Radiotherapy and oncology : journal of the European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology
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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.
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Three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3D-CRT) represents an advance in the better delineation of the target contours and more accurate dose distributions. The purpose of this study was to identify local control prognostic factors in patients with locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (LA-NSCLC) treated with 3D-CRT. ⋯ This study shows that local control was independently related to PTV-1 size. The great majority of local recurrences were located in the high-dose region. Dosimetric parameters may contribute to improving radiotherapy results in multidisciplinary treatment for LA-NSCLC.
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To evaluate the efficacy of dose-individualized stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) and adjuvant chemotherapy in stage T1-3N0M0 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). ⋯ Patients treated with the dose-individualization strategy of SBRT showed excellent local control and improved survival. Adjuvant chemotherapy may reduce the frequency of relapse and increase overall survival in stage at T1-3N0M0 NSCLC patients.
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Outcome after radiochemotherapy (RCHT) with temozolomide (TMZ) versus radiotherapy (RT) for WHO grade III astrocytic tumors was evaluated. No significant difference in overall survival or progression-free survival between both groups was calculated. RCHT seems not to result in an improved outcome. Further randomized studies are needed to support these results.
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Comparative Study
A phase II trial for the optimisation of treatment position in the radiation therapy of prostate cancer.
Patient immobilisation and position are important contributors to the reproducibility and accuracy of radiation therapy. In addition the choice of position can alter the external contour of the treated area and has the potential to alter the spatial relationship between internal organs. The published literature demonstrates variation in the use of the prone and supine position for prostate cancer radiation therapy. Previous investigators using different protocols for patient preparation, imaging and target volume definition have demonstrated changes in the calculated therapeutic ratio comparing the two positions. We did not use rigid immobilisation, laxatives, rectal catheters or bladder voiding and assessed if in the prone position would cause a reduction of the dose to the rectum. We performed a prospective comparison of the two positions in 26 patients to determine if the differences in the spatial relation between the rectum and the planning target volume (PTV) would impact on dose-volume histograms to organs at risk (OAR). We also determined if any such improvement might permit dose escalation. ⋯ The use of the prone position reduced the dose to the unprepared rectum and unvoided bladder in the majority of cases. It should be considered particularly in cases where large posterior seminal vesicles cause significant overlap between the planning target volume and the rectum.