Reducing the low-dose lung radiation for central lung tumors by restricting the IMRT beams and arc arrangement.

To compare the extent to which 7 different radiotherapy planning techniques for mediastinal lung targets reduces the lung volume receiving low doses of radiation. Thirteen non-small cell lung cancer patients with targets, including the mediastinal nodes, were identified. Treatment plans were generated to both 60- and 74-Gy prescription doses using 7 different planning techniques: conformal, hybrid conformal/intensity-modulated radiation treatment (IMRT), 7 equidistant IMRT beams, 2 restricted beam IMRT plans, a full (360°) modulated arc, and a restricted modulated arc plan.

Childhood intracranial ependymoma: twenty-year experience from a single institution.

Background: Because few large studies of pediatric ependymoma treatment are available, the authors believed that a retrospective review of treatment outcomes from a single institution would yield potentially valuable information regarding potential prognostic factors. In this article, they report their 20-year institutional experience with this disease.

Methods: Medical records were reviews of patients with intracranial ependymoma who received their initial treatment at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP)/Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP) between January 1980 and December 2000.