Conformal electron beam radiotherapy using custom-made step bolus for postmastectomy chest wall irradiation: An institutional experience.

Background: Postmastectomy radiation (PMRT) to the chest wall using electron beam treatment with uniform bolus was practiced at our institution. The planning target volume (PTV) included the chest wall and the internal mammary nodes (IMN) along with supraclavicular nodal regions. The varying thickness of the postmastectomy chest wall and the varying position of the IMN resulted in dose inhomogeneity in the PTV.

Can recurrence of cervical cancer be predicted by human papillomavirus DNA in nodes or plasma?

Objective: To determine if human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA in pelvic lymph nodes or plasma of women with early-stage cervical cancer is a marker for recurrence.

Materials And Methods: Twenty-eight women undergoing radical hysterectomy for cervical cancer stage IB had HPV DNA testing in cervical tissue, plasma, and the largest lymph nodes. Human papillomavirus genotyping was done by restriction fragment length polymorphism/line blot assay.