Abstract
Radiation therapy has evolved into an integral modality in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and small cell lung cancer (SCLC). As technology has evolved, stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) can now be used to achieve excellent local control in patients with early stage NSCLC who are non-operative candidates. Randomized trials are now comparing SBRT to surgery in early stage NSCLC. Chemoradiotherapy (CRT) is used as definitive therapy in the majority of cases of locally advanced NSCLC and can be used as neoadjuvant or adjuvant treatment to surgery in select cases. Most patients with SCLC will receive radiotherapy to the brain to treat brain metastases or prevent brain metastases, and patient with SCLC receive thoracic radiotherapy. In metastatic lung cancer, radiotherapy is used for palliation of brain metastases, spinal cord compression, superior vena cava syndrome, bony pain, hemoptysis, and airway obstruction. As treatment techniques continue to evolve, radiotherapy alone or in combination with new targeted therapies will continue to play an important role in the management of patients with lung cancer while reducing toxicity.
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Cooper, S.L., Sharma, A. (2013). Radiotherapy in Lung Cancer. In: Ravenel, J. (eds) Lung Cancer Imaging. Contemporary Medical Imaging. Humana Press, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-60761-620-7_12
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