Recommendations by Canadian urologists and radiation oncologists for the treatment of clinically localized prostate cancer.

Objective: Previous work has shown that urologists and radiation oncologists prefer the treatment that they themselves deliver when treating clinically localized prostate cancer. Our objective was to determine whether Canadian radiation oncologists and urologists have similar biases in favour of the treatments that they themselves deliver for localized prostate cancer.

Methods: We developed a survey to poll the beliefs that Canadian radiation oncologists and urologists held toward prostate specific antigen (PSA) screening, survival benefits of treatment, recommendations for treatment of prostate cancer and the likelihood of side effects with each therapy.

Experimental validation of the Eclipse AAA algorithm.

The present study evaluates the performance of a newly released photon-beam dose calculation algorithm that is incorporated into an established treatment planning system (TPS). We compared the analytical anisotropic algorithm (AAA) factory-commissioned with "golden beam data" for Varian linear accelerators with measurements performed at two institutions using 6-MV and 15-MV beams. The TG-53 evaluation regions and criteria were used to evaluate profiles measured in a water phantom for a wide variety of clinically relevant beam geometries.

Implications of cancer staging uncertainties in radiation therapy decisions.

Introduction: Radiation therapy (RT) for cancer is a critical medical procedure that occurs in a complex environment involving numerous health professionals, hardware, software, and equipment. Uncertainties and potential incidents can lead to inappropriate administration of radiation to patients, with sometimes catastrophic consequences such as premature death or appreciably impaired quality of life. The authors evaluate the impact of incorrectly staging (i.