Posted: Nov 3, 2009 12:42 PM
Updated: Nov 3, 2009 7:08 PM
For patients with early-stage lung cancer, surgical removal of the affected lobe of the lung is the standard of care, but for those with pre-existing medical conditions, such as emphysema or heart disease, surgery isn't always possible.
New research finds that there may be another option for those who cannot tolerate surgery, but still have good lung function, through a procedure using a new technology called Cyberknife.
Researchers treated 24 early-stage lung cancer patients with radiation-beam treatment using Cyberknife, targeting only the cancerous lesions on their lungs. The treatment had few side effects, with most patients reporting only mild fatigue.
Overall survival for these patients was 79 percent after three years and among those who had good lung function at the time of the procedure, 3-year survival rate was 100 percent.
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