Mesothelioma Blog

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, lung cancer kills more people than any other type of cancer. This may soon change, however, as radiologists at Temple University have just developed a new and promising lung cancer radiation therapy.

In clinical trials, the new technique (dubbed stereotactic body radiotherapy, or SBRT) dramatically improved the probability that participants would survive early stage lung cancer. Furthermore, the new treatment requires a fewer number of treatments when compared to traditional chemotherapy and also reduces the necessity for future surgeries relating to the disease.

Professor Curtis Miyamoto, head researcher for the study, explains that SBRT treatment requires only three to eight treatments. This should come as good news to lung cancer patients, who traditionally require 35 regular chemotherapy treatment sessions.

More importantly, the cure rate (measured as 2 years of disease-free survival) is more than doubled as a result of the new procedure. Professor Miyamoto indicates that the cure rate of participants is about 81 percent, and can go as high as 98 percent depending on the size and seriousness of the tumor. In traditional radiation treatments of lung cancer, approximately 35 percent of patients are cured.

Experts are intrigued by the ability of this minimally invasive procedure to offer the same level of results as those previously only found in more invasive surgeries (such as lung removal). Professor Miyamoto will discuss his findings further at the Latin American Association of Radiating Therapy Oncology this June in Cancun, Mexico.

Resources:
http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2009/03/09/New_lung_cancer_radiation_therapy_created/UPI-12681236609883/
http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/549838/
http://www.cdc.gov/Cancer/lung/statistics/