The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) of Fairfax, VA, has released a report prepared by its emerging technology committee evaluating the use of stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for treating patients with lung cancer.
The report endorses the use of SBRT as an accepted treatment option for medically inoperable patients with stage I and stage II non-small cell lung cancer. With respect to patients for whom surgery is an option, ASTRO recommends that more study and longer follow-up is necessary to ensure that results are equivalent to those of surgery.
"Ideally, medically operable patients with stage I lung cancer would likely receive SBRT on a structured investigative protocol," the committee stated. Although acknowledging that central tumors have been treated successfully, based on current study findings, single-fraction SBRT is recommended for use only in the setting of a clinical trial.
Dr. Andre Konski, committee chairman and chair of radiation oncology at Wayne State University in Detroit, said that the 12-member committee believes that some lung cancer patients will benefit greatly from SBRT because it shortens the time period for treatment and will improve their quality of life.
The report describes SBRT in detail and includes a summarized description of clinical trial results reported in peer-review journals. A complete copy is available by clicking here.
Related Reading
ASTRO, ACR publish joint guidelines for radiation therapy, January 29, 2010
ASTRO publishes IMRT guidelines, August 7, 2009
ASTRO publishes APBI guidelines for early-stage breast cancer, July 16, 2009
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