The current standard of care for locally advanced cervical cancer is whole pelvis and para-aortic radiation when indicated, delivered concomitantly with chemotherapy and brachytherapy. Para-aortic node involvement is a predictor of survival in locally advanced disease but presence of metastases is difficult to determine because the currently available imaging methods lack enough sensitivity to be able to detect accurately para-aortic metastases when surgical staging is not feasible. The objective of this review is to describe the current status of para-aortic lymph node irradiation in locally advanced cervical cancer. It includes analysis of the diagnostic imaging and surgical approaches for assessment of para-aortic lymph node dissemination, together with indications for radiotherapy and radiotherapeutic techniques.
Aim: To compare the dose to organs at risk with free breathing (FB) or voluntary breath-hold (VBH) during radiotherapy of patients with left sided breast cancer. Background: Radiotherapy reduces the risk of breast-cancer-specific mortality but the effects on other organs increase non-cancer-specific mortality. Radiation exposure to the heart, in particular in patients with left sided breast cancer, can be reduced by breath hold methods that increase the distance between the heart and the radiation field. Materials and Methods: Three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT) dose plans for the left breast and organs at risk including the heart, left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) and ipsilateral lung were compared with FB and VBH in ten patients with left sided breast cancer.Results: The mean doses to the heart and LAD were reduced by 50.4 % (p < 0.001) and 58.8 % (p = 0.006), respectively, in VBH relative to FB. The mean dose to the ipsilateral lung was reduced by 13.8 % (p = 0.11) in VBH relative to FB. The planning target volume (PTV) coverage was at least 95 % in both FB and VBH (p = 0.78).
Conclusion:The VBH technique significantly reduces the dose to organs at risk in 3D-CRT treatment plans of left sided breast cancer.
Background: Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) represents 13-15% of all primary lung neoplasms and is characterized by rapid growth rate and development of distant metastases. Objectives: The objectives of the study were to guide and standardize the treatment of limited disease SCLC in Mexico based on national and international clinical evidence. Material and methods: This document was developed as a collaboration between the National Cancer Institute and the Mexican Society of Oncology in compliance with international standards. An interdisciplinary group was formed, including medical oncologists, oncological surgeons, thoracic surgeons, radiation oncologists, and methodologists with experience in systematic reviews of the literature and clinical practice guidelines. Results: Consensus recommendations were reached, both by the Delphi method and in remote meetings, for limited SCLC disease resulting from the same number of work questions. The scientific evidence that answers each of these clinical questions was identified and critically evaluated, before being incorporated into the body of evidence of the guide. Conclusion: This guide provides clinical recommendations for the management of limited disease SCLC to contribute to the decision-making process of the clinicians involved with its management in our country, hoping that this will contribute to improving the quality of clinical care in these patients.
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