Misplacement of dwell positions is a potential source of misadministration in high dose rate brachytherapy. In this work we present a dwell position verification method using fluoroscopic images. A mobile C-arm fluoroscopic machine is used to take a snapshot of the treatment machine's check cable as it reaches the most distal dwell position. This fluoroscopic image is displayed side-by-side wit...

This article provides oncology nurses with an overview of high-dose-rate brachytherapy for the treatment of prostate cancer. Many treatment options are available for men diagnosed with prostate cancer. Oncology nurses must know about this potential treatment option so they can provide appropriate education, support, and self-care management advice. Program requirements, patient eligibility, and...

PURPOSE The study aimed to assess the outcome of locally advanced cervical and vaginal cancer treated with high-dose-rate interstitial brachytherapy (HDRB). METHODS AND MATERIALS Between 1998 and 2004, 16 previously unirradiated patients with locally advanced cervical and vaginal cancer not suitable for intracavitary brachytherapy because of distorted anatomy or extensive vaginal disease were...

PURPOSE Salvage treatments for localized radiorecurrent prostate cancer can be performed safely when a focal and image guided approach is used. Due to the low toxicity, the opportunity exists to investigate a second salvage treatment when a second locally recurrent prostate cancer occurs. Here, we describe a second salvage treatment procedure of 4 patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS Four patients ...

We evaluated local recurrence, toxicity rate and cosmetic outcome in 72 patients treated with high-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy after breast conserving surgery. HDR brachytherapy was administered: i) as partial breast irradiation (PBI) in 64 patients with low-risk early stage breast cancer, enrolled in a phase II prospective study; ii) as PBI after a second conservative surgery as treatment of...

Long term survival of NSC lung cancer relies on successful surgical resection. However, approximately 75% of primary lung carcinoma cases present with surgically incurable disease and are treated with alternative approaches such as radiation and/or chemotherapy. The survival results are however poor. About 50-60% of patients treated with external radiation therapy will experience local recurren...

PURPOSE Peri-urethral cancer (PUC) in females is a rare malignancy. Surgery is not usually contemplated due to associated morbidity. Radiation therapy (RT) can be employed in the form of interstitial brachytherapy (IBT) alone for early lesions, and external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) with or without IBT for advanced lesions. We report our first experience in the literature to evaluate the ro...

Glomerular filtration rates (GFR) were estimated in 168 children (227 estimates) before treatment for haematological malignancies with high dose, intravenous methotrexate. Clinical management was altered on the basis of GFR in only two cases, both of whom had tumour lysis syndrome. Routine estimations of GFR do not contribute to management.