Hyperpolarized Xenon Gas MR Imaging in NSCLC Radiotherapy

Lung cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in the United Kingdom, accounting for 22% of cancer deaths. The main treatments for lung cancer are surgery, radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy. Current methods, for assessing lung function in lung cancer patients i.e. spirometry and gas transfer are inadequate. We aim to develop a new technique capable of describing regional lung abnormality using hyperpolarized xenon gas MRI. The study will involve 50 patients diagnosed with lung cancer considered suitable for radical radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy. Participants will be offered hyperpolarized Xe129 MR at baseline, two weeks after commencement of radiotherapy schedules and four followup visits over one year posttreatment. Patients will undertake extensive study measures at baseline and followup visits, including chest CT scans, ventilation/perfusion nuclear medicine scans, gadolinium enhanced MRI scans, pulmonary function tests, breathlessness scores, radiotherapy induced lung toxicity assessments and exercise testing. Participation in these full tests takes a day, allowing patients time to rest between tests and allowing for a period of observation following the final hyperpolarized xenon scan. The investigators will correlate baseline hyperpolarized Xe129 MR imaging with spirometry and breathlessness scores to determine if tolerance for radiotherapy is better predicted by hyperpolarized Xe129 MR imaging. The investigators will evaluate changes in hyperpolarized Xe129 MR imaging before and after radiotherapy (RT) to determine if it provides better monitoring of response compared with spirometry. The study will take place at the Churchill Hospital, Oxford University Hospitals National Health Service Trust and will be funded by the National Institute for Health Research Oxford Biomedical Research Centre. Hyperpolarized Xe129 MR imaging has the potential to inform individual suitability for radiotherapy schedules better than the investigations used currently. In addition, hyperpolarized Xe129 MR imaging has the potential for better monitoring of treatment response and improved detection of radiation induced lung injury, invaluable to treating patients with radiation induced injury.