Dr. Decker Discusses AEs Associated With Radiation in Lung Cancer

Roy Decker, MD, PhD, associate professor of Therapeutic Radiology, Yale Cancer Center, discusses common adverse events (AEs) associated with radiation therapy in the treatment of patients with lung cancer.

For patients with stage III lung cancer who are receiving the standard 6 weeks of chemoradiation, the major dose-limiting toxicity is esophagitis, which causes difficulty or pain when swallowing. This toxicity is what limits the ability of the patient to make it through their treatment course.

In the long term, however, Decker says that radiologists are more concerned with pneumonitis—inflammation or fibrosis of the lungs. In addition, recent studies have suggested that radiation therapy might have a role in causing cardiac issues in patients. Researchers found that even low doses of radiation to the heart can increase the risk of cardiac toxicity even up to 3 years after treatment is stopped.