- Home
- Editorial
- News
- Practice Guidelines
- Anesthesiology Guidelines
- Cancer Guidelines
- Cardiac Sciences Guidelines
- Critical Care Guidelines
- Dentistry Guidelines
- Dermatology Guidelines
- Diabetes and Endo Guidelines
- Diagnostics Guidelines
- ENT Guidelines
- Featured Practice Guidelines
- Gastroenterology Guidelines
- Geriatrics Guidelines
- Medicine Guidelines
- Nephrology Guidelines
- Neurosciences Guidelines
- Obs and Gynae Guidelines
- Ophthalmology Guidelines
- Orthopaedics Guidelines
- Paediatrics Guidelines
- Psychiatry Guidelines
- Pulmonology Guidelines
- Radiology Guidelines
- Surgery Guidelines
- Urology Guidelines
Radiotherapy for Lung Cancer can be dangerous: Study
A type of radiotherapy called stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) can put patients with early stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) at an increased risk of death from causes other than cancer, according to a new study.
In particular, researchers found that high doses to the left atrium of the heart and the superior vena cava (the large vein carrying deoxygenated blood from the head, arms and upper body to the heart) had the strongest association and increased risk of non-cancer death.
Dr Barbara Stam from the Netherlands Cancer Institute told the ESTRO 35 conference that as a result of these findings, she and other researchers would be investigating ways to deliver radiotherapy while sparing these crucial heart structures as much as possible.
Stam and colleagues analysed data from 565 patients diagnosed with early NSCLC between 2006-2013 in five institutions in Europe and North America, who were treated with SBRT.
President of ESTRO, Professor Philip Poortmans, who was not involved in the research, commented: "Research into the details of the dose distribution and the (largely unknown) causes of death is required before these results could be translated to the daily clinics' environment, apart from the advice to keep the dose to the heart as low as possible while maintaining optimal tumour control."
Disclaimer: This site is primarily intended for healthcare professionals. Any content/information on this website does not replace the advice of medical and/or health professionals and should not be construed as medical/diagnostic advice/endorsement or prescription. Use of this site is subject to our terms of use, privacy policy, advertisement policy. © 2020 Minerva Medical Treatment Pvt Ltd