4D-Software Adjusts for Breathing During Lung Cancer Radiotherapy

A new 4-dimensional software program promises to improve the treatment of lung cancer by taking the movement of breathing into account when administering radiotherapy, French researchers announced at the 2nd European Lung Cancer Conference in Geneva, Switzerland. As patients inhale and exhale, lung tumors may move up to 4cm, depending on where they are in the lung. Breathing-adapted radiotherapy (BART) allows to reduce the amount of radiation delivered, and improve the chance of hitting the tumor, by timing delivery to a particular moment of the respiratory cycle. A 4-dimensional computed tomography (4D CT) scan is performed, recording a set of CT slices for each of 10 respiratory phases. The new software allows doctors to determine a moment during the respiratory cycle with an optimal tumor position for radiotherapy. A Phase II clinical trial is currently underway and results are expected early in 2011.
Press release: 4D-Software Helps Adjust for Breathing When Treating Lung Cancer with Radiotherapy…
Image: Wellcome Images…