Radical Radiotherapy Use Nearly Doubled in Lung Cancer, Suggests Research
UK: Researchers have found in a new study that the use of radical radiotherapy in lung cancer patients nearly doubled from 2010 to 2021, coinciding with a substantial improvement in five-year cause-specific survival. The findings suggest that increasing use of radical radiotherapy may have contributed to improved outcomes in this patient population.
Published in Clinical Oncology, the population-based study by Michael McMahon, Northern Ireland Cancer Centre, Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, Belfast, UK, and colleagues examined whether greater use of radical radiotherapy (RR) was associated with improvements in survival among patients with lung cancer.
Radical radiotherapy is used with curative intent, particularly in patients with early-stage or locally advanced disease. Advances in diagnostic pathways have improved the identification of potentially treatable localized lung cancers, while developments in radiotherapy techniques have enabled treatment to be delivered more safely. Despite these advances, the use of RR remains inconsistent across regions and healthcare systems.
The researchers noted that differences in treatment rates may reflect variations in clinical decision-making as well as disparities in access to radiotherapy resources. In Northern Ireland, efforts had been directed toward increasing the use of radical treatment approaches, including RR, for eligible lung cancer patients.
For the study, investigators developed a large regional dataset covering 2010 through 2021. Patient-level information from lung cancer multidisciplinary team meetings was linked with data from a regional radiotherapy clinical database. The analysis included tumour characteristics, patient-related factors and treatment pathways. A multivariable Weibull model was used to assess the relationship between RR and cause-specific survival while accounting for other relevant factors.
Key findings:
- The analysis included 5,882 patients with complete clinical and treatment records.
- Use of radical radiotherapy increased from 16.6% during 2010–2013 to 30.6% during 2018–2021.
- During the same period, five-year cause-specific survival increased from 21.9% to 33.1%.
- After adjustment for relevant patient, tumour and treatment factors, the hazard ratio for cause-specific mortality in 2018–2021 versus 2010–2013 was 0.67 (95% CI, 0.61–0.72) when RR was included in the model.
- Without accounting for RR, the corresponding hazard ratio was 0.78 (95% CI, 0.72–0.85).
- Increasing use of radical radiotherapy emerged as a strong independent factor associated with improved survival across the study period.
The investigators concluded that the rise in RR use was strongly associated with the improvement in lung cancer-specific outcomes observed over the 12 years. The findings support prioritising wider access to radical radiotherapy for appropriately selected patients with lung cancer.
The study also highlighted the importance of addressing mismatches between radiotherapy resources and clinical need. Given the potential survival benefits associated with greater RR utilisation, the authors suggested that expanding access to this treatment should remain a priority, alongside consideration of its cost-effectiveness and appropriate allocation of radiotherapy resources.
Reference:
Michael, M., Jonathan, M., David, D., Finian, B., Gerard, S., Gerard, W., Ahmed, B., & Damien, B. (2026). Increasing the use of radical radiotherapy is associated with improved lung cancer specific survival - a regional population-based patient-level study. Clinical Oncology, 104338. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clon.2026.104338
Next Story