The role of para-aortic nodal irradiation in cervical cancer

The current standard of care for locally advanced cervical cancer is whole pelvis and para-aortic radiation when indicated, delivered concomitantly with chemotherapy and brachytherapy. Para-aortic node involvement is a predictor of survival in locally advanced disease but presence of metastases is difficult to determine because the currently available imaging methods lack enough sensitivity to be able to detect accurately para-aortic metastases when surgical staging is not feasible. The objective of this review is to describe the current status of para-aortic lymph node irradiation in locally advanced cervical cancer. It includes analysis of the diagnostic imaging and surgical approaches for assessment of para-aortic lymph node dissemination, together with indications for radiotherapy and radiotherapeutic techniques

Voluntary breath-hold reduces dose to organs at risk in radiotherapy of left-sided breast cancer

AimTo compare the dose to organs at risk with free breathing (FB) or voluntary breath-hold (VBH) during radiotherapy of patients with left sided breast cancer.BackgroundRadiotherapy reduces the risk of breast-cancer-specific mortality but the effects on other organs increase non-cancer-specific mortality. Radiation exposure to the heart, in particular in patients with left sided breast cancer, can be reduced by breath hold methods that increase the distance between the heart and the radiation field.Materials and MethodsThree-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT) dose plans for the left breast and organs at risk including the heart, left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) and ipsilateral lung were compared with FB and VBH in ten patients with left sided breast cancer.ResultsThe mean doses to the heart and LAD were reduced by 50.4 % (

Dosimetry of the left anterior descending coronary artery in left breast cancer patients treated with postoperative external radiotherapy

AimTo evaluate the dose distribution to the left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery in patients treated with postoperative three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3DCRT).BackgroundPostoperative radiotherapy may increase the risk of heart disease, particularly in patients with left-sided breast cancer. Clinical data on doses to the LAD are limited.Materials and methodsRetrospective study of 14 patients who underwent postoperative 3DCRT for left breast cancer in 2014. All data were retrieved from medical records. Means, medians, ranges, and percentages were calculated.ResultsThe mean dose to the LAD in patients with V25[[ce:hsp sp="0.25"/]