Radiotherapy and oncology : journal of the European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology
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Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
Up-front centralized data review and individualized treatment proposals in a multicenter pediatric Hodgkin's disease trial with 71 participating hospitals: the experience of the German-Austrian pediatric multicenter trial DAL-HD-90.
A systematic procedure for up-front centralized data review and the set-up of individualized treatment proposals was integrated prospectively into the German-Austrian multicenter trial DAL-HD-90 for pediatric Hodgkin's disease (HD) in order to introduce local radiotherapy according to the individual patient's spread of disease within a combined-modality treatment. This paper investigates the feasibility of such a procedure and its impact on the final definition of the extent and stage of disease as well as on the choice of treatment. ⋯ The up-front centralized review of patient data and consecutive set-up and delivery of individualized treatment proposals for almost every patient are feasible within a large multicenter trial. Sufficient time and manpower at the study center are needed for the review process and the set-up of individualized treatment proposals. Such a procedure has a significant impact on the homogeneity of stage definition, allocation to TG, and individualized treatment proposals.