Analysis of cardiac and pulmonary complication probabilities after radiation therapy for patients with early-stage breast cancer.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the radiobiological implications of clinical use of respiratory-gated techniques for postoperative radiation therapy of early-stage left-sided breast cancer after breast-conserving surgery.

Material And Methods: Radiation therapy treatment plans of 80 patients with early-stage breast cancer (stage I-II), receiving whole breast irradiation after breast-conserving therapy, were analyzed. The control group consisting of 47 patients received standard radiation therapy, and the respiratory-gated group consisting of 33 patients received deep inspiration-gated radiation therapy.

Resources and management strategies for the use of radiotherapy in the treatment of lung cancer in Central and Eastern European countries: results of an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) survey.

Purpose: To assess resources and management strategies for the use of radiotherapy (RT) in the treatment of lung cancer in developing Central and Eastern European countries.

Materials/methods: Questionnaires on patterns of care of NSCLC and SCLC were sent to radiation oncologists of Central and Eastern Europe. Comparisons were made between two groups of countries-ex-USSR states and other Eastern and Central European countries.