Precision Radiation Proves Effective in Reducing Recurrence for Lung Cancer Patients

Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) proved effective in reducing recurrence for 98 percent of the 55 patients with lung cancer in a study reported in the March 17, 2010, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

Researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center found that 56 percent of the patients treated with SBRT for inoperable lung cancer were alive three years after the cancer was diagnosed, according to a UT Southwestern Medical Center press release. In addition, less than 20 percent of the study participants died of metastatic lung cancer.

"Despite the high potency of the treatment, fewer than 20 percent of these extremely frail patients experienced a serious health decline," said Robert Timmerman, M.D., vice chairman of radiation oncology at UT Southwestern, in the press release.

Dr. Timmerman is the lead author of the study and the principal investigator of the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) 0236 trial – the first North American multicenter study to assess SBRT for lung cancer.

"We believe these findings justify SBRT as a standard of care treatment for lung cancer in patients with serious medical problems like emphysema, heart disease and strokes,” concluded Dr. Timmerman.