International journal of radiation oncology, biology, physics
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Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. · Mar 2005
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialWhat pretreatment prostate-specific antigen level warrants long-term androgen deprivation?
Several large randomized prospective studies have demonstrated a survival benefit with the addition of long-term androgen deprivation to definitive radiotherapy for patients with Gleason score 8-10 or T3-T4 prostate cancer. However, these studies were performed before the routine use of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) measurement. The purpose of this study was to determine what pretreatment (initial) PSA (iPSA) level, if any, warrants the addition of long-term androgen deprivation in the PSA era. ⋯ Recursive partitioning techniques defined an iPSA cutpoint of 30 ng/mL for delineating intermediate vs. high risk. Patients with a PSA level >30 ng/mL in the absence of Gleason score >7 or T3 disease do poorly when treated with radiotherapy alone and should be considered for long-term androgen deprivation or other aggressive systemic therapy.
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Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. · Mar 2005
Pretreatment anemia is correlated with the reduced effectiveness of radiation and concurrent chemotherapy in advanced head and neck cancer.
Pretreatment anemia is an adverse prognostic variable in squamous cell head-and-neck cancer (HNC) patients treated with radiotherapy (RT) alone. Tumor hypoxia is an adverse parameter for treatment with RT alone or with RT and concurrent chemotherapy (CCT). Tumor hypoxia is more prevalent in patients who present with pretreatment hemoglobin (Hgb) concentrations less than 13 g/dL. RT/CCT improves survival over RT alone in advanced HNC, and its use is becoming more widespread. This study was performed to evaluate whether pretreatment Hgb less than 13 g/dL was correlated with treatment outcome in patients with advanced HNC treated with a uniform regimen of RT/CCT. ⋯ Pretreatment Hgb less than 13 g/dL is correlated with adverse outcomes in advanced HNC patients treated with RT/CCT. Whether anemia actually causes poor outcomes remains unknown. The therapeutic effect of anemia correction is being evaluated in prospective trials.
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Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. · Mar 2005
Dosimetric advantages of IMRT simultaneous integrated boost for high-risk prostate cancer.
A sequential two-phase process, initial and boost irradiation, is the common practice for the radiotherapy management of high-risk prostate cancer. In this work, we explore the feasibility of using intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) simultaneous integrated boost (SIB), a single-phase process, to simultaneously deliver high dose to the prostate and lower dose to the pelvic nodes. In addition, we introduce the concept of voxel-equivalent dose for the comparison of treatment plans. ⋯ A new IMRT simultaneous integrated boost strategy that irradiates prostate via hypofractionation while irradiating pelvic nodes with the conventional fractionation is proposed for high-risk prostate cancer. Compared to the conventional two-phase treatment, the proposed SIB technique offers potential advantages, including better sparing of critical structures, more efficient delivery, shorter treatment duration, and better biologic effectiveness.
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Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. · Mar 2005
Feasibility of dose escalation using intensity-modulated radiotherapy in posthysterectomy cervical carcinoma.
To evaluate retrospectively the utility of intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) in reducing the volume of normal tissues receiving radiation at varying dose levels when the female pelvis after hysterectomy is treated to doses of 50.4 Gy and 54 Gy. ⋯ Intensity-modulated RT may permit an increase in the radiation dose that can safely be delivered to the central pelvis and pelvic lymph nodes after hysterectomy. However, dose-volume calculations using individual CT scans do not account for internal organ motion. Detailed data concerning the relationships among radiation dose, treatment volume, and treatment effects are lacking, and prospective studies of pelvic IMRT are needed to determine the safety and efficacy of this treatment.
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Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. · Mar 2005
Cost-effectiveness of radiation therapy following conservative surgery for ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast.
To assess the cost-effectiveness of radiation therapy (RT) in patients with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) after breast-conserving surgery (BCS). ⋯ Addition of RT following BCS for patients with DCIS should not be withheld because of concerns regarding its cost-effectiveness.