Newswise — HOUSTON ― Results from a new study led by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center support standard use of the more precise intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) over the alternative 3D-conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT) for patients with unresectable, locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The study, published today in JAMA Oncology , revealed fewer side effects with IMRT, with similar survival outcomes. A prospective secondary analysis of long-term outcomes from 483 patients on the Phase III NRG Oncology-RTOG 0617 randomized trial demonstrated those treated with 3D-CRT were significantly more likely to experience severe pneumonitis – inflammation of the lungs – than patients treated with IMRT, with rates of 8.
2% and 3.5%, respectively. According to lead author Stephen Chun, M.
D., associate professor of Radiation Oncology, this study should bring finality to what has been a long-standing debate over optimal radiation technique for locally advanced NSCLC. “3D-CRT is a rudimentary technique that’s been around for over 50 years.
Our findings show it’s time to routinely adopt IMRT over 3D-CRT for lung cancer, just like we did for prostate, anal and brain tumors decades ago,” Chun said. “The improved precision of IMRT translates into real benefits for patients with locally advanced lung cancer.” 3D-CRT aims and shapes radiation in straight lines directed at tumors, but it lacks the ability to curve and bend to co.
