International journal of radiation oncology, biology, physics
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Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. · Oct 2011
Multicenter StudyMulti-institutional Phase II study of proton beam therapy for organ-confined prostate cancer focusing on the incidence of late rectal toxicities.
Proton beam therapy (PBT) is theoretically an excellent modality for external beam radiotherapy, providing an ideal dose distribution. However, it is not clear whether PBT for prostate cancer can clinically control toxicities. The purpose of the present study was to estimate prospectively the incidence of late rectal toxicities after PBT for organ-confined prostate cancer. ⋯ The results of the present prospective study have revealed a valuable piece of evidence that PBT for localized prostate cancer can achieve a low incidence of late Grade 2 or greater rectal toxicities.
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Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. · Oct 2011
Multicenter StudyPrevalence of neuropathic pain in radiotherapy oncology units.
Neuropathic pain (NP) in cancer patients severely impacts quality of life. Radiotherapy (RT) may cause NP, and at the same time, cancer patients visit RT units for pain relief. NP prevalence at these sites and current analgesic treatment should be assessed to improve management. ⋯ NP is highly prevalent at RT oncology units, with sleepiness, anxiety, and depression as frequent comorbidities. There is a need to improve management of NP with increased use of more specific NP-targeting drugs.