Psoas muscle metastases in non-small cell lung cancer.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death in the U.S. and often spreads via lymphatics or through hematogenous metastasis to the brain, bone and adrenal glands.

Radiation therapy for heterotopic ossification prophylaxis afer high-risk elbow surgery.

Heterotopic ossification (HO) is a common complication of elbow trauma or surgery. HO can impair joint function; when it does, surgical removal is required. Radiotherapy (RT) prevents HO formation in the hip.

Tomotherapy and multifield intensity-modulated radiotherapy planning reduce cardiac doses in left-sided breast cancer patients with unfavorable cardiac anatomy.

Purpose: For patients with left-sided breast cancers, radiation treatment to the intact breast results in high doses to significant volumes of the heart, increasing the risk of cardiac morbidity, particularly in women with unfavorable cardiac anatomy. We compare helical tomotherapy (TOMO) and inverse planned intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) with three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy using opposed tangents (3D-CRT) for reductions in cardiac volumes receiving high doses.

Methods And Materials: Fifteen patients with left-sided breast cancers and unfavorable cardiac anatomy, determined by a maximum heart depth (MHD) of >or=1.

Variation in post-surgical lumpectomy cavity volume with delay in initiation of breast irradiation because of chemotherapy.

Purpose: The addition of a radiotherapy boost has been shown to improve local control in breast conservation therapy. Three dimensional planning provides more accurate targeting of the operative bed than clinical setup using the lumpectomy scar. However, contraction of the lumpectomy cavity over time may have implications for the volume of tissue included in the boost field.

A dosimetric analysis comparing treatment of low-risk prostate cancer with TomoTherapy versus static field intensity modulated radiation therapy.

Objectives: Static field intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) has demonstrated dosimetric and clinical benefits over 3-dimensional conformal radiation therapy. TomoTherapy is a unique form of IMRT that may offer further improvements.

Methods: The study population consisted of 15 patients with low-risk prostate cancer treated at Rush University with TomoTherapy (n = 7) or IMRT (n = 8).

Radiation recall reaction with docetaxel administration after accelerated partial breast irradiation with electronic brachytherapy.

Purpose: Accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) offers several advantages over whole breast irradiation. Electronic brachytherapy may further reduce barriers to breast conserving therapy by making APBI more available. However, its toxicity profile is not well characterized.

A virtual matching technique for three-field breast irradiation using 3-D planning.

Patients with breast cancer are often treated with radiation to the breast (or chest wall) and draining regional lymph nodes. This is typically performed with a three-field technique in which an anterior supraclavicular field is matched to opposed tangent fields. A single isocenter technique is not always possible.

Upright 3D treatment planning using a vertical CT.

In this report, we describe a novel technique used to plan and administer external beam radiation therapy to a patient in the upright position. A patient required reirradiation for thymic carcinoma but was unable to tolerate the supine position due to bilateral phrenic nerve injury and paralysis of the diaphragm. Computed tomography (CT) images in the upright position were acquired at the Northern Illinois University Institute for Neutron Therapy at Fermilab.

Case report and dosimetric analysis of an axillary recurrence after partial breast irradiation with mammosite catheter.

Partial breast irradiation (PBI) was designed in part to decrease overall treatment times associated with whole breast radiation therapy (WBRT). WBRT treats the entire breast and usually portions of the axilla. The goal of PBI is to treat a smaller volume of breast tissue in less time, focusing the dose around the lumpectomy cavity.

Cost of radiotherapy versus NSAID administration for prevention of heterotopic ossification after total hip arthroplasty.

Purpose: Heterotopic ossification (HO), or abnormal bone formation, is a common sequela of total hip arthroplasty. This abnormal bone can impair joint function and must be surgically removed to restore mobility. HO can be prevented by postoperative nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) use or radiotherapy (RT).

Patterns of failure after MammoSite brachytherapy partial breast irradiation: a detailed analysis.

Purpose: To report the results of a detailed analysis of treatment failures after MammoSite breast brachytherapy for partial breast irradiation from our single-institution experience.

Methods And Materials: Between October 14, 2002 and October 23, 2006, 78 patients with early-stage breast cancer were treated with breast-conserving surgery and accelerated partial breast irradiation using the MammoSite brachytherapy applicator. We identified five treatment failures in the 70 patients with >6 months' follow-up.

Clustered components analysis for functional MRI.

A common method of increasing hemodynamic response (SNR) in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is to average signal timecourses across voxels. This technique is potentially problematic because the hemodynamic response may vary across the brain. Such averaging may destroy significant features in the temporal evolution of the fMRI response that stem from either differences in vascular coupling to neural tissue or actual differences in the neural response between two averaged voxels.