Lung cancer : journal of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer
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As local tumour control is poor in stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), a radiotherapy planning study was performed to evaluate the potential for treatment acceleration by using a simultaneous integrated boost (SIB) technique in patients who had completed induction chemotherapy. ⋯ A SIB technique that delivers at least 50 Gy to the pre-chemotherapy tumour volume permits accelerated radiotherapy in patients with stage III NSCLC without increasing the expected risks of normal tissue toxicity. By reducing the overall treatment time, the SIB technique may improve local tumour control and survival.
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We have developed a novel irradiation technique for lung cancer that combines a linear accelerator and CT scanner with patient-controlled breath-hold and radiation beam switching. We applied this technique to stereotactic three-dimensional (3D) conformal radiotherapy for stage I non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and evaluated the primary therapeutic outcomes. A total of 35 patients with stage I (15 IA, 20 IB) primary NSCLC (20 adeno, 13 squamous cell, and 2 others) were treated with this technique. ⋯ Two-year overall survival rates for total patients and medically operable patients were 58 and 83%, respectively. In conclusion, this new irradiation technique, utilizing patient-controlled radiation beam switching under self-breath-hold after precise alignment of the isocenter, allows safe high-dose stereotactic radiotherapy with sufficient margins around the CTV and reduced treatment times. Based on the initial results, excellent local control with minimal complications is expected for stage I NSCLC.