International journal of radiation oncology, biology, physics
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Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. · Jan 1998
Clinical TrialPhase I evaluation of radiation combined with recombinant interferon alpha-2a and BCNU for patients with high-grade glioma.
A Phase I study to determine the safety, toxicity, and maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of carmustine (BCNU) and interferon alpha-2a (IFN-a) when combined with radiation as initial therapy in high-grade glioma. ⋯ Treatment with radiation, IFN-a, and BCNU is feasible and effective in patients with high-grade gliomas, although constitutional symptoms from IFN-a are substantial.
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Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. · Jan 1998
Lobular carcinoma in situ as a component of breast cancer: the long-term outcome in patients treated with breast-conservation therapy.
The purpose of this study is to assess the long-term outcome of breast cancer patients with a component of lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) treated with conservative surgery and radiation therapy. ⋯ Patients with LCIS as a histologic component of breast cancer do not carry a worse prognosis than breast cancer patients without an LCIS component. Furthermore, the comparable local control rates between conservatively treated patients with or without LCIS suggests that patients with a histologic component of LCIS are suitable candidates for conservative surgery and radiation therapy.
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Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. · Jan 1998
Clinical TrialSurvival results from a phase I study of etanidazole (SR2508) and radiotherapy in patients with malignant glioma.
To report the survival results from a previous Phase I study of etanidazole (ETA) and radiotherapy in patients with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM n = 50) or anaplastic astrocytoma (AA n = 19) and examine survival according to age, Karnofsky performance status (KPS), and implant status. ⋯ The results of survival in this Phase I etanidazole study of patients with anaplastic astrocytoma are comparable to the results from other studies using bromodeoxyuridine, iododeoxyuridine, or procarbazine, lomustine (CCNU), and vincristine. The use of etanidazole with accelerated radiotherapy does not appear to improve survival in patients with glioblastoma multiforme compared to those treated with conventional therapies.
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Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. · Jan 1998
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialPortal imaging protocol for radical dose-escalated radiotherapy treatment of prostate cancer.
The use of escalated radiation doses to improve local control in conformal radiotherapy of prostatic cancer is becoming the focus of many centers. There are, however, increased side effects associated with increased radiotherapy doses that are believed to be dependent on the volume of normal tissue irradiated. For this reason, accurate patient positioning, CT planning with 3D reconstruction of volumes of interest, clear definition of treatment margins and verification of treatment fields are necessary components of the quality control for these procedures. In this study electronic portal images are used to (a) evaluate the magnitude and effect of the setup errors encountered in patient positioning techniques, and (b) verify the multileaf collimator (MLC) field patterns for each of the treatment fields. ⋯ The systematic errors can easily be identified and corrected for in the early stages of the Phase I treatment course. The time trends observed during the course of Phase I in conjunction with the isocenter verification at the start of Phase II give good prediction of the accuracy of the setup during Phase II, where visibility of identifiable structures is reduced in the small fields. The acquisition and inspection of the portal images for the small Phase I fields has been found to be an effective way of keeping a record of the MLC field patterns used. Incorporation of the distribution of the setup errors into the planning system also gives a clearer picture of how the prescribed dose was delivered. This information can be useful in dose-escalation studies in determining the relationship between the local control or morbidity rates and prescribed dose.
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Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. · Jan 1998
Comparative StudySociodemographic analysis of patients in radiation therapy oncology group clinical trials.
To assess the degree to which the sociodemographic characteristics of patients enrolled in Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) clinical trails are representative of the general population. ⋯ Comparisons with the U.S. Census and SEER show that African-Americans are proportionally well represented in cancer clinical trials conducted by the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group. The comparative analysis indicates that all educational levels in each age group of African-Americans generally mirror the U.S. Census, with one exception. The exception is a significant overrepresentation of less-educated African-Americans in the youngest age category. This exception is counter to the expectation that better-educated patients are more likely to enroll in trials. When compared with SEER data, the RTOG trials either parallel or overrepresent African-American men and women, with the only exception being in lung cancer, where men are underrepresented. These results show that, in comparison to the Census and SEER data, the RTOG has fulfilled its commitment to enroll African-American patients in its clinical trials.