Better Way Found to Control Lung Cancer Using Radiotherapy

British scientists discovered how to safely increase the radiotherapy dose administered to lung cancer patients, potentially offering improved local control and survival.

Conventional treatment for locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer is a combination of radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Typically, this is planned in a one-size-fits-all fashion, but the radiation dose may not always be sufficient enough to block tumor growth.

The potential to increase the radiation dose to the cancerous tissue varies between patients and depends on the size and location of the tumor in relation to sensitive organs such as the spinal cord and lungs. Researchers from the University of Manchester (UK) and The Christie NHS [National Health Service] Foundation Trust—both part of the Manchester Cancer Research Center—have looked at ways to personalize and increase the dose to the tumor while decreasing the effect on healthy tissue.

Dr. Corinne Faivre-Finn, a researcher at the University of Manchester and an honorary consultant at The Christie, who led the study, said, “Current standard options for the treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer are associated with poor survival. We wanted to see if more advanced methods of planning and delivering radiotherapy treatment could potentially allow an increase in radiation dose.”

The group used data from 20 lung cancer patients to investigate whether a newer radiotherapy technique such as intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) could potentially be used to increase the radiation dose to lung tumors, without harming healthy organs. Their treatment planning methods ensured a safe radiation dose was delivered to the surrounding organs at risk. In an article published September 15, 2014, in the journal Clinical Oncology, they demonstrated that IMRT allowed an increase in radiation dose for non-small-cell lung cancer.

“Our exploratory study suggests that using IMRT can allow radiation dose to be increased: calculations indicate that this could yield a 10% improvement in tumor control. We are starting a new clinical trial, funded by Cancer Research UK, investigating the delivery of this personalized IMRT treatment in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer. We hope to demonstrate that the increase dose delivered to the tumor will lead to improved survival,” added Dr. Faivre-Finn.

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