Radiotherapy and Oncology

BACKGROUND: Chemo-radioimmunotherapy with total radiation doses of 60-66 Gy in 2 Gy fractions is the standard of care for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) UICC stage III. The Austrian radio-oncological lung cancer study association registry (ALLSTAR) is a prospective multicentre registry intended to document clinical practice at the beginning of the Durvalumab era. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients were eligible if they had pathologically verified unresectable NSCLC stage III with a curative treatment option...

The evidence for the value of particle therapy (PT) is still sparse. While randomized trials remain a cornerstone for robust comparisons with photon-based radiotherapy, data registries collecting real-world data can play a crucial role in building evidence for new developments. This Perspective describes how the European Particle Therapy Network (EPTN) is actively working on establishing a prospective data registry encompassing all patients undergoing PT in European centers. Several obstacles and hurdles are discussed, for instance harmonization of nomenclature and structure of technical and dosimetric data and data protection issues...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

BACKGROUND: Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy (SABR) for the treatment of oligometastatic disease can improve survival and delay the requirement for systemic therapy. The benefits of SABR in oligoprogressive disease are less well-defined. Here, we evaluate the available evidence investigating the efficacy of SABR in the treatment of oligoprogressive disease. METHODS: A systematic review was carried out following PRISMA guidelines. Medline and Embase databases were searched using the terms "stereotactic radiotherapy" OR "SABR" OR "Stereotactic Ablative Body Radiotherapy" OR "SBRT" OR "SRT" AND "oligoprogression" in May 2022, June 2023, and February 2024...

Xerostomia is a common radiation-associated toxicity in patients with head and neck cancer. Although several studies examined the decrease in saliva production due to radiotherapy (RT) and investigated the factors associated with this side effect, little is known about the change in radiation-associated saliva composition. This systematic review is the first to summarize existing data and give an overview of the change in pH/buffer capacity, electrolytes, proteins, enzymes, and mucins due to radiation to the salivary glands...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

INTRODUCTION: An increase in plan robustness leads to a higher dose to adjacent organs-at-risk (OARs), and an increased chance of post-treatment toxicities. In contrast, more conformal plans lead to sparing of healthy surrounding tissue at the expense of a higher sensitivity to anatomical changes, requiring costly adaptations. In this study, we assess the trade-off and impact of treatment plan robustness on the adaptation rate. METHOD: Treatment planning was performed for 40 lung cancer patients, each having a planning 4DCT and up to eight weekly repeated 4DCTs (reCTs)...

In 2019, the European Society of Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO) published its 2030 Vision "Radiation Oncology, Optimal Health, For All, Together". However, in 2020, the global pandemic, coinciding with the Society's 40th anniversary, had long-term consequences on global behaviours and on the financial environment for scientific associations worldwide. In 2022, ESTRO conducted a survey among its members, revealing their strong appreciation for networking opportunities and the creation of high-quality interdisciplinary scientific content...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Multiple studies demonstrated hypothalamic-pituitary dysfunction in survivors of pediatric brain tumors. However, few studies investigated the trajectories of pituitary height in these patients and their associations with pituitary function. We aimed to evaluate longitudinal changes of pituitary height in children and adolescents with brain tumors, and their association with endocrine deficiencies. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 193 pediatric patients (54...

PURPOSE: To determine the efficacy of low-dose intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT)/volumetric intensity-modulated arc therapy (VMAT) in the treatment of symptomatic choroidal hemangioma (CH). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty-three consecutive patients with CH were retrospectively reviewed. All the patients underwent IMRT/VMAT as a unique treatment. Resolution of subretinal fluid (SRF), improvement of best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), and reduction in tumor thickness were compared before and after radiotherapy...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSES: To assess osteoradionecrosis (ORN) incidence in a population of Irish Head and Neck cancer (HNC) patients, and assess precipitating factors that may contribute to ORN development to aid prevention. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Review of 1050 HNC patients attending the Dental Oncology Clinic, CUDSH between 2010 and 2021 identified 47 cases of ORN. Medical, dental and radiotherapy records of these forty-seven patients were retrospectively reviewed...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Radiotherapy (RT) can damage neck vessels in patients with head and neck cancer (HNC). This study investigated the early effects of RT on carotid artery, including the internal media thickness (IMT) and carotid plaques of the common carotid artery (CCA). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study included 69 patients with HNC who underwent RT at the First Hospital of Jilin University from March 2017 to September 2022, and 69 healthy participants as controls...

INTRODUCTION: Treatment planning using a five-millimetre geometrical margin from GTV to high-dose CTV (CTV1) has been used in DAHANCA treatment centres since 2013. We aimed to evaluate changes in CTV1 volumes, local control (LC), and recurrence pattern after the implementation of five-millimetre geometrical margins nationally. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 1,948 patients with pharyngeal, and laryngeal squamous cell carcinomas completed definitive IMRT-based treatment in 2010-2012 and 2013-2015 in three centres...

PURPOSE: The optimal management of local-regionally recurrent head and neck cancer that is not amenable to surgical resection is uncertain. We sought to compare outcomes among patients treated with and without re-irradiation in this setting. METHODS AND MATERIALS: A review of institutional registries identified 65 patients with local-regionally recurrent squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck who were ineligible for surgery. Forty patients (62 %) opted for re-irradiation with the remaining 25 patients (38 %) undergoing initial systemic therapy alone...

BACKGROUND: Locally advanced nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) patients undergoing radiotherapy are at risk of treatment failure, particularly locoregional recurrence. To optimize the individual radiation dose, we hypothesize that the genomic adjusted radiation dose (GARD) can be used to correlate with locoregional control. METHODS: A total of 92 patients with American Joint Committee on Cancer / International Union Against Cancer stage III to stage IVB recruited in a randomized phase III trial were assessed (NPC-0501) (NCT00379262)...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: This multicenter randomized phase III trial evaluated whether locoregional control of patients with LAHNSCC could be improved by fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET)-guided dose-escalation while minimizing the risk of increasing toxicity using a dose-redistribution and scheduled adaptation strategy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients with T3-4-N0-3-M0 LAHNSCC were randomly assigned (1:1) to either receive a dose distribution ranging from 64-84 Gy/35 fractions with adaptation at the 10thfraction (rRT) or conventional 70 Gy/35 fractions (cRT)...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: This study evaluated long-term efficacy, safety, and changes in quality of life (QOL) of patients after image-guided proton therapy (IGPT) for operable stage I non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This single-institutional prospective phase 2 study enrolled patients with operable histologically confirmed stage IA or IB NSCLC (7th edition of UICC). The prescribed dose was 66 Gy relative biological effectiveness equivalents (GyRBE) in 10 fractions for peripheral lesions, or 72...

PURPOSE: To assess the prognostic factors and patterns of failure of patients consecutively treated with surgery and postoperative radiation therapy (PORT) for thymic epithelial tumours (TET). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Data from 192 TET patients who were operated and received PORT at a single centre from 1990 to 2019 was retrospectively analysed. RESULTS: Most patients had thymoma (77 %, B247%), were classified Masaoka-Koga stage III (35 %) or IV (32 %) and had a R0 (75 %) resection...