Safe application of extensive radiotherapy to a cardiac resynchronization device.

Patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices undergoing radiotherapy (RT) are prone to the risk of device failure. Guidelines and manufacturer's instructions are lacking practical recommendations for cumulative radiation doses to pacemakers or implantable cardioverter defibrillators. The present case demonstrates the effect of RT of a Merkel cell carcinoma near the location of a cardiac resynchronization therapy pacemaker.

DART-bid for loco-regionally advanced NSCLC : Summary of acute and late toxicity with long-term follow-up; experiences with pulmonary dose constraints.

Background: To report acute and late toxicity with long-term follow-up, and to describe our experiences with pulmonary dose constraints.

Methods: Between 2002 and 2009, 150 patients with 155 histologically/cytologically proven non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC; tumor stages II, IIIA, IIIB in 6, 55 and 39%, respectively) received the following median doses: primary tumors 79.2 Gy (range 72.

DART-bid: dose-differentiated accelerated radiation therapy, 1.8 Gy twice daily: high local control in early stage (I/II) non-small-cell lung cancer.

Background: While surgery is considered standard of care for early stage (I/II), non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), radiotherapy is a widely accepted alternative for medically unfit patients or those who refuse surgery. International guidelines recommend several treatment options, comprising stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for small tumors, conventional radiotherapy ≥ 60 Gy for larger sized especially centrally located lesions or continuous hyperfractionated accelerated RT (CHART). This study presents clinical outcome and toxicity for patients treated with a dose-differentiated accelerated schedule using 1.

DART-bid (Dose-differentiated accelerated radiation therapy, 1.8 Gy twice daily)--a novel approach for non-resected NSCLC: final results of a prospective study, correlating radiation dose to tumor volume.

Background: Sequential chemo-radiotherapies with intensive radiation components deliver promising results in non-resected non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In general, radiation doses are determined by dose constraints for normal tissues, not by features relevant for tumor control. DART-bid targets directly the doses required for tumor control, correlating doses to tumor volume in a differentiated mode.