International journal of radiation oncology, biology, physics
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Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. · Apr 1995
Treatment planning structure and process in the United States: a "Patterns of Care" study.
To conduct a study of the structure and process of treatment planning in the United States. ⋯ This is the first patterns of treatment planning study carried out in the United States and the results reported here will establish a baseline for future studies. The present study has identified some elements that were unexpected, such as the percentage of facilities lacking formal QA programs for treatment planning systems; however, it has not established any impact of such findings. It is recommended that future studies include the availability of new technologies such as multileaf collimation, dynamic wedges, digital portal imaging, and CT simulation. With the increasing nationwide concern with the cost of health care, we must continue to monitor the implementation, use, and impact on treatment outcome of new and expensive technologies.
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Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. · Apr 1995
The source of pretreatment serum prostate-specific antigen in clinically localized prostate cancer--T, N, or M?
Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is an important marker for prostate cancer and has been shown to be secreted from the primary tumor and from metastases. However, the relative contribution of the primary and micrometastatic disease to the serum level of PSA in patients with clinically localized disease has not been delineated. This study addresses the source of pretreatment serum PSA in patients with clinically localized disease. ⋯ In patients with clinically localized prostate cancer, putative micrometastatic disease contributes negligibly to the pretreatment serum PSA level even when the latter is high. Most likely such patients, when they have metastases, have a very low metastatic burden.
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Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. · Apr 1995
Adjuvant radiation therapy for rectal carcinoma: predictors of outcome.
To review predictors of outcome, including sequencing of modalities and pretreatment findings for adjuvantly treated rectal cancer. ⋯ Significant factors for better tumor control included preoperative as opposed to postoperative RT and the experience of the surgeon. In selected cases, excellent results can be obtained with a short course of preoperative radiation. Concurrent chemotherapy need not be given routinely with preoperative radiation. Subgroups of preoperative RT cases at risk for distant metastases (who might benefit from postoperative chemotherapy), and at high risk for local failure (for whom concurrent preoperative chemotherapy and radiation might be considered), are identified.
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Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. · Apr 1995
Comparative StudyPulmonary complications of bone marrow transplantation: a comparison of total body irradiation and cyclophosphamide to busulfan and cyclophosphamide.
To retrospectively compare the acute and long-term pulmonary toxicities of total body irradiation and busulfan in bone marrow transplantation. ⋯ Pulmonary complications were most commonly associated with GVHD and prior bleomycin use. The incidence of cytomegalovirus or pneumocystis carinii pneumonitis was greater in the patients receiving the TBI regimen; fatal pulmonary complications were not significantly different between TBI and nonTBI regimens.
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Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. · Apr 1995
Clinical TrialRadiation therapy and bromodeoxyuridine chemotherapy followed by procarbazine, lomustine, and vincristine for the treatment of anaplastic gliomas.
To conduct a Phase II study to evaluate the long-term efficacy and safety of radiotherapy combined with intravenous bromodeoxyuridine for patients with anaplastic glioma tumors. ⋯ The study suggests that the bromodeoxyuridine-radiotherapy-PCV, compared with other published therapies, can improve progression-free survival, and aggressive treatment of ASTRO patients can lead to substantial increases in survival compared to published survival data.