Shortened High-dose Palliative Radiotherapy for Lung Cancer

This study is for adults aged 18 and over who have a type of lung cancer called non-small cell lung cancer that has either spread locally or to other parts of the body (this is called stage IV cancer). You might be suitable if you haven't had any treatment for your cancer yet, or if you've had some initial treatment (like chemotherapy, immunotherapy, or targeted therapy) and your cancer hasn't worsened significantly.

For you to be considered, your doctor must believe you are healthy enough to receive the standard high-dose palliative radiotherapy. You'll also need to sign a consent form to show you understand and agree to take part. If you've had initial treatment, there needs to be a short break (about 3-4 weeks) before starting radiotherapy on this study. If you haven't had any treatment, you should be able to start your main cancer treatment within 3-4 weeks of joining the study.

There are also some reasons why you wouldn't be able to join. For example, if you have a medical reason that makes lung radiotherapy unsafe for you, or if you've already had radiotherapy to the same area being treated in this study. You also wouldn't be eligible if you have more than one active cancer, are taking certain medications for conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, or if your doctors think your life expectancy is less than 6 months. It's also important that you would be able to attend all study appointments.

If you decide to take part in this study, you'll either receive the standard radiotherapy treatment (12 sessions over about 16 days) or the new, shorter treatment (6 sessions every other day). Your study doctor will explain which treatment you would receive. Both treatments involve attending the hospital for your radiotherapy sessions.

Before you start, you'll have appointments for planning your radiotherapy, which might include scans. During your treatment, the hospital team will monitor you closely to see how you're responding and if you're experiencing any side effects. After your radiotherapy is finished, you'll have follow-up appointments to check on your health and how well the treatment has worked to manage your symptoms. The total duration of your participation will involve the treatment period itself, plus ongoing check-ups as determined by your care team, to monitor the long-term effects.