Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy May Improve Local-Regional Tumor Control for Locally Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Compared With Three-Dimensional Conformal Radiation Therapy

Conclusion. IMRT may confer superior LRPFS and comparable OS than can be achieved with 3DCRT in LA-NSCLC, along with the reduction of pulmonary toxicity. Implications for Practice: Based on the largest number of patients from a single institution, the present study demonstrated that intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) could provide superior local-regional progression-free survival and similar overall survival compared with the traditional three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3DCRT) for stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). IMRT was also found to be associated with the significantly decreased incidence of pulmonary toxicity. These results suggest that IMRT should be considered a surrogate for 3DCRT in locally advanced NSCLC and might be the preferred option for a female nonsmoker with adenocarcinoma and a potentially high risk of pulmonary toxicity from radiotherapy.
Source: The Oncologist - Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Tags: Lung Cancer, Radiation Oncology Source Type: research