Lesser resection versus radiotherapy for patients with compromised lung function and stage i lung cancer

Abstract

The prospect for cure is excellent for fit patients treated with anatomical resection for pathological stage IA non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Unfortunately, a substantial subset of patients diagnosed with early-stage NSCLC suffer from cardiopulmonary disease and/or other underlying medical comorbidities, and therefore are not suitable candidates for standard therapy. Treatment options for patients unable to tolerate lobectomy are typically guided by the severity of comorbid disease and traditionally have included limited resection (via open thoracotomy or a thoracoscopic approach) and external beam radiotherapy. Newer approaches including stereotactic radiosurgery and radiofrequency ablation are now utilized with increasing frequency. Recently, brachytherapy has been introduced as an adjuvant to wedge resection. © 2007 Springer-Verlag London Limited.