New administration modalities for radiotherapy in lung cancer

: Much progress has been made in recent years in administration modalities for radiotherapy for lung cancer. Exposure time to external irradiation was the first parameter to be modified: hyperfractionated radiotherapy, hyperfractionated accelerated radiotherapy with or without concomitant irradiation, synchronous or asynchronous protocols, split course radiotherapy. Radiosensitizing agents have also been the subject of much research: radiosensitization of hypoxic cells, modifiers of the biological response, concomitant radiochemotherapy. The main drugs used are 5-fluorouracil, platinum salts, etoposide, hydroxyurea, taxanes, topotecan, vinorelbin, and gemcitabine. Outcome with these combinations is discussed, both for non-small-cell and small-cell lung cancer. 3D conformational radiotherapy can enable increased dosing in the tumoral target while better preserving healthy tissues. High dose endoluminal brachytherapy is used particularly as a palliative treatment for bronchial obstructions or as curative treatment for weakly infiltrative small endoluminal tumors.