PALLIATIVE RADIATION-THERAPY FOR NONSMALL CELL LUNG-CANCER

The palliative treatment of non-small cell lung cancer is very importa nt from a public health standpoint due to the large number of patients who die each year from this disease. Radiation therapy (RT) is an eff ective modality for the treatment of symptomatic primary intrathoracic disease as well as metastases to the bone and brain. The optimal RT d ose schedules have not been clearly established, but the majority of p atients will enjoy good symptom relief with acceptably low toxicity fr om doses in the range of 30 Gy delivered in 10 fractions.