Higher Radiation Doses for Lung Cancer Don’t Increase Inflammation Risk, May Improve Survival

A new study from Karl Landsteiner University challenges the common belief that higher radiation doses for lung cancer treatment cause more dangerous side effects. The research found that patients who received stronger radiation doses actually lived longer without experiencing more lung inflammation.

The study looked at nearly 40 patients with stage 3 non-small cell lung cancer that couldn’t be removed with surgery. These patients received radiation therapy followed by an immunotherapy drug called Imfinzi (durvalumab). Researchers compared two groups: 29 patients who received high-dose radiation at 70 Gy and 10 patients who received lower doses around 50 Gy.

The results were surprising. About 38.5% of all patients developed pneumonitis, which is lung inflammation that can happen after radiation treatment. However, the high-dose group actually had fewer cases of pneumonitis (34.5%) compared to the lower-dose group (50%). The only severe case of pneumonitis occurred in the lower-dose group.

More importantly, patients who received higher radiation doses lived significantly longer. Over 93% of patients in the high-dose group were still alive one year after treatment, and this survival rate remained steady at four years. In contrast, patients in the lower-dose group had a median survival of only 31 months, and their cancer was more likely to grow back.

The key to these positive results was careful treatment planning. Doctors made sure that healthy lung tissue received no more than 20 Gy of radiation, which is considered the safety limit. This precise approach protected normal lung tissue while delivering higher doses directly to the tumor.

These findings suggest that selected patients with good lung function could benefit from more intensive radiation therapy, potentially leading to better long-term survival without increased risk of serious side effects.