title: International survey of radiotherapy practice for radical treatment of non-small cell lung cancer.
abstract: This postal survey was designed to assess the possible agreement or differences in staging, selection criteria and radiation volumes for a curative treatment of non-small cell lung cancer. The questionnaire was sent to 263 radiotherapists from 38 different countries; 114 responses (43%) were received. In this sample, some geographical differences, mainly for staging procedures (the use of brain CT scan or bone scan) and selection criteria (the role of positive mediastinal lymph nodes), were seen. There was a good agreement between radiotherapists in the choice of treatment volumes in the five different clinical scenarios. The clinical and radiobiological findings of the last decade have discredited the routine use of split course or hypofractionation schedules. Further studies are needed to improve the technical basis of thoracic radiotherapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiotherapy, Institut Jules Bordet, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Van Houtte
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gregor
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Philips
mesh_terms: D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging