication Date:
29 June 2005 (online)

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ABSTRACT

Thoracic irradiation historically plays a strong role in the management of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Though surgery is the mainstay of early-stage (I and II) disease, adjuvant radiation therapy confers better local control than surgery alone in advanced disease (III). Combining chemotherapy with radiation can help decrease systemic tumor burden and confer an overall survival advantage. Patients with medically inoperable early-stage disease can be treated with radiation alone, and bulky advanced-stage tumors can be treated definitively with platinum-based concurrent chemotherapy and radiation. The success of chemotherapy with radiation together has led to trials of induction treatment for borderline surgical candidates, allowing for downstaging and more complete resection. Local control remains a challenge, and dose escalation as well as more conformal treatment planning studies need to be explored to overcome this problem.

KEYWORDS

Radiation therapy - non-small cell lung cancer - dose escalation - side effects

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Majid MohiuddinM.D. 

Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital

Harvard Medical School, 100 Blossom St.

Cox 3, Boston, MA 02114

Email: mmohiuddin@partners.org

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