It Only Takes a Minute: The Development and Implementation of a Patient Experience Survey in Radiation Therapy.

Introduction: Health care services use surveys to assess patient satisfaction and identify areas for improvement. While it is important to assess patient satisfaction to ensure their needs are met, lengthy questionnaires with closed-ended questions often focus on areas that may be considered important by institutions rather than patients. Recently, focus has shifted toward patient and caregiver experience, which institutions address via appreciative inquiry.

Autocontouring and manual contouring: which is the better method for target delineation using 18F-FDG PET/CT in non-small cell lung cancer?

Unlabelled: Previously, we showed that a CT window and level setting of 1,600 and -300 Hounsfield units, respectively, and autocontouring using an (18)F-FDG PET 50% intensity level correlated best with pathologic results. The aim of this study was to compare this autocontouring with manual contouring, to determine which method is better.

Methods: Seventeen patients with non-small cell lung cancer underwent (18)F-FDG PET/CT before surgery.

PET CT thresholds for radiotherapy target definition in non-small-cell lung cancer: how close are we to the pathologic findings?

Purpose: Optimal target delineation threshold values for positron emission tomography (PET) and computed tomography (CT) radiotherapy planning is controversial. In this present study, different PET CT threshold values were used for target delineation and then compared pathologically.

Methods And Materials: A total of 31 non-small-cell lung cancer patients underwent PET CT before surgery.

Automated radiation targeting in head-and-neck cancer using region-based texture analysis of PET and CT images.

Purpose: A co-registered multimodality pattern analysis segmentation system (COMPASS) was developed to automatically delineate the radiation targets in head-and-neck cancer (HNC) using both (18)F-fluoro-deoxy glucose-positron emission tomography (PET) and computed tomography (CT) images. The performance of the COMPASS was compared with the results of existing threshold-based methods and radiation oncologist-drawn contours.

Methods And Materials: The COMPASS extracted texture features from corresponding PET and CT voxels.

Hypofractionated accelerated radiotherapy using concomitant intensity-modulated radiotherapy boost technique for localized high-risk prostate cancer: acute toxicity results.

Purpose: To evaluate the acute toxicities of hypofractionated accelerated radiotherapy (RT) using a concomitant intensity-modulated RT boost in conjunction with elective pelvic nodal irradiation for high-risk prostate cancer.

Methods And Materials: This report focused on 66 patients entered into this prospective Phase I study. The eligible patients had clinically localized prostate cancer with at least one of the following high-risk features (Stage T3, Gleason score >or=8, or prostate-specific antigen level >20 ng/mL).

Prediction of lung tumour position based on spirometry and on abdominal displacement: accuracy and reproducibility.

Background And Purpose: A simulation investigating the accuracy and reproducibility of a tumour motion prediction model over clinical time frames is presented. The model is formed from surrogate and tumour motion measurements, and used to predict the future position of the tumour from surrogate measurements alone.

Patients And Methods: Data were acquired from five non-small cell lung cancer patients, on 3 days.

Use of CT simulation for treatment of cervical cancer to assess the adequacy of lymph node coverage of conventional pelvic fields based on bony landmarks.

Purpose: To assess the adequacy of nodal coverage of "conventional" pelvic radiation fields for carcinoma of the cervix, with contoured pelvic vessels on simulation computed tomography (CT) as surrogates for lymph node location.

Methods And Materials: Pelvic arteries were contoured on non-contrast-enhanced CT simulation images of 43 patients with cervix cancer, FIGO Stages I-III. Vessel contours were hidden, and conventional pelvic fields were outlined: (1) anterior/posterior fields (AP): superior border, L5-S1 interspace; inferior border, obturator foramina; lateral border, 2 centimeters lateral to pelvic brim.

Individualized planning target volumes for intrafraction motion during hypofractionated intensity-modulated radiotherapy boost for prostate cancer.

Purpose: The objective of the study was to access toxicities of delivering a hypofractionated intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) boost with individualized intrafraction planning target volume (PTV) margins and daily online correction for prostate position.

Methods And Materials: Phase I involved delivering 42 Gy in 21 fractions using three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy, followed by a Phase II IMRT boost of 30 Gy in 10 fractions. Digital fluoroscopy was used to measure respiratory-induced motion of implanted fiducial markers within the prostate.

Correlation of lung tumor motion with external surrogate indicators of respiration.

Purpose: To assess the correlation of respiratory volume and abdominal displacement with tumor motion as seen with X-ray fluoroscopy. Measurements throughout the patient's treatment course allowed an assessment of the interfractional reproducibility of this correlation.

Methods And Materials: Data were acquired from 11 patients; 5 were studied over multiple days.

Reproducibility of lung tumor position and reduction of lung mass within the planning target volume using active breathing control (ABC).

Purpose: The active breathing control (ABC) device allows for temporary immobilization of respiratory motion by implementing a breath hold at a predefined relative lung volume and air flow direction. The purpose of this study was to quantitatively evaluate the ability of the ABC device to immobilize peripheral lung tumors at a reproducible position, increase total lung volume, and thereby reduce lung mass within the planning target volume (PTV).

Materials And Methods: Ten patients with peripheral non-small-cell lung cancer tumors undergoing radiotherapy had CT scans of their thorax with and without ABC inspiration breath hold during the first 5 days of treatment.

Digital fluoroscopy to quantify lung tumor motion: potential for patient-specific planning target volumes.

Purpose: To apply digital fluoroscopy integrated with CT simulation to measure lung tumor motion and aid in the quantification of individualized planning target volumes.

Methods And Materials: A flat panel digital fluoroscopy unit was modified and integrated with a CT simulator. The stored fluoroscopy images were overlaid with digitally reconstructed radiographs, allowing measurement of the observed lung tumor motion in relation to the corresponding contours on the static digitally reconstructed radiographs.

The impact of (18)FDG-PET on target and critical organs in CT-based treatment planning of patients with poorly defined non-small-cell lung carcinoma: a prospective study.

Purpose: To prospectively study the impact of coregistering (18)F-fluoro-deoxy-2-glucose hybrid positron emission tomographic (FDG-PET) images with CT images on the planning target volume (PTV), target coverage, and critical organ dose in radiation therapy planning of non-small-cell lung carcinoma.

Methods And Materials: Thirty patients with poorly defined tumors on CT, referred for radical radiation therapy, underwent both FDG-PET and CT simulation procedures on the same day, in radiation treatment position. Image sets were coregistered using external fiducial markers.