Effect on Heart and Lung Doses Reduction of Abdominal and Thoracic Deep Inspiratory Breath-hold Assuming Involved-field Radiation Therapy in Patients with Simulated Esophageal Cancer.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the lung and heart doses in volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT) using involved-field irradiation in patients with middle-to-lower thoracic esophageal cancer during free breathing (FB), abdominal deep inspiratory breath-hold (A-DIBH), and thoracic DIBH (T-DIBH) images.

Methods: Computed tomography images of A-DIBH, T-DIBH, and FB from 25 patients with breast cancer were used to simulate patients with esophageal cancer. The irradiation field was set at an involved-field, and target and risk organs were outlined according to uniform criteria.

Interim Report of a Japanese Phase II Trial for Cardiac Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy in Refractory Ventricular Tachycardia - Focus on Target Determination.

Cardiac radiotherapy using stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) has attracted attention as a minimally invasive treatment for refractory ventricular tachycardia. However, a standardized protocol and software program for determining the irradiation target have not been established. Here, we report the first preclinical stereotactic radioregulation antiarrhythmic therapy trial in Japan, focused on the target-setting process.

Heavy Ion Irradiation Reduces Vulnerability to Atrial Tachyarrhythmias - Gap Junction and Sympathetic Neural Remodeling.

Background: Low-invasive stereotactic body radiation therapy is a novel anti-arrhythmic strategy. The mechanisms underlying its effects against ventricular tachycardia/fibrillation (VT/VF) are gradually becoming clear, whereas those underlying atrial tachycardia/fibrillation (AT/AF) remain unknown. This study investigated the effects of carbon ion beam on gap junction expression and sympathetic innervation.

[Questionnaire Survey of Japanese Medical Physicists on Working Conditions in 2020].

The questionnaire survey was conducted in 2020 to investigate the working conditions of qualified medical physicists in Japan. We developed a web-based system for administering the questionnaire and surveyed 1,228 qualified medical physicists. The number of received responses was 405.