Radiotherapy may affect lung cancer

Radiotherapy may affect lung cancer.
Treating patients who have early stage lung cancer with radiotherapy may increase their risk of death from causes other than Cancer, a new study has claimed.
Researchers found that high doses to the left artrium of the heart and the superior vena_cava the large vein carrying deoxygenated blood from the head, arms and upper body to the heart, had the strongest association and increased risk of non cancer death.
Our results show that even within s few years a radiation dose to the heart is associated with an Increased risk of non cancer death for early stage lung cancer patients and they indicate which regions of the heart possibly play a role said Barbara Stam from Netherlands Cancer institute. Researchers analysed data from 565 patients diagnosed with early stage non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) between 2006_2013 in five institutions in Europe and North America, who were treated stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT)
SBRT is a specialised type of external beam radiation therapy that can focus radiation beams with extreme accuracy on a tumour thereby minimising the effect on nearby organs. With multiple organs organs nearby minimising the dose to one Organ is likely to result in a higher dose in another Organ.