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Combined Radiotherapy and Chemotherapy: Theoretical Considerations and Biological Premises

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Advances in Radiation Oncology in Lung Cancer

Part of the book series: Medical Radiology ((Med Radiol Radiat Oncol))

Abstract

Understanding the general radiobiological principles at play in the setting of combined radiation and chemotherapy is essential to appreciate how this approach has evolved over time into the standard of care for locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

The basic biological pathways through which these modalities interact with each other as well as cancerous and noncancerous cells have been described over the last several decades. Key mechanisms reviewed below include spatial cooperation, independent cell kill, protection of normal tissues, and finally enhancement of tumor response (i.e., radiosensitization or radio-enhancement). Translation of these principles into clinical trials has slowly enhanced our understanding of each, and revealed potential exploits that can guide us toward further improving the therapeutic ratio in lung cancer treatment.

Modern radiation therapy techniques as well as newly identified targeted drugs and immunotherapies will continue to evolve our understanding in this setting.

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  1. Michael K. Farris and Cole Steber share co-first author credit and contributed equally to this chapter.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Wake Forest School of Medicine, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Winston-Salem, NC, USA

    Michael K. Farris, Cole Steber, Corbin Helis & William Blackstock

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  1. Michael K. Farris
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Correspondence to Michael K. Farris .

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  1. School of Medicine, University of Kragujevac, Kragujevac, Serbia

    Branislav Jeremić

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Farris, M.K., Steber, C., Helis, C., Blackstock, W. (2022). Combined Radiotherapy and Chemotherapy: Theoretical Considerations and Biological Premises. In: Jeremić, B. (eds) Advances in Radiation Oncology in Lung Cancer. Medical Radiology(). Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/174_2022_314

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