A design of a DICOM-RT-based tool box for nonrigid 4D dose calculation.

The study was aimed to introduce a design of a DICOM-RT-based tool box to facilitate 4D dose calculation based on deformable voxel-dose registration. The computational structure and the calculation algorithm of the tool box were explicitly discussed in the study. The tool box was written in MATLAB in conjunction with CERR.

Real-time monitoring and control on deep inspiration breath-hold for lung cancer radiotherapy--combination of ABC and external marker tracking.

Purpose: In this article, the breath-hold and gating concepts were combined for application of lung cancer radiation treatment. The tumor movement was immobilized based on deep inspiration breath hold (DIBH), in which the breath-hold consistency and stability were monitored by infrared (IR) tracking and controlled by gating with a predefined threshold. The authors' goal is to derive the benefits from both techniques, namely, the minimized treatment margin and the known advantages of deep inspiration.

Stereotactic radiotherapy for locally recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Purpose: To study the treatment outcome in patients with locally recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) who were treated with stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT).

Methods And Materials: Thirty patients with non-metastatic, locally recurrent NPC who were treated with curative intent between 1998 and 2002 were retrospectively analyzed. The International Union Against Cancer T-stage distribution at recurrence (rT) was as follows: rT1-14, rT2-7, rT3-3, and rT4-6.

Hypofractionated stereotactic radiotherapy for medically inoperable stage I non-small cell lung cancer--report on clinical outcome and dose to critical organs.

We report 20 cases using hypofractionation stereotactic radiotherapy in medically inoperable stage I non-small cell lung cancer with dose escalation of 45-54 Gy prescribed at 85 or 90% isodose level in 3-4 fractions. Two-year local control and cancer-specific survival were 94.7 and 77.

High-dose-rate intracavitary brachytherapy boost for early T stage nasopharyngeal carcinoma{private}.

Purpose: To investigate any possible therapeutic gain from dose escalation with brachytherapy for early T stage nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).

Methods And Materials: One hundred forty-five patients with T1-2b N0-3 NPC were boosted with high-dose-rate intracavitary brachytherapy after completion of two-dimensional external radiotherapy (ERT) during the period from 1999 to 2003. To compare the efficacy of brachytherapy boost, another 142 patients with T1-2b N0-3 disease who were treated with ERT alone during 1994 to 1999 were evaluated.

Nasopharyngeal intracavitary brachytherapy: the controversy of T2b disease.

Background: Locally persistent nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) carries an increased risk of local failure if additional treatment is not given. It has been shown that intracavitary brachytherapy is effective in the treatment of patients with T1 and T2a NPC, although its role in the treatment of T2b disease had remained uncertain. The objectives of the current study were to evaluate the outcomes of patients with T2b, locally persistent NPC who were treated with high-dose-rate (HDR) intracavitary brachytherapy and to explore whether routine brachytherapy boost could improve the local control of patients who had T2b NPC at initial diagnosis.

Treatment results of high-dose-rate remote afterloading brachytherapy for cervical cancer and retrospective comparison of two regimens.

Purpose: To review the treatment results and complications of high-dose-rate (HDR) intracavitary brachytherapy for patients with carcinoma of the cervix in a single institute and to compare them with those of low-dose-rate (LDR) brachytherapy reported in the literature.

Methods And Materials: Two hundred twenty patients with carcinoma of the cervix were treated by primary radiotherapy between 1991 and 1998. The median age was 63 (range 24-84).