[Therapy of bronchial carcinoma from the radiotherapist's viewpoint]

The irradiation of radical resectable lung cancer is unambiguously not as effectively as surgery, and also the preoperative radiation with high tumour doses has not demonstrated any benefit in survival rates. Tumours of the superior sulcus could be an exception in both treatment modalities. As shown in randomized studies one could suggest some advantage employing postoperative irradiation of patients especially with mediastinal node metastases. The addition of chemotherapy to high dose irradiation with curative intent in inoperable non-small cell lung cancer has not been shown to increase survival. The combined chemo-radiotherapy of small cell lung cancer significantly reduced the incidence of relapse and prolonged the disease free interval but did not affect long-term survival.