Very small differences in the way a patient lies during radiotherapy treatment for lung or esophageal cancer can have an impact on survival, according to research presented at the European Society for Radiotherapy & Oncology (ESTRO) 37 Conference (Abstract OC-0322).

These differences of only a few millimeters can mean that the radiation treatment designed to target a patient's tumor can move fractionally closer to a patient's heart, where it can cause unintentional damage and as a result impact survival.