Radiotherapy for lung cancer: clinical impact of recent technical advances

Radiation oncology plays an important role in the curative treatment of patients with lung cancer. New technological developments have enabled delivery of higher radiation doses while better sparing surrounding normal tissues, thereby increasing the likelihood of local control without increased toxicity. Multi-modality imaging enables better target definition, improved planning software allows for correct calculation of delivered doses, and tools to verify accurate treatment delivery are now available. A good example of the results of applying these developments is the high local control rates achieved in stage I NSCLC with stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT). These advances are rapidly becoming available outside academic institutions, and pulmonologists, surgeons and medical oncologists need to understand and critically assess the potential impact of such developments in the routine care of their patients. Aspects of cost-effectiveness of technical innovations, as well as the level of evidence required before widespread clinical implementation, will be addressed.