International journal of radiation oncology, biology, physics
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Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. · Mar 2004
Partial breast irradiation with interstitial 60CO brachytherapy results in frequent grade 3 or 4 toxicity. Evidence based on a 12-year follow-up of 70 patients.
To investigate the radiation-induced toxicity and cosmesis of brachytherapy (BT) alone in early stage breast cancer. ⋯ Interstitial (60)Co BT of the breast tumor bed alone with a limited CTV (median, 72 cm(3)) and a total dose of 28 Gy is associated with a high rate (59%) of grade > or =3 radiation-induced toxicity and a high rate (50%) of poor cosmetic outcome at the end of a median follow-up of 12 years. A relatively high BT dose rate (1.3-2.8 Gy/h) applied during a short overall treatment time (10-22 h) and a possible geographic miss (close to skin implantation) might have contributed to the development of these sequelae.
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Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. · Mar 2004
Integration of functional brain information into stereotactic irradiation treatment planning using magnetoencephalography and magnetic resonance axonography.
To minimize the risk of neurologic deficit after stereotactic irradiation, functional brain information was integrated into treatment planning. ⋯ Integration of magnetoencephalography and magnetic resonance axonography in treatment planning has the potential to reduce the risk of radiation-induced functional dysfunction without deterioration of the dose distribution in the target volume.
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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
Concurrent chemotherapy and reduced-dose cranial spinal irradiation followed by conformal posterior fossa tumor bed boost for average-risk medulloblastoma: efficacy and patterns of failure.
To review the efficacy and patterns of failure in average-risk medulloblastoma patients treated with concurrent chemotherapy and reduced-dose cranial spinal irradiation and a conformal tumor bed boost. ⋯ The treatment of average-risk medulloblastoma with chemotherapy, reduced-dose cranial spinal irradiation, and a conformal tumor bed boost results in survival rates and local control rates comparable to those in contemporary studies. A reduction in the amount of posterior fossa treated to the high dose is possible. These results need to be corroborated in a large, cooperative group study.