Abstract
The purpose of this chapter is to examine the never-ending story and debates regarding the roles of surgery versus stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for medically operable patients with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Technical approaches to optimize the safety and efficacy of each of these treatments are described elsewhere in this textbook. We will use a historical framework to inform the current discussions with an evaluation of belief systems that may be anchored to the hope and promise of each treatment. We will also describe how the changing landscape of cancer treatment is already influencing future narratives about surgery or SBRT as the combination of systemic therapies is raising questions about the value of each treatment being given alone. By the end of this chapter, the authors hope that readers will better appreciate the nuances of this never-ending story and be able to engage in a more informed discussion if ever pulled into a debate about surgery vs. SBRT for early-stage NSCLC.
A reliable way to make people believe in falsehoods is frequent repetition, because familiarity is not easily distinguished from truth.
Daniel Kahneman, Thinking, Fast and Slow
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Taylor, J., Samson, P., Stokes, W., Moghanaki, D. (2023). Never-Ending Story: Surgery Versus SBRT in Early-Stage NSCLC. In: Jeremić, B. (eds) Advances in Radiation Oncology in Lung Cancer. Medical Radiology(). Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/174_2022_316
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