How can we optimise concurrent chemoradiotherapy for inoperable stage III non-small cell lung cancer?
Cet article fait le point sur les avancées thérapeutiques et technologiques permettant d'optimiser une chimioradiothérapie concomitante dans le traitement d'un cancer du poumon non à petites cellules de stade III et inopérable
Latest evidence sets a clear mandate for concurrent chemoradiotherapy as the current standard of care for inoperable stage III non small cell lung cancer patients with good performance status and minimal comorbidities. However, a survival plateau has been reached, with disappointing results from dose escalation studies using conventional fractionation and studies investigating the addition of systemic doses of chemotherapy delivered before or after concurrent chemoradiotherapy. It is clear that further improvement in outcome for these patients will be determined by better local control and by reducing the risk of distant recurrence. Given the technological advances in radiotherapy planning and delivery in recent years plus the abundance of novel targeted therapies exploiting critical oncogenic pathways, further advances in combined drug-radiation treatment for lung cancer seem highly possible.