The rationale and use of three-dimensional radiation treatment planning for lung cancer.
Treatment of lung cancer with conventional radiation therapy is associated with suboptimal local tumor control and poor long-term survival. Poor local tumor control may result from inaccurate tumor targeting, failure to satisfactorily conform to dose distribution with the target volume, and/or inadequate radiation doses. Three-dimensional treatment planning is a radiotherapy technique that provides more accurate dose targeting via the direct transfer of three-dimensional anatomic information from diagnostic scans into the planning process. This technology can assist treatment planning by providing dose-volume histograms, an estimation of normal tissue complication probabilities, and facilitate dose escalation. Preliminary clinical studies suggest that this is a feasible approach worthy of additional study. The three-dimensional tools provide new opportunities to better understand radiation-induced changes in pulmonary function.
Marks
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LB
Department of Radiation Oncology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA. marks@radonc.duke.edu
Sibley
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D018288:Carcinoma, Small Cell / Q000532:radiotherapy; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging; D019583:Dose Fractionation, Radiation; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000473:pathology; D011336:Probability; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage; D011880:Radiotherapy Planning, Computer-Assisted; D020266:Radiotherapy, Conformal; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome