Combined modality therapy

Encouraging results continue to emerge with the use of chemoradiotherapy. This review of the current literature demonstrates some of the advances that have been achieved in a variety of common malignancies with strategies based on well-defined rationales. Preliminary randomized trials now reveal a survival advantage for chemoradiotherapy in patients with inoperable non-small cell lung cancer and patients with rectal cancer at high risk for recurrence following resection. Other studies report that concurrent chemoradiotherapy may improve local control in patients with limited-stage, small cell lung cancer or esophageal malignancies. The additional toxicity of these approaches is discussed.