title: Palliative thoracic radiotherapy for lung cancer.
abstract: Despite an increasing use of chemotherapy in the palliative setting for lung cancer, the role of palliative thoracic radiotherapy should not be disregarded. It offers quick and efficient palliation, with improvement observed in approximately two-thirds of treated patients. There is evidence that the short and long radiotherapy schedules are equally effective for poor performance patients. Higher radiation doses delivered via protracted schedules give a modest survival benefit for good performance patients. The current review covers the issues related to the use of palliative thoracic radiotherapy, such as total dose, fractionation, delayed versus immediate use, external-beam radiotherapy versus endobronchial brachytherapy, combination with chemotherapy, re-irradiation and palliation with radiation in small-cell lung cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, M. Sklodowska-Curie Memorial Cancer Center and Institute of Oncology, ul Roentgena 5, 02-781 Warsaw, Poland. lucynak@coi.pl
authors.forename: Lucyna
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kepka
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Olszyna-Serementa
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D019583:Dose Fractionation, Radiation; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000379:methods*; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage; D055752:Small Cell Lung Carcinoma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy; D013534:Survival; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents