Accelerated partial breast irradiation using 3D conformal radiotherapy: toxicity and cosmetic outcome.

Purpose: The aim of this paper is to analyze the incidence of acute and late toxicity and cosmetic outcome in breast cancer patients submitted to breast conserving surgery and three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT) to deliver accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI).

Methods And Materials: 84 patients were treated with 3D-CRT for APBI. This technique was assessed in patients with low risk stage I breast cancer enrolled from September 2005 to July 2011.

Irradiation of pacemakers and cardio-defibrillators in patients submitted to radiotherapy: a clinical experience.

Aims And Background: A prospective analysis was carried out on a group of irradiated patients with pacemakers or implantable cardioverter-defibrillators to identify any relationship between the various types of devices and physical and dosimetric parameters. Cardiac toxicity of the treatment was also investigated.

Methods And Study Design: Forty-five irradiated patients, implanted with pacemakers or implantable cardioverter-defibrillators, were prospectively investigated from 1999 to 2007.

Quality assurance of a record-and-verify system.

Aims And Background: With the introduction of more complex three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy and intensity-modulated radiotherapy techniques in clinical practice, the use of record-and-verify systems is recommended to improve the accuracy of radiotherapy treatments. The aim of the present study was to evaluate, for a commercial record-and-verify system, the efficiency, integration with the treatment planning system, and impact of manual checking of data. The most frequent errors or misses were also evaluated.

Radiotherapy after partial laryngectomy: an analysis of 36 cases and a proposal to optimize radiotherapy.

Aims And Background: Laryngeal cancer treatment options include radical surgery, "organ preservation surgery", radiotherapy and chemotherapy. There is no proven evidence of a significant increase in late toxicity with adjuvant radiotherapy after conservative surgery. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the toxicity, local-regional control and overall survival of adjuvant radiotherapy after conservative surgery.

Radio hyperthermia for re-treatment of superficial tumours.

Purpose: Relapse remains an unsolved problem for previously radio-treated patients. Our purpose is to evaluate the role of radio-hyperthermia (RT-HT) in the retreatment of superficial recurrences.

Materials And Methods: From 1998 to 2007, 51 patients affected by four histological types (breast recurrences (group A), melanoma recurrences (group B), head and neck recurrences (group C), and others (group D)) of 76 superficial lesions, were enrolled at Mauriziano Hospital at the Research Institute of Cancer Care Candiolo (IRCC) in Turin.