Report from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) consultants' meeting on elective nodal irradiation in lung cancer: small-cell lung cancer (SCLC).
Thoracic radiotherapy (RT) is an integral part of the management of small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) because its administration provides a survival benefit in patients with limited-stage disease. However, there are many areas of controversy with respect to the delivery of curative RT, and these include definition of the target to be irradiated. A current area of concern is defining what the RT portal must encompass with respect to the mediastinal lymph nodes; that is, whether one should electively treat all mediastinal nodes, or selectively include those with some clinical risk for harboring disease, or perhaps omit elective nodal irradiation altogether. The purpose of the present report is therefore to address the concepts underlying elective or selective nodal irradiation as it applies to SCLC, looking at clinical, imaging, and RT reports to help define the parameters appropriate to treating individual patients.
Videtic
Gregory M M
GM
Department of Radiation Oncology, The Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA. videtig@ccf.org
Belderbos
José S A
JS
Spring Kong
Feng-Ming
FM
Kepka
Lucyna
L
Martel
Mary K
MK
Jeremic
Branislav
B
D018288:Carcinoma, Small Cell / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D006801:Humans; D007390:International Agencies; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D015182:Lymphatic Irradiation / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D008482:Mediastinum; D009367:Neoplasm Staging / Q000379:methods; D009678:Nuclear Energy; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D047368:Tumor Burden