[New possibilities in radiotherapy of endobronchial tumors using the afterloading method in combination with laser...

New possibilities for radiotherapy of bronchial carcinomas are provided by the combined application of the recently introduced afterloading method used hitherto in the treatment of stenosing processes of bronchial carcinomas and the neodyme-YAG laser which opens the stenosis in such a manner that the afterloading probe can be inserted. This new method allows to perform without complications or disadvantages further combined therapies such as percutaneous irradiation (telecobalt, linear accelerator or betatron). An irradiation scheme leading to a decisive tumor regression can be established due to the fast reventilation of the lung obtained by both methods. Surprisingly, three patients could be submitted despite the small-field radiotherapy to rather important lung operations such as lobectomy and pneumonectomy which were performed without complications or disadvantages. The patients were not operable without laser and afterloading therapy. This method was applied several times in the treatment of other diseases such as oesophageal cancer and stenosing cancer of the antrum. In these cases, a normal ingestion due to tumor regression was obtained rapidly.