Positive margins: Positive surgical margins, meaning some disease is left behind. Radiation can be used to sterilize the field. Sometimes radiation is given to treat the regional lymph nodes as well.
Answered 8/26/2011
6.4k views
Positive margin: If a patient had early stage cancer that surgery would be the definitive treatment, but after pathology comes back showing a positive margin then radiation would be used without chemotherapy. However more adverse findings such as nodes would mean chemotherapy is necessary.
Answered 6/24/2015
6.1k views
S+RT but no C: Not at all common. The case i can imagine is a person unable to tolerate the chemotherapy. The most common clear indicaton for radiotherapy in lung cancer is after chemotherapy if med. Nodes +. Positive bronchial margins or chest wall invasion are other plausible scenarios.
Answered 7/5/2012
6.1k views
Lung cancer and xrt: I usually see this when there is a question of close or questionable surgical margins. That means the surgeon thinks he got all of the tumor but isn't quite positive.
Answered 9/19/2013
6.1k views
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