International journal of radiation oncology, biology, physics
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Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. · Mar 2004
GuidelineTreatment planning guidelines regarding the use of CT/PET-guided IMRT for cervical carcinoma with positive paraaortic lymph nodes.
Computed tomography (CT)/positron emission tomography (PET)-guided intensity-modulated radiotherapy of the paraaortic lymph nodes (PALNs) has been proposed for patients with cervical carcinoma and paraaortic metastasis. This investigation attempted to determine the guidelines regarding the selection of appropriate treatment parameters (e.g., number of beams, beam geometry) and organ-specific parameters (e.g., importance weighting and tolerance dose) for intensity-modulated radiotherapy planning for the PALNs. ⋯ We successfully developed treatment plans that deliver 59.4 Gy to the positive PALNs and 50.4 Gy to the paraaortic region using CT/PET-guided intensity-modulated radiotherapy.
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Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. · Mar 2004
Evaluation of novel modified tangential irradiation technique for breast cancer patients using dose-volume histograms.
We have previously reported that entire axillary lymph node regions could be irradiated by the modified tangential irradiation technique (MTIT). In this study, MTIT was compared with a conventional irradiation technique (CTIT) using dose-volume histograms to verify how adequately MTIT covers the breast and axillary lymph node region and the extent to which it involves the lung and heart. ⋯ The results of our study demonstrated that the breast tissue was sufficiently irradiated with both CTIT and MTIT planning, the axillary lymph node areas irradiated by MTIT were much wider than those irradiated by CTIT at all levels, and the lung and heart volumes irradiated by MTIT were small.
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Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. · Mar 2004
Dosimetric correlates for acute esophagitis in patients treated with radiotherapy for lung carcinoma.
Acute esophagitis is a common complication of radiotherapy (RT) for non-small-cell carcinoma of the lung. Previous reports have related esophagitis to dosimetric parameters such as the length of the irradiated esophagus, maximal dose, or volume of the organ treated beyond a threshold dose. However, when using oblique beams, a portion of the esophageal circumference may be outside the treated field, resulting in partial esophageal irradiation. Therefore, our aim was to determine whether the irradiated esophageal surface area and/or esophageal volume are predictive of acute esophagitis in relation to other clinical and treatment-related factors. ⋯ The esophageal surface area receiving > or =55 Gy, the esophageal volume receiving > or =60 Gy, and the use of concurrent chemotherapy were the most statistically significant predictive factors for early esophagitis. Adequate dosimetric coverage of the planning target volume remains the goal of RT planning. High values of A(55) and/or V(60) are indicative of the development of acute esophagitis and may indicate a need to explore alternative RT planning options.
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Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. · Mar 2004
Effect of cigarette smoking on biochemical outcome after permanent prostate brachytherapy.
Recent studies have suggested that cigarette smoking may be associated with an increased risk of death from prostate cancer. In this study, we evaluated the effect of cigarette smoking on the presentation and biochemical outcome after permanent prostate brachytherapy for prostate cancer. ⋯ In this prostate brachytherapy cohort, tobacco consumption did not predict for risk group stratification or treatment approach. Although no statistically significant difference was found in biochemical progression-free survival, a trend for poorer biochemical outcome was demonstrated in current smokers.