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World J Radiology. Mar 28, 2019; 11(3): 46-54
Published online Mar 28, 2019. doi: 10.4329/wjr.v11.i3.46
Progress in image-guided radiotherapy for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer
Xiao-Cang Ren, Yue-E Liu, Jing Li, Qiang Lin
Xiao-Cang Ren, Yue-E Liu, Jing Li, Qiang Lin, Department of Oncology, North China Petroleum Bureau General Hospital, Hebei Medical University, Renqiu 062552, Hebei Province, China
Author contributions: Ren XC wrote the manuscript; Liu YE and Li J contributed to the writing of the manuscript; Lin Q designed the editorial and wrote the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: There is no conflict of interest associated with any of the senior author or other coauthors contributed their efforts in this manuscript.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Qiang Lin, MD, PhD, Professor, Department of Oncology, North China Petroleum Bureau General Hospital, Hebei Medical University, 8 Huizhan Avenue, Renqiu 062552, Hebei Province, China. zyy_lq@petrochina.com.cn
Telephone: +86-317-2721951 Fax: +86-317-2722381
Received: October 29, 2018
Peer-review started: October 29, 2018
First decision: November 29, 2018
Revised: January 27, 2019
Accepted: February 27, 2019
Article in press: March 28, 2019
Published online: March 28, 2019
Abstract

Lung cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors. It has the highest incidence and mortality rate of all cancers worldwide. Late diagnosis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is very common in clinical practice, and most patients miss the chance for radical surgery. Thus, radiotherapy plays an indispensable role in the treatment of NSCLC. Radiotherapy technology has evolved from the classic two-dimensional approach to three-dimensional conformal and intensity-modulated radiotherapy. However, how to ensure delivery of an accurate dose to the tumor while minimizing the irradiation of normal tissues remains a huge challenge for radiation oncologists, especially due to the positioning error between fractions and the autonomous movement of organs. In recent years, image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT) has greatly increased the accuracy of tumor irradiation while reducing the irradiation dose delivered to healthy tissues and organs. This paper presents a brief review of the definition of IGRT and the various technologies and applications of IGRT. IGRT can help ensure accurate dosing of the target area and reduce radiation damage to the surrounding normal tissue. IGRT may increase the local control rate of tumors and reduce the incidence of radio-therapeutic complications.

Keywords: Non-small cell lung cancer, Radiotherapy, Image-guided radiotherapy, Intensity-modulated radiotherapy, Positioning error

Core tip: Lung cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors. Radiotherapy plays an indispensable role in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer. How to ensure delivery of an accurate dose to the tumor while minimizing the irradiation of normal tissues remains a huge challenge. In this brief review, we summarize the methods of radiotherapy technology, especially for the image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT). We believe that IGRT can help ensure accurate dosing of the target area and reduce radiation damage to the surrounding normal tissue.