By Jenifer Goodwin WEDNESDAY, June 13 (HealthDay News) -- A
woman with early-stage lung cancer died recently after highly
targeted radiation therapy zapped not just her tumor, but
surrounding tissue, fatally damaging her airway. Though just a
single case report of an apparently deadly complication, the
authors warn that targeted radiation therapy -- specifically,
stereotactic body-radiation therapy -- has inherent risks, even
when done properly and using an even lower dose of radiation
than is considered safe. Stereotactic body-radiation therapy
focuses beams of radiation on a tumor in the hopes of killing
it. Because it uses highly precise beams that can focus large
doses of radiation with millimeter accuracy, the technique is
considered an advance over older types of radiation therapy,
which are generally more diffuse, explained Dr. Len Lichtenfeld,
deputy chief medical officer for the American Cancer Society.
The goal is to reduce exposure of healthy tissue to the
radiation to avoid side effects, while mor