Urology
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Clinical Trial
Ultrasound-based stereotactic guidance of precision conformal external beam radiation therapy in clinically localized prostate cancer.
Use of external beam radiation fields that conform to the shape of the target improves biochemical control in prostate cancer by facilitating dose escalation through increased sparing of normal tissue. By correcting potential organ motion and setup errors, ultrasound-directed stereotactic localization is a method that may improve the accuracy and effectiveness of current conformal technology. The purpose of this study was to quantify the precision of the transabdominal ultrasound-based approach using computed tomography (CT) as a standard. ⋯ Ultrasound-directed stereotactic localization is safe and as accurate as CT scanning in targeting the prostate for conformal external beam radiation therapy. The application of this technology to current conformal techniques will allow the reduction of treatment margins in all dimensions. This should diminish treatment-related morbidity and facilitate further dose escalation, resulting in improved cancer control.
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Clinical Trial
Importance of high radiation doses (72 Gy or greater) in the treatment of stage T1-T3 adenocarcinoma of the prostate.
To analyze the effect of total radiation dose on the outcome of patients treated with external beam radiotherapy for early-stage prostate cancer. ⋯ Patients receiving radiation doses of 72 Gy or higher had a significantly better outcome. The improvement was seen in all subgroups of patients. If these results are confirmed, radiation doses exceeding 72 Gy should be considered the standard of care. Inc.