About This Course
This course examines the evolving landscape of local therapies for lung cancer, integrating advancements in radiotherapy, ablation modalities, and bronchoscopic techniques. The module reviews the benefits, limitations, and costs associated with photon and proton therapy, alongside a historical perspective on tumor ablation technologies and their expanding clinical applications. Learners explore emerging bronchoscopic interventions, including their role in managing bronchopleural fistulas, and assess decision-making frameworks for early-stage and indolent lung cancers where treatment intensity must be carefully balanced with patient risk. The course provides a detailed overview of ablation strategies—covering modality selection, procedural workflows, sedation considerations, lesion positioning, and approaches for central tumors requiring high-dose brachytherapy. Best practices for confirming treatment success and managing post-SBRT local failures are addressed, with attention to radiation margins and therapy-related tissue effects. The curriculum also emphasizes interdisciplinary collaboration in biopsy selection, comparing bronchoscopic and percutaneous access, and establishing coordinated pathways for biopsy-plus-ablation management. Case-based discussions reinforce practical application, illustrating how robotic imaging, targeted biopsies, and tailored radiotherapy or ablative approaches can be integrated to address diverse diagnostic and therapeutic challenges in contemporary lung cancer care.