Radiotherapy combined with DEB-BACE for locally advanced lung cancer with obstructive atelectasis following first-line treatment failure: case report

For patients with locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who are intolerant to concurrent chemoradiotherapy, sequential chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy is a standard alternative treatment. However, disease progression after first-line chemotherapy results in poor prognosis, and radiotherapy alone often fails to achieve ideal tumor control. Notably, these patients exhibit a higher incidence of obstructive atelectasis, which further worsens clinical outcomes. This study reports two unique cases of locally advanced NSCLC with obstructive atelectasis after first-line chemotherapy failure. Both patients received combined therapy with radiotherapy and drug-eluting bead bronchial artery chemoembolization (DEB-BACE). Results demonstrated preliminary control of atelectasis in both patients, followed by long-term remission post-treatment. These findings suggest that radiotherapy combined with DEB-BACE may be a promising potential strategy for locally advanced NSCLC patients accompanied by atelectasis.