International journal of radiation oncology, biology, physics
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Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. · Apr 2005
Nasopharyngeal cancer in the Middle East: experience of the American University of Beirut Medical Center.
To review the data of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) treated at the American University of Beirut Medical Center and reflect on the characteristics and treatment outcome of NPC in the Middle East compared with those of Western countries and countries in which NPC is endemic. ⋯ Our results indicate that the characteristics of NPC patients in Lebanon and their parameters of outcome are comparable to those reported in Western series, particularly for the relative frequency and effect of lymphoepithelial histologic type. Because of potential confounding factors, no definite conclusions about induction chemotherapy could be drawn from this retrospective study.
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Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. · Apr 2005
Results of treatment intensification for progressive locoregional disease in head-and-neck cancer patients undergoing postoperative radiotherapy.
Patients who develop progressive locoregional disease during radical surgery and postoperative radiotherapy for squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck represent a management dilemma. We present our experience using treatment intensification for such patients. ⋯ Intensification of treatment in patients who develop progressive locoregional disease is warranted, because it can lead to long-term disease control in a subset of patients with significant but acceptable toxicity.
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Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. · Apr 2005
Conservative surgery and radiotherapy for stage I/II breast cancer using lung density correction: 10-year and 15-year results.
Radiotherapy (RT) planning for breast cancer using lung density correction improves dose homogeneity. Its use obviates the need for a medial wedge, thus reducing scatter to the opposite breast. Although lung density correction is used at many centers in planning for early-stage breast cancer, long-term results of local control and survival have not been reported. Since 1984, we have used lung density correction for dose calculations at the University of Michigan. We now present our 10-year and 15-year results. ⋯ Use of lung density correction was associated with high rates of local control, relapse-free survival, breast cancer-specific survival, and overall survival compared with other reported series of breast-conserving surgery and RT in early-stage disease. These results will serve as a benchmark against which newer radiation delivery strategies such as intensity-modulated RT and partial breast RT can be compared.
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Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. · Mar 2005
Application of the No Action Level (NAL) protocol to correct for prostate motion based on electronic portal imaging of implanted markers.
To evaluate the efficacy of the No Action Level (NAL) off-line correction protocol in the reduction of systematic prostate displacements as determined from electronic portal images (EPI) using implanted markers. ⋯ The NAL protocol based on marker positions in EPI halved the composite systematic displacements using only three imaged fractions per patient, and thus allowed for a significant reduction of planning margins. Although large rotations of the prostate, and time trends therein, were observed, the net impact on the measured displacements and on the accuracy obtained with NAL was small.
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Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. · Mar 2005
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialGastrointestinal toxicity and its relation to dose distributions in the anorectal region of prostate cancer patients treated with radiotherapy.
To study the correlations between the dose distributions in the anorectal region and late GI symptoms in patients treated for localized prostate carcinoma. ⋯ We found evidence that complaints originate from specific regions of the irradiated lower GI tract. Bleeding and mucus loss are probably related to irradiation of the upper part of the rectum. Soiling and fecal incontinence are more likely related to the dose to the anal canal and the lower part of the rectum.