Type:
Educational Exhibit
Keywords:
Outcomes, Multidisciplinary cancer care, Cancer, Radiation therapy / Oncology, Chemotherapy, Ablation procedures, PET-CT, CT, Thorax, Oncology, Lung
Authors:
E. O'Dwyer, D. F. Halpenny; New York, NY/US
DOI:
10.26044/ecr2019/C-3235
Background
Lung cancer is a leading cause of cancer related morbidity and mortality.
Historically medical therapy for advanced lung cancer relied on cytotoxic chemotherapy.
Drug development focused on specific cell signaling pathways,
coupled with the molecular characterization of tumor subtypes has led to the development of targeted drugs Fig. 1.
More recently,
immunotherapy has emerged as a promising treatment strategy for lung cancer.
Recent developments in interventional oncology and radiation therapy such as percutaneous ablative therapies and novel forms of radiation therapy including stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT),
are routinely used as viable alternative treatment options in non-surgical patients.
Imaging findings when targeted medical,
radiation and ablative therapies are used can differ from radiological appearances following conventional chemotherapy,
radiation and surgical techniques.
It is crucial that radiologists become familiar with these novel therapeutic options,
specifically expected post therapy imaging findings and possible adverse events.