[Best practice guide for radiation therapy of non-small cell bronchial cancers]

The objective was the drafting of a practical document intended for radiotherapists and radiophysicists, describing the technique of irradiation of a non small cell bronchial cancer. The good practices concern the care of patients affected by bronchial cancer localized in the thorax and inoperable or patients who must undergo postoperative irradiation. The document has been developed according to a methodology aiming to join the current scientific data from an analysis of the literature on the subject and the assessment of radiotherapists, radiophysicists, lung specialists and methodologists from Rhône-Alpes area. From the stages necessary for the good progress of a radiotherapy, the writers of this document proposed common definitions concerning the centering and the location of the zone to be treated, the calculation of the dose distribution, the preparation of the patient for the treatment, the treatment and the surveillance during the treatment. The recommendations of this guide took into account the peculiarities bound to the nature of the treated region and more particularly the lung heterogeneity, respiratory movements and the radiosensibility of healthy lung tissue. Even if the technical aspect of the radiotherapy was particularly developed, the interest accorded to patient information takes on all its importance for a therapeutic coverage of quality. The authors of the document wished that this Guide of Good Practices, which will be regularly updated, helps the radiotherapists and allows them to harmonize their practices.