Influence of radiation dose on positive surgical margins in women undergoing breast conservation therapy.

Purpose: Positive surgical margins adversely influence local tumor control in breast conservation therapy (BCT). However, reports have conflicted regarding whether an increased radiation dose can overcome this poor prognostic factor. In this study, we evaluated the influence of an increased radiation dose on tumor control in women with positive surgical margins undergoing BCT.

Clinical implementation of intensity-modulated arc therapy.

Purpose: Intensity-modulated arc therapy (IMAT) is a method for delivering intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) using rotational beams. During delivery, the field shape, formed by a multileaf collimator (MLC), changes constantly. The objectives of this study were to (1) clinically implement the IMAT technique, and (2) evaluate the dosimetry in comparison with conventional three-dimensional (3D) conformal techniques.