[Split-course radiotherapy or treatment interruption]

Abstract

Background: Experimental and clinical studies have shown that a prolonged overall treatment time is associated with a decrease in local tumor control.

Methods: In a brief review, the clinical data of radiotherapy with split-course or treatment interruption were collected.

Results and conclusion: There was a detrimental effect of the treatment interruption on overall or disease-specific survival in patients with locally advanced head and neck cancer or non-small-cell lung cancer in particular in patients with good prognostic factors and well to moderate differentiated tumors. Therefore, interruption of radiotherapy in patients with curative treatment should be avoided.