Head-and-neck cancer patients beyond 2 years of disease control: Preliminary analysis of intensity-modulated radiotherapy late-effect assessment scale

Over a decade of intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) improved the toxicity profile among head-and-neck cancer patients and also improved the quality of life (QOL). Several parameters' few subjective and few objectives have documented various aspects related to QOL. Patients surviving beyond a certain period will have few unattended concern. A single questionnaire-based evaluation might answer few untouched issues. This brief communication formulated such an indigenous single-institution scale named IMRT late-effect assessment scale (ILEA). The preliminary analysis identified concerns related to dryness of mouth, swallowing habit change, and fear of disease recurrence. Future large-scale prospective evaluation is needed

Intensity modulated radiotherapy in abdominal malignancies: our experience in reducing the dose to normal structures as compared to the gross tumor.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: A better understanding of appropriate sequencing and use of multimodality approach in the management and subsequent improvement in overall survival mandates a vigil on quality of life issues. Intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) is a powerful tool, which might go a long way in reducing radiation doses to critical structures and thereby reduce long term morbidities. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the impact of IMRT in reducing the dose to the critical normal tissues while maintaining the desired dose to the volume of interest for abdominal malignancies. MATERIALS AND METHODS: During the period January 2002 to March 2004, 11 patients of various sites of malignancies in the abdominal region were treated using physical intensity modulator based IMRT. Plans of these patients treated with IMRT were analyzed using dose volume histograms. RESULTS: An average dose reduction of the mean values by 50% to the liver, 57% to the right kidney, 56% to the left kidney, 66% to the cord and 27% to the bowel, with respect to the GTV could be achieved with IMRT. The two-year disease free survival was 79% and two-year overall survival was 88%. The average number of IMRT fields used was six. CONCLUSION: IMRT with inverse planning enabled us to achieve desired dose distribution, due to its ability to provide sharp dose gradients at the junction of tumor and the adjacent critical organs.