Helical Tomotherapy (HT) is a highly conformal image-guided radiation technique, introduced into clinical routine in 2006 at the Centro di Riferimento Oncologico Aviano (Italy). With this new technology, intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) is delivered using a helicoidal method. Here we present our dosimetric experiences using HT in 100 children, adolescents and young adults treated from Ma...

: Leptomeningeal disease (LMD) is a poor prognosis pattern of progression in patients with metastatic malignancy limited treatment options. Patients may be asymptomatic or present non-specific neurologic deficits, therefore gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging the brain and spine critical for establishing diagnosis. Although intent palliative context LMD, multidisciplinary approach st...

PURPOSE Craniospinal irradiation poses technical difficulties that may be addressed with the use of the newer technologies that have become available over the past decade. The use of CT simulation allows improved target localisation and beam geometry definition while significantly reducing the treatment simulation time. We have developed a CT-based technique for whole CNS irradiation in the sup...

The purpose of this work was to compare the risk of developing a second cancer after craniospinal irradiation using photon versus proton radiotherapy by means of simulation studies designed to account for the effects of neutron exposures. Craniospinal irradiation of a male phantom was calculated for passively-scattered and scanned-beam proton treatment units. Organ doses were estimated from tre...

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We present a technique for planning and verification of craniospinal treatment with the patient in the supine position. Treatment delivery and verification is streamlined through the use of modern imaging techniques. Treatments use two lateral brain fields abutted to a single or pair of posterior spine fields. Treatment delivery is simplified by aligning all isocenters in the anterior-posterior...