SBRT For Lung Cancer Report Released By ASTRO

The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) has released its Emerging Technology Committee's report evaluating the use of stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) in lung cancer treatment.

SBRT is a newer radiation therapy treatment that uses focused radiation beams to target a well-defined tumor and relies on detailed imaging, computerized three-dimensional treatment planning and precise treatment setup to deliver the radiation dose with extreme accuracy to any part of the body, excluding the brain or spine. It typically uses higher radiation doses in fewer treatments than other standard treatments.

Historically, the preferred treatment for lung cancer patients is surgery, but numerous lung cancer patients are unfit for surgery due to the presence of other medical conditions, such as cardiopulmonary disease related to chronic smoking, that put them at an unacceptably high risk of surgical morbidity and mortality. Traditionally six to seven weeks of radiation have been used for this group of patients, but studies showed a high risk of local failure.

source: ASTRO