Stereotactic body radiation therapy for lung cancer

Lung cancer remains the leading cause of death worldwide. Because many patients with non-small cell lung cancer are elderly and have multiple comorbid conditions, many with potentially curable disease are unfit to undergo definitive surgical resection. Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) is increasingly being used to treat patients with medically inoperable stage I non-small cell lung cancer. SBRT combines reproducible and accurate anatomic targeting with the delivery of a very high dose per fraction of radiation to a target. Planning and delivery of SBRT is a coordinated effort between the radiation oncology team and consulting services. Clinical outcomes, toxicity profiles, treatment delivery, and indications for SBRT are reviewed. Services currently billed during planning and treatment of SBRT are detailed. This article introduces to consulting specialists and subspecialists a new Current Procedural Terminology code that has been proposed to more accurately reflect work performed during SBRT by these consulting providers. This code is described, and its implications for patient care are discussed.