Lung cancer gets better with new radiotherapy rule

Lung cancer can be effectively controlled with a higher dose of radiotherapy, with weekends off to recover. Standard treatment for lung cancer involves a daily dose of radiotherapy five days a week, for six weeks. But better results have been found from a more intensive programme known as CHART which uses three doses a day for 12 days. Now researchers at the Mount Vernon Hospital, Middlesex, England, have taken CHART further.

Using computer models, they suggested that a higher dose of radiotherapy, over 18 days, with weekends off to recover, would give patients a better chance. This was borne out in practice. In a related study, the researchers learned that the remission rates increased from 45 per cent to 60 per cent while combining the new regime with chemotherapy.