Robot-assisted minimally invasive brachytherapy for lung cancer

Abstract

Lung cancer is the leading cause of death in men and has surpassed breast cancer as the most frequent cause of death in women [8]. Surgical resection is the treatment of choice, but only a third of patients who present with early disease are eligible for a curative resection [48]. Open surgery provides ready access and optimal visualization of body cavities; however, it has a higher rate of morbidity compared with minimally invasive techniques. Other options need to be developed. Brachytherapy is a form of radiation therapy of tumors delivered by the direct placement of a radioactive source into a tumor or tumor bed. It provides an option that avoids major surgery, chemotherapy, and the uncertainty of tumor motion, while the patient receives external beam radiation. It also avoids conventional multiple external beam radiation fractions that occur over several weeks. © 2008 Springer-Verlag.