State of the Art Radiation Therapy for Lung Cancer 2012: A Glimpse of the Future

The prognosis of patients with lung cancer has improved over the past years. Patient selection, optimal sequencing of systemic and local treatments, and better surgical techniques, together with unprecedented improvements in imaging and computer technology and technical advances in radiation therapy planning and delivery has revolutionized radiation therapy in a short period of time. Among the most significant evolutions that have direct implications for daily practice are the more widespread use of stereotactic body radiation for stage I non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), concurrent chemoradiation for stage III NSCLC, the implementation of 4-dimensional computed tomography and positron emission tomography, adaptive radiation therapy strategies, optimizing the timing of chest radiation therapy for limited disease small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) and prophylactic cranial irradiation for extensive disease SCLC. Molecular-based individualized radiation therapy dose prescription, which goes hand in hand with the realization of decision-support systems and the introduction of proton therapy centers give only a glimpse of what the future will bring.