Effectiveness of radiation therapy on non-small-cell lung cancer

Radiotherapy is an effective locoregional cancer treatment aimed at achieving tumor control. For almost a century, radiation has been used as a curative and/or palliative form of treatment alone or in combination with other treatment modalities for non–small-cell lung cancer. Trials are ongoing to investigate the value of altered fractionation radiation therapy alone or in combination with novel chemotherapy agents such as taxanes and gemcitabine, while monitoring for related toxicities. Attempts at minimizing the amount of normal tissue irradiated with three-dimensional treatment planning and/or protecting normal tissues with a radioprotector may allow for therapeutic escalation of radiation dose with further success at treating our nation's number one cause of cancer-related mortality.