An overview of Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT), a true revolution in the field of radiation oncology in that it provides the unprecedented means of conforming to the shape of the target tissues in 3-dimensions, reducing the risk of complications thereby improving the quality of life of irradiated patients. Moreover, IMRT provides the means to deliver higher than conventional doses ...

With increasing emphasis on reducing the volume of radiation therapy fields while maintaining or improving precision of treatment and reducing radiation-related normal tissue toxicity, treatment position verification and correction before delivering radiotherapy had gained major importance. A variety of techniques have been developed that can accomplish this goal with aplomb, albeit each with i...

Nancy Thompson, RN, MS, AOCNS, is a clinical nurse specialist at Swedish Cancer Institute, Caroline Cogen, RN, BSN, is a staff nurse at Swedish Medical Center, Debra Forman, RN, BSN, OCN ®, is a supervisor in the Comprehensive Breast Center at Swedish Cancer Institute, and Sheryl Londerville, RN, BSN, OCN ®, is the radiation oncology charge nurse at Swedish Cancer Institute, all in Seattle, WA....

Arc-modulated radiation therapy (AMRT) is a novel rotational intensitymodulated radiation therapy (IMRT) technique developed for a clinical linear accelerator that aims to deliver highly conformal radiation treatment using just one arc of gantry rotation. Compared to fixed-gantry IMRT and the multiplearc intensity-modulated arc therapy (IMAT) techniques, AMRT promises the same treatment quality...

Volumetric imaging and planning for 3-D conformal RT and IMRT have pressured the oncology community to better understand the geometric uncertainties inherent in the RT delivery process, including set-up error (inter-fraction) as well as organ motion during treatment (intra-fraction). This has ushered in the development of emerging technologies and clinical processes collectively referred to as ...

Stereotactic body radiation therapy constitutes an emerging therapeutic paradigm. These treatments are unique relative to the large body of experience with conventional fractionated radiotherapy. On the basis of the treatment principles of intracranial stereotactic radiation combined with enhancements associated with immobilization and imaging, the role of extracranial treatment continues to ev...

To evaluate the influence of timing of salvage and adjuvant radiation therapy on outcomes after prostatectomy for prostate cancer. Using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare linked database, we identified prostate cancer patients diagnosed during 1995-2007 who had one or more adverse pathological features after prostatectomy. The final cohort of 6,137 eligible patients inclu...

PURPOSE To investigate whether patients requiring radiation treatment are prepared to travel to alternative more distant centers in response to hospital choice policies, and the factors that influence this mobility. METHODS AND MATERIALS We present the results of a national cohort study using administrative hospital data for all 44,363 men who were diagnosed with prostate cancer and underwent...

An overview of Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT), a true revolution in the field of radiation oncology in that it provides the unprecedented means of conforming to the shape of the target tissues in 3-dimensions, reducing the risk of complications thereby improving the quality of life of irradiated patients. Moreover, IMRT provides the means to deliver higher than conventional doses ...