Oncologic treatment support via a dedicated mobile app: a prospective feasibility evaluation (OPTIMISE-1).

Background: Mobile health (mhealth) is gaining interest, with mobile devices and apps being ever more available among medical facilities and patients. However, in the field of radiation oncology, the medical benefits of mhealth apps are still underexplored. As an additional approach to patient care during radiotherapy, we designed a mobile treatment surveillance app based on patient-reported outcomes.

Supportive Care in Radiotherapy Based on a Mobile App: Prospective Multicenter Survey.

Background: Consumer electronics and Web-enabled mobile devices are playing an increasing role in patient care, and their use in the oncologic sector opens up promising possibilities in the fields of supportive cancer care and systematic patient follow-up.

Objective: The objective of our study was to assess the acceptance and possible benefits of a mobile app-based concept for supportive care of cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy.

Methods: In total, 975 patients presenting for radiotherapy due to breast or prostate cancer were screened; of them, 200 owned a smartphone and consented to participate in the survey.

Oncologic Therapy Support Via Means of a Dedicated Mobile App (OPTIMISE-1): Protocol for a Prospective Pilot Trial.

Background: The increasing role of consumer electronics and Web-enabled mobile devices in the medical sector opens up promising possibilities for integrating novel technical solutions into therapy and patient support for oncologic illnesses. A recent survey carried out at Heidelberg University Hospital suggested a high acceptance among patients for an additional approach to patient care during radiotherapy based on patient-reported outcomes by a dedicated mobile app.

Objective: The aim of this trial (OPTIMISE-1: Oncologic Therapy Support Via Means of a Dedicated Mobile App - A Prospective Feasibility Evaluation) is to prospectively evaluate the feasibility of employing a mobile app for the systematic support of radiooncological patients throughout the course of their radiotherapy by monitoring symptoms and patient performance, and facilitating the background-exchange of relevant information between patient and physician.

Analyzing human decisions in IGRT of head-and-neck cancer patients to teach image registration algorithms what experts know.

Background: In IGRT of deformable head-and-neck anatomy, patient setup corrections are derived by rigid registration methods. In practice, experienced radiation therapists often correct the resulting vectors, thus indicating a different prioritization of alignment of local structures. Purpose of this study is to transfer the knowledge experts apply when correcting the automatically generated result (pre-match) to automated registration.

Accelerated tomotherapy delivery with TomoEdge technique.

TomoEDGE is an advanced delivery form of tomotherapy which uses a dynamic secondary collimator. This plan comparison study describes the new features, their clinical applicability, and their effect on plan quality and treatment speed. For the first 45 patients worldwide that were scheduled for a treatment with TomoEdge, at least two plans were created: one with the previous "standard"mode with static jaws and 2.

Independent calculation of dose distributions for helical tomotherapy using a conventional treatment planning system.

Purpose: The dosimetric verification of treatment plans in helical tomotherapy usually is carried out via verification measurements. In this study, a method for independent dose calculation of tomotherapy treatment plans is presented, that uses a conventional treatment planning system with a pencil kernel dose calculation algorithm for generation of verification dose distributions based on patient CT data.

Methods: A pencil beam algorithm that directly uses measured beam data was configured for dose calculation for a tomotherapy machine.

Helical tomotherapy of the complete scalp and the ipsilateral lymph nodes in a case of scalp angiosarcoma.

Scalp angiosarcoma represents a therapeutic challenge to all disciplines. This case report demonstrates the potential usefulness of helical tomotherapy (HT) as a new radiotherapeutic treatment option. A 71-year-old woman presented with a superficial angiosarcoma of the scalp, forehead, and left pre- and postauricular areas, with several nodular ulcerating and bleeding lesions.

Five-year experience with setup and implementation of an integrated database system for clinical documentation and research.

In radiation oncology, where treatment concepts are elaborated in interdisciplinary collaborations, handling distributed, large heterogeneous amounts of data efficiently is very important, yet challenging, for an optimal treatment of the patient as well as for research itself. This becomes a strong focus, as we step into the era of modern personalized medicine, relying on various quantitative data information, thus involving the active contribution of multiple medical specialties. Hence, combining patient data from all involved information systems is inevitable for analyses.

A method for testing the performance and the accuracy of the binary MLC used in helical tomotherapy.

During a helical tomotherapy a binary MLC is used for fluence modulation. The 64 pneumatically driven leaves of the MLC are either completely open or closed. The fast and frequent leaf movements result in a high demand of accuracy and stability of the MLC.

Connection of European particle therapy centers and generation of a common particle database system within the European ULICE-framework.

Background: To establish a common database on particle therapy for the evaluation of clinical studies integrating a large variety of voluminous datasets, different documentation styles, and various information systems, especially in the field of radiation oncology.

Methods: We developed a web-based documentation system for transnational and multicenter clinical studies in particle therapy. 560 patients have been treated from November 2009 to September 2011.

Stereotactic single-dose radiotherapy of lung metastases.

Background: Stereotactic treatment approaches lead to a significant reduction of irradiated volumes, which should make pulmonary targets more accessible to radiotherapy.

Patients And Methods: Between May 1997 and December 2005, 61 patients received stereotactic single-dose dose treatment for 71 pulmonary metastases. Doses to the isocenter ranged from 12 to 30 Gy.

Stereotactic single-dose radiotherapy (radiosurgery) of early stage nonsmall-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Background: The clinical results after stereotactic single-dose radiotherapy of nonsmall-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) stages I and II were evaluated.

Methods: Forty-two patients with biopsy-proven NSCLC received stereotactic radiotherapy. Patients were treated in a stereotactic body frame and breathing motion was reduced by abdominal compression.