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Cranial irradiation slows lung cancer spread.(INNOVATIONS)(Clinical report)
- Article from:
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Radiation Therapist: The Journal of the Radiation OncologySciences
- Article date:
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September 22, 2007
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Copyright informationCOPYRIGHT 2007 American Society of Radiologic Technologists. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Patients with a certain type of lung cancer should receive preventive radiation therapy to their brain, according to a study that appeared in the August 16 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Researchers found that cranial irradiation helped prevent cancer spread to the brain that is so common in lung cancer. At diagnosis, at least 18% of patients have brain metastases, and the incidence of such metastases approaches 80% at 2 years. The presence of brain metastases is an indication of a poor prognosis.
Small-cell lung cancer accounts for nearly 13% of all newly diagnosed lung cancers, and the median survival without treatment is only 2 to 4 months. ...