Unresectable stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) comprises approximately 30% of NSCLC diagnoses worldwide. While consolidative immunotherapy has improved outcomes, intrathoracic and local recurrences remain a significant challenge. This has prompted the exploration of innovative strategies to enhance local control through radiotherapy (RT).

The field of oncology continues to advance toward precision medicine, aiming to tailor therapy based on integrated biological and imaging data. NSCLC is at the forefront of this approach, where systemic treatments are guided by histology, PD-L1 expression, and driver mutations (e.g., EGFR, ALK, BRAF, KRAS, ROS1). However, the application of precision medicine principles to radiotherapy warrants further investigation.

Recent developments in data science, including radiomics, dosiomics, and pan-omics, offer promising avenues to predict treatment outcomes and toxicities by mining biological and radiological data. These advances may support the evolution of adaptive radiotherapy, enabling real-time personalization of dose, fractionation, and treatment volumes based on daily or mid-treatment imaging (e.g., on-board imaging, PET).

This Research Topic focuses on cutting-edge innovations in the radiotherapeutic management of locally advanced NSCLC, with specific interest in:

- Adaptive Radiotherapy: Personalizing treatment based on real-time imaging data.
- Dose Escalation Strategies: Evaluating the impact of increased or modified dosing.
- Radiomics, Dosiomics, and Artificial Intelligence: Leveraging big data and advanced analytics for improved outcomes.
- Advanced Imaging: The role of PET, MRI, and CT in guiding and personalizing radiotherapy.
- Alternate Fractionation Schedules: Exploring new approaches in fractionation for unresectable stage III disease.
- Technical and Planning Advances: Novel approaches to treatment planning and delivery.

We invite original articles, reviews, and clinical trials that may enhance current clinical practice and pave the way for future research in radiation oncology. Submissions may cover:

- Studies on daily-adaptive radiotherapy for locally advanced NSCLC
- Research into alternate fractionation or dose schemes
- The application and clinical utility of radiomics, dosiomics, and advanced imaging
- Planning and technical studies addressing challenges in this patient population

Please note: manuscripts consisting solely of bioinformatics or computational analysis of public genomic or transcriptomic databases which are not accompanied by validation (independent cohort or biological validation in vitro or in vivo) are out of scope for this section and will not be accepted as part of this Research Topic.

Are you interested in contributing a manuscript to this Research Topic?

Optimizing Precision Radiotherapy for Locally Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: recent advances and innovations