Respiratory motion and its compensation possibilities in the modern external beam radiotherapy of lung cancer

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to present a systematic review of the current characteristics and recent development of commercially available respiratory motion solutions and their compensation possibilities in the external beam radio­therapy treatment of lung cancer. The most commonly used X-ray and radiotherapeutic technologies are presented, as well as their division into pre-treatment methods and intra-treatment verification. The article discusses the most important technological achievements that allow radiation to be safely applied in the lung region and reports the potential advantages and limitations of each. Finally, it presents details concerning selected research trends and problems related to motion compensation.