Published online by Cambridge University Press: 20 July 2011
Lung stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) is a novel and effective technique for the treatment of early stage non small cell lung cancer which is rapidly becoming the radiotherapy regime of choice for those patients unable or unwilling to undergo surgical resection.
Although introduced almost 20 years ago, it was not until the wider establishment of image guided radiotherapy (IGRT) techniques that many UK departments first considered and then succeeded in implementing lung SBRT. Many have been assisted in this through membership of the national UK SBRT consortium which aims to facilitate local introduction and to provide guidelines and practical support for the wider radiotherapy community.
This article will seek to place the introduction of SBRT within a broad historical context, outline basic principles for safe and effective practice and describe how such principles are currently being pursued in an era of IGRT. Additionally, the role of the UK SBRT consortium in implementation will be reported alongside the results of its first national survey on the subject.