Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy, Not 3 Dimensional Conformal, Is the Preferred Technique for Treating Locally Advanced Disease With High-Dose Radiotherapy: The Argument Against

Intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) allows the delivery of high-dose radiotherapy to target volumes, while sparing adjacent normal tissues. This has been mooted as a method of treating larger and otherwise untreatable lung cancers or of escalating radiotherapy doses. The possibility of achieving these aims has been confirmed in many planning studies, but there is little supporting clinical data. No randomized trial has compared conformal and IMRT, few studies have reported the late outcomes of IMRT, and there is no evidence for improved control of lung cancer with increased radiation dose.
Source: Seminars in Radiation Oncology - Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Source Type: research