Comparative study of permanent interstitial prostate brachytherapy post-implant evaluation among seven Italian institutes.

Background And Purpose: The purposes of this multicentric study are (a) the evaluation of four different commercially available treatment planning systems (TPSs) and (b) to verify whether the dosimetric results are comparable, also when considering the inter-observer variabilities and the different scanning protocols used. This work is to be considered a first step to test the value of multicentric studies based on dosimetric evaluation of the quality of the implants.

Patients And Methods: Four different TPSs were used and the following tests were performed:Comparison of the parameters and mathematical algorithms used; comparison of the dose distributions generated by three different geometries of sources based on 32 dose-points on each source geometry.

[The polycentric multiple arc complanar technic, or telebrachytherapy. A 4-year experience (an innovative way for the local control of solid neoplasms)].

The coplanar polycentric multiple 180 degrees single arc and narrow beams technique (PMA) allows high radiation doses to be delivered to the target, with similar dose distribution to that of brachytherapy. Since 1990, more than 100 patients have been treated: 80 had NSCLC, 12 had epidermoid head and neck (oral cavity and oropharynx) cancers, 8 brain tumors, 4 esophageal cancers and, sporadically, other patients had many other kinds of tumors, e.g.

[Quality assurance in diagnostic radiology using an automated system. Experience and results].

The authors report their personal experience with the use of an integrated quality control system in the radiology department. The system we used was the RTI DIGI-X Plus, a Swedish-made product, allowing a wide range of parameters to be measured on diagnostic X-ray units for general radiography, mammography and fluoroscopy. Data can be retrieved with a minimum number of measurements.

[Brachytherapy in choroid tumors].

Even though brachytherapy has been used for many years to treat choroidal tumors, it is not a widespread technique because it requires much organization and operators skills. The most common methods use 60Cobalt and 106Rutenium plaques, or custom-made plaques with 125Iodine loaded seeds. Another, less common, technique uses 192Iridium wires loaded on custom-made plaques.

[Photon or electron irradiation of the internal breast lymph node chain. Experimental dosimetry and clinical implications].

The radiation therapy of internal mammary chain, according to many other authors, is indicated in patients with N + breast cancer or with inner quadrant disease. Since the direct field with gamma radiation seems to induce important adverse effects on myocardium, the authors were induced to check experimentally dose distributions of 12-15 MeV electron beams and compare the results to gamma photon dose distribution. Materials and dosimetric methods as well as experimental results are described.