International journal of radiation oncology, biology, physics
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Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. · May 2007
Androgen deprivation therapy does not impact cause-specific or overall survival in high-risk prostate cancer managed with brachytherapy and supplemental external beam.
To determine cause-specific survival (CSS), biochemical progression-free survival (bPFS), and overall survival (OS) in high-risk prostate cancer patients undergoing brachytherapy with or without supplemental therapies. ⋯ The ADT improved 10-year bPFS without statistical impact on CSS or OS. Death as a result of cardiovascular/pulmonary disease and second malignancies were more than twice as common as prostate cancer deaths. Strategies to improve cardiovascular health should positively impact OS.
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Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. · May 2007
Relationships between rectal wall dose-volume constraints and radiobiologic indices of toxicity for patients with prostate cancer.
The purpose of this article was to investigate how exceeding specified rectal wall dose-volume constraints impacts on the risk of late rectal bleeding by using radiobiologic calculations. ⋯ Both in three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy and particularly in intensity-modulated radiation therapy, it should be known what the relative importance of each specified dose-volume constraint is for each organ at risk. This requires a greater awareness of radiobiologic properties of tissues and radiobiologic indices may help to gradually become aware of this issue.
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Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. · May 2007
American Board of Radiology Maintenance of Certification - Part IV: practice quality improvement for radiation oncology.
Maintenance of Certification is a physician-based response to public concerns about the quality of medical care and physician competency in a rapidly evolving, technically demanding specialty. The American Board of Radiology (ABR) has previously described the first three components of the Maintenance of Certification. The ABR is currently developing a program in practice performance, completing Part IV of the competencies. ⋯ Diplomates will have the option of completing zero to two Type I PQI projects (assessing factors relevant to clinical practice by peer review and self-reporting) and one to three Type II projects (i.e., at least one Type II projects of the three required, assessing parameters of practice by comparison with evidence-based guidelines, consensus statements, or peer comparisons; Type II projects are initiated and managed by professional societies). Several examples of Type I projects that might be offered by societies or directly through the ABR are provided, as well as highlights of the two Type II projects that have sought ABR qualification: the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology's Performance Assessment for the Advancement of Radiation Oncology Treatment program and American College of Radiology's RO-PEER program. An additional objective of the PQI is to develop national databases for future reference using aggregate data from the PQI projects.
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Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. · Apr 2007
Multicenter StudyImpact of intensity-modulated radiotherapy on health-related quality of life for head and neck cancer patients: matched-pair comparison with conventional radiotherapy.
To assess the benefit of intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) compared with conventional RT for the quality of life (QOL) of head and neck cancer survivors. ⋯ The QOL assessment of head and neck cancer survivors demonstrated the benefit of IMRT, particularly in the areas of salivary dysfunction and oral discomfort.