International journal of radiation oncology, biology, physics
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Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. · Nov 2007
Randomized Controlled TrialRadiotherapy with or without erythropoietin for anemic patients with head and neck cancer: a randomized trial of the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG 99-03).
To determine whether the addition of recombinant human erythropoietin (Epo) could improve the outcomes of anemic patients receiving definitive radiotherapy for squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN). ⋯ The addition of Epo to definitive radiotherapy for SCCHN did not improve outcomes. The study was not specifically designed to detect a potential negative association between Epo and tumor progression/survival.
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Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. · Nov 2007
Intensity-modulated radiotherapy with concurrent chemotherapy for previously irradiated, recurrent head and neck cancer.
Primary treatment fails in >70% of locally advanced head and neck cancer patients. Salvage therapy has a 30-40% response rate, but few long-term survivors. Intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) has recently emerged as a new modality for salvage therapy. This retrospective study evaluated our experience using every-other-week IMRT with concurrent chemotherapy. ⋯ Concurrent chemotherapy with repeat radiotherapy with IMRT given every other week appears to be both well tolerated and feasible in patients treated with previous radiotherapy for recurrent head and neck cancer. IMRT represents a reasonable modality for reducing treatment-related toxicities in a repeat RT setting.
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Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. · Nov 2007
Use of palliative radiotherapy among patients with metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer.
Radiotherapy (RT) is known to effectively palliate many symptoms of patients with metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Anecdotally, RT is believed to be commonly used in this setting, but limited population-based data are available. The objective of this study was to examine the utilization patterns of palliative RT among elderly patients with Stage IV NSCLC and, in particular, to identify factors associated with its use. ⋯ Elderly patients with metastatic NSCLC frequently receive palliative RT, but its use varies, especially with age and receipt of chemotherapy. Additional research is needed to determine whether this variability reflects good quality care.
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Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. · Nov 2007
Comment Letter Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyIn regard to Vicini et al. (Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 2007;68:341-346).
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Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. · Nov 2007
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyA Contribution to solve the problem of the need for consolidative radiotherapy after intensive chemotherapy in advanced stages of Hodgkin's lymphoma--analysis of a quality control program initiated by the radiotherapy reference center of the German Hodgkin Study Group (GHSG).
The role of radiotherapy (RT) after intensive chemotherapy in patients with advanced stage Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) is still unclear. The German Hodgkin Study Group (GHSG) randomized HD12 trial was designed to test whether consolidative RT in the region of initial bulky disease and of residual disease is necessary after effective chemotherapy. A quality control program based on a multidisciplinary panel of radiation oncologists, radiologists, and medical oncologists who reviewed all patients' staging and restaging imaging was initiated. ⋯ The study showed that RT can be reduced substantially after effective chemotherapy. However, because of the irradiation of 10% of patients in the non-RT arms, equivalent effectiveness of a non-RT strategy cannot be proved. A substantial limitation of consolidative RT according to expert panel recommendations appears to be possible without reducing effectiveness.