Radiotherapy and oncology : journal of the European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology
-
Comparative Study
A treatment planning study comparing volumetric arc modulation with RapidArc and fixed field IMRT for cervix uteri radiotherapy.
A treatment planning study was performed to evaluate the performance of the novel volumetric modulated single arc radiotherapy on cervix uteri cancer patients. Conventional fixed field IMRT was used as benchmark. ⋯ RapidArc was investigated for cervix uteri cancer showing significant improvements in organs at risk and healthy tissue sparing with uncompromised target coverage leading to better conformal avoidance of treatments w.r.t. conventional IMRT. This, in combination with the confirmed short delivery time, can lead to clinically significant advances in the management of this highly aggressive cancer type. Clinical protocols are now advised to evaluate prospectively the potential benefit observed at the planning level.
-
Cisplatin-based chemo-irradiation (CRT) is increasingly used for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). We aimed to assess hearing deterioration due to low-dose cisplatin chemoradiation and to compare the observed hearing loss with hearing loss in our previously described high-dose cisplatin CRT cohort. ⋯ Low-dose cisplatin chemo-irradiation for HNSCC is a relatively safe treatment protocol with respect to ototoxicity.
-
Comparative Study
Additional PET/CT in week 5-6 of radiotherapy for patients with stage III non-small cell lung cancer as a means of dose escalation planning?
Loco-regional failure after radiotherapy with total doses of 60-70 Gy for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains a major clinical problem. Escalation of radiation dose is often limited because of exceeding normal tissue constraints. The present study was designed to test the hypothesis that a reduction in disease volume during radiotherapy detected by FDG PET/CT would facilitate radiation dose escalation, whilst remaining within normal tissue constraints. ⋯ Our data suggest that despite tumour shrinkage determined by subsequent FDG PET/CT during treatment the tested adaptive targeting strategy would result only in a modest improvement in the context of dose escalation. Further studies on the optimal use of FDG PET/CT and other approaches for dose escalation in loco-regionally advanced NSCLC are warranted.
-
Since 1982, the Radiation Oncology Group of the EORTC (EORTC ROG) has pursued an extensive Quality Assurance (QA) program involving all centres actively participating in its clinical research. The first step is the evaluation of the structure and of the human, technical and organisational resources of the centres, to assess their ability to comply with the current requirements for high-tech radiotherapy (RT). ⋯ The use of the FQ helps maintain the minimum quality requirements within the EORTC ROG network: recommendations are made on the basis of the analysis of its results. The present analysis shows that modern RT techniques are widely implemented in the clinic but also that ERDA should be performed more frequently. Repeated assessment using the FQ is warranted to document the future evolution of the EORTC ROG institutions.