Vaginal brachytherapy versus pelvic external beam radiotherapy for patients with endometrial cancer of high-intermediate risk (PORTEC-2): an open-label, non-inferiority, randomised trial.

Background: After surgery for intermediate-risk endometrial carcinoma, the vagina is the most frequent site of recurrence. This study established whether vaginal brachytherapy (VBT) is as effective as pelvic external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) in prevention of vaginal recurrence, with fewer adverse effects and improved quality of life.

Methods: In this open-label, non-inferiority, randomised trial undertaken in 19 Dutch radiation oncology centres, 427 patients with stage I or IIA endometrial carcinoma with features of high-intermediate risk were randomly assigned by a computer-generated, biased coin minimisation procedure to pelvic EBRT (46 Gy in 23 fractions; n=214) or VBT (21 Gy high-dose rate in three fractions, or 30 Gy low-dose rate; n=213).

Quality of life after pelvic radiotherapy or vaginal brachytherapy for endometrial cancer: first results of the randomized PORTEC-2 trial.

PURPOSE Studies on quality of life (QOL) among women with endometrial cancer have shown that patients who undergo pelvic radiotherapy report lower role functioning and more diarrhea and fatigue. In the Post Operative Radiation Therapy in Endometrial Cancer (PORTEC) trial, patients with endometrial carcinoma were randomly assigned to receive external-beam radiotherapy (EBRT) or vaginal brachytherapy (VBT). QOL was evaluated by using the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire C30 and subscales from the prostate cancer module, PR-25, and the ovarian cancer module, OV-28.

Comparison of dose-volume histograms and dose-wall histograms of the rectum of patients treated with intracavitary brachytherapy.

The correlation between dose values from dose-volume histograms (DVHs) and dose values from dose-wall histograms (DWHs) of the rectum tissue of patient with uterine cervix cancer was determined. The minimum dose in 2 cm3 in the high-dose region of the DVH is a good estimate of the dose in the rectum wall.

Inter-observer variation in delineation of bladder and rectum contours for brachytherapy of cervical cancer.

Background And Purpose: In 3D treatment planning of low dose rate brachytherapy of cervical carcinoma the dose in bladder and rectum can be estimated from dose-volume histograms (DVHs). In this study, the influence of inter-observer variation in delineation of bladder and rectum on DVHs and dose at specific bladder and rectum points was investigated.

Materials And Methods: Three observers delineated bladder and rectum on axial CT images of ten patients.

The use of a transverse CT image for the estimation of the dose given to the rectum in intracavitary brachytherapy for carcinoma of the cervix.

Background And Purpose: The three-dimensional (3D) dose distribution in combination with 3D anatomy of 13 patients treated for cervical carcinoma with intracavitary brachytherapy was analyzed. The aim of this study was to determine the correlation between a dose value obtained from the integral dose volume histogram (DVH) of the rectum and (a) the Nederlands Kanker Instituut (NKI) point of reference for the rectum dose (R) and (b) the highest dose to the frontal rectum wall in the transverse CT slice near the top of the vagina through point R.

Results: The correlation between the DVH rectum dose value for 2 cm3 in the highest dose region and the rectum dose at point R was poor (regression coefficient 0.