International journal of radiation oncology, biology, physics
-
Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. · Jul 2017
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyASCENDE-RT: An Analysis of Health-Related Quality of Life for a Randomized Trial Comparing Low-Dose-Rate Brachytherapy Boost With Dose-Escalated External Beam Boost for High- and Intermediate-Risk Prostate Cancer.
To report the patient-reported health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) outcomes for a multicenter randomized trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of 2 different techniques for dose escalation. ⋯ At 6 years' follow up, there were no significant differences in mean scores in 9 of 11 scales compared with baseline in both arms. A clinically significant decline in mean scores was noted in both arms for role physical and sexual function scales. There was a statistically significant decline in physical function and urinary function scales in the LDR-PB arm compared with the DE-EBRT arm.
-
Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. · Jul 2017
Multicenter StudyDirectly Improving the Quality of Radiation Treatment Through Peer Review: A Cross-sectional Analysis of Cancer Centers Across a Provincial Cancer Program.
To describe the outcomes of peer review across all 14 cancer centers in Ontario. ⋯ Peer review of treatment plans directly affects the quality of care by identifying important clinical and planning changes. Provincial strategies are underway to optimize its conduct in radiation oncology.
-
Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. · Jul 2017
Randomized Controlled TrialThyroid V40 Predicts Primary Hypothyroidism After Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy for Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma.
To investigate the various clinical and thyroid dosimetric parameters that could predict the risk of primary hypothyroidism (HT) after intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and to determine useful thyroid dose constraints to guide radiation therapy planning. ⋯ Thyroid V40 is predictive of primary HT after IMRT for NPC, and V40 ≤ 85% can be a useful dose constraint to adopt during IMRT planning without compromising tumor coverage.
-
Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. · Jul 2017
Outcomes of Routine Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy Quality Assurance in a Large Head and Neck Cancer Center.
The primary endpoint was to ascertain whether the percentage of major changes implemented from our routine intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) quality assurance (QA) process was more than 10%. The secondary endpoints were to document the percentage of minor changes, ascertain the time taken to perform the IMRT QA process, evaluate potential predictors for major changes, and ascertain the perceived value of the program by the compliance of radiation oncologists (ROs) treating head and neck cancer (HNC). ⋯ Our routine HNC IMRT QA program resulted in the implementation of a significant number of major changes. The high compliance with the program is indicative of the belief in its clinical value. This study can inform discussion on optimal RT QA processes in routine clinical practice.
-
Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. · Jul 2017
Observational StudyProspective Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of Real-Time Peer Review Quality Assurance Rounds Incorporating Direct Physical Examination for Head and Neck Cancer Radiation Therapy.
Our department has a long-established comprehensive quality assurance (QA) planning clinic for patients undergoing radiation therapy (RT) for head and neck cancer. Our aim is to assess the impact of a real-time peer review QA process on the quantitative and qualitative radiation therapy plan changes in the era of intensity modulated RT (IMRT). ⋯ Comprehensive peer review planning clinic is an essential component of IMRT QA that led to major changes in one-third of the study population. This process ensured safety related to target definition and led to favorable disease control profiles, with no identifiable recurrences attributable to geometric misses or delineation errors.