Long-term disease-free interval after irradiation for locally advanced lung cancer

Background. The purpose of the report is to describe a patient with the lung cancer who had long-term disease- free interval after the irradiation therapy. Case report. The patient was a 58-year-old woman with large cell lung carcinoma with neck lymph node metastasis, which was treated with radical radiotherapy. Within a 9-year disease-free interval, the patient developed loco-regional recurrence and distant metastases. Conclusions. Despite a long-term disease-free interval, non-small cell lung cancer represents a life-long threat to some patients and requires constant vigilance by medical practitioners. (author)