Radiotherapy treatment for lung cancer: Current status and future directions

Radiotherapy is an important modality used for the treatment of lung cancer. Seventy-seven percent of all patients with lung cancer have an evidence-based indication for radiotherapy, although it is often underutilized. Radiotherapy can be used as curative or palliative treatment across all stages of disease. Technological advances have allowed better radiotherapy targeting of tumours and reduced incidental irradiation of surrounding normal tissues. This has expanded the indications for radiotherapy in lung cancer and improved outcomes both in terms of increasing survival and reducing toxicity. This review examines the current role of radiotherapy in lung cancer, discusses the evidence behind this and identifies future directions in the radiotherapy treatment of lung cancer.