Radiotherapy Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Radiotherapy, including details on cancer treatment, side effects.

Accelerated radiotherapy with simultaneous integrated boost fractionation and intensity-modulated radiotherapy for advanced head and neck cancer.

Schwartz M, Vuong T, Ballivy O, Parker W, Patrocinio H

Department of Radiation Oncology, McGill University Health Center, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the feasibility and toxicity profile of accelerated radiotherapy with a simultaneous integrated boost fractionation scheme with intensity-modulated radiotherapy (SIB-IMRT) with or without chemotherapy. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: Forty-nine patients with advanced head and neck cancer underwent SIB-IMRT. Concomitant chemotherapy was administered in 29 patients. RESULTS: Grade 3 acute toxicities included 55% mucositis, 20% odynophagia, 12% nausea, 18% hematologic, and 8% skin. There were no grade 4 toxicities or treatment-related deaths. With a median follow-up of 25 months, locoregional control was 83%, and overall survival was 80%. Of patients with grade 3 late toxicities, two patients (4% of the total) required a permanent percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tube, and osteonecrosis occurred in one patient (2% of the total). CONCLUSIONS: SIB-IMRT is a feasible technique that shortens the overall treatment time in the radical treatment of patients with advanced head and neck cancer while maintaining acceptable rates of acute toxicity in this study. Although the results are promising, this approach should be considered only in the setting of a clinical trial.

Published 9 April 2007 in Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg, 136(4): 549-55.
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