Research Underway on Novel Lung Cancer Radiotherapy Treatment

Potentially ground-breaking research is intended to find the role of Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy (SABR)/Stereo-Tactic Body Radiation (STBR) therapy in the treatment of bulkier Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC).

According to West Virginia University (Morgantown, WV, USA) thoracic radiation oncologist Alexander Chi, MD, principal investigator of the study, the researchers will try to validate the use of intensity modulated, image-guided photon therapy for dose escalation to help treat local-regionally confined NSCLC.

Two trials are currently underway, one is a phase II clinical trial investigating the role of SABR in the treatment of large, early stage NSCLC, using a higher than normal Biologically Effective Dose (BED), and the second is a phase I clinical trial for the treatment of locally advanced NSCLC, by delivering a stereo-tactic boost, before or after concurrent chemo-radiation therapy.

The researchers are also investigating which patients could benefit from dose escalation, and those who may need further systemic therapy for individual treatment strategies based on their individual genetic profile.

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West Virginia University