Comparison of dosimetric parameters of small-field electron beams between Advanced Markus, Semiflex 3D, and Diode E responses.

The usage of dosimetry of small fields in radiotherapy to measure radiation dose is difficult because of high-dose gradients, lateral electronic disequilibrium, and detector volume effects. In this study, three dosimeters namely, Markus, Semiflex 3D, and Diode E were tested using the Elekta-accelerator electron beams. The electron beam parameters, penumbra, and output factor were determined using these dosimeters for each field size and energy. According to the results, Diode E and Advanced Markus exhibited the greatest difference in Rq among the electron beam parameters. Furthermore, the greatest difference in penumbra was observed between Diode E and Advanced Markus for the field size of 3 cm2 at 10 MeV. In terms of output factor, three dosimeters exhibited the greatest difference between Diode E and Advanced Markus for the field size of 3 cm2 at 10 MeV. The findings indicate that the Semiflex 3D can be regarded as an appropriate dosimeter for electron small-field dosimetry.

Comparison of Photon-electron and Photon Radiotherapy for Supraclavicular Lymph Nodes of Mastectomy Patients with Left-sided Breast Cancer.

The aim of radiotherapy is to deliver the highest possible radiation dose to the tumor and the lowest radiation to normal tissues surrounding the tumor. In the present study, lymph nodes of the supraclavicular region were treated using two therapeutic techniques, namely photon technique (PT) and combinatory photon-electron technique (CPET). We recruited 50 patients with local lymph node metastasis. The photon energies were 6-15 MV. Furthermore, the electron beam energy was 18 MeV in CPET. The study findings revealed that the mean delivered dose to target volume was 41.12 ± 2.98Gy for PT and 44.56 ± 1.90Gy for CPET. The percentage of the target volume irradiated to 90% of the prescribed dose (V90) was calculated as 74.61% ± 9.30% and 82.06% ± 9.70% for PT and CPET, respectively. The mean dose delivered to the heart and lungs was not significantly different between the two groups. Furthermore, the maximum doses delivered to the spinal cord were 12.55Gy in PT and 8.89Gy in CPET. The mean doses delivered to the thyroid gland were 39.26 and 34.89Gy in PT and CPET. According to the study results, the maximum doses delivered to the spinal cord, head of the humerus bone, and thyroid were reduced significantly as measured the CPET technique. In contrast, no significant difference was observed regarding the dose delivered to the heart and lung. The dose delivered to the supraclavicular region determined by the CPET was significantly augmented. Furthermore, the coverage of the tumor mass was optimized using the new method.

Investigating the Effect of Self-Care Training on Life Expectancy and Quality of Life in Patients with Gastrointestinal Cancer under Radiotherapy.

OBJECTIVE: A huge amount of the efforts made by health teams is dedicated to caring for cancer patients. This study has aimed to investigate the effect of self-care training on life expectancy and quality of life (QOL) in patients with gastrointestinal cancer who were under radiotherapy. METHODS: In this clinical trial, 50 patients were selected using the block randomization method. The intervention was performed at Ayatollah Khansari Hospital in Arak, Iran. The patients in the intervention group received three sessions of face-to-face training. The data collection tools included Schneider's Life Expectancy Questionnaire and EORTC QOLQ-C30. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 23. RESULTS: In the control group, 16 were male (64%) and 9 female (36%), and in the intervention group, 14 were male (56%) and 11 were female (44%). Before the intervention, the two groups were homogenous regarding all variables. After the intervention, the mean of QOL was 67 ± 22.62 in the intervention group and 56 ± 18.55 in the control group (P < 0.05). In examining the different dimensions of QOL, improvement in all functional dimensions was observed in the intervention group. After the intervention, the mean score of life expectancy showed a significant difference (P < 0.05) between the intervention group (39.52 ± 5.26) and the control group (31.6 ± 7.13). CONCLUSIONS: It was found that self-care training improved the QOL and life expectancy of patients with gastrointestinal cancer who were under radiotherapy. Therefore, self-care training is recommended to improve the QOL and the life expectancy of cancer patients.