Intensity-modulated radiation therapy for head and neck carcinoma Journal Article
| Authors: | Grégoire, V.; De Neve, W.; Eisbruch, A.; Lee, N.; Van Den Weyngaert, D.; Van Gestel, D. |
| Article Title: | Intensity-modulated radiation therapy for head and neck carcinoma |
| Abstract: | Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) for head and neck tumors refers to a new approach that aims at increasing the radiation dose gradient between the target tissues and the surrounding normal tissues at risk, thus offering the prospect of increasing the locoregional control probability while decreasing the complication rate. As a prerequisite, IMRT requires a proper selection and delineation of target volumes. For the latter, recent data indicate the potential of functional imaging to complement anatomic imaging modalities. Nonrandomized clinical series in paranasal sinuses and pharyngolaryngeal carcinoma have shown that IMRT was able to achieve a very high rate of locoregional control with less morbidity, such as dry-eye syndrome, xerostomia, and swallowing dysfunction. The promising results of IMRT are likely to be achieved when many treatment conditions are met, for example, optimal selection and delineation of the target volumes and organs at risk, appropriate physical quality control of the irradiation, and accurate patient setup with the use of onboard imaging. Because of the complexity of the various tasks, it is thus likely that these conditions will only be met in institutions having large patient throughput and experience with IMRT. Therefore, patient referral to those institutions is recommended. ©AlphaMed Press. |
| Keywords: | cancer survival; clinical trial; review; intensity modulated radiation therapy; larynx carcinoma; cancer risk; cancer radiotherapy; radiation dose; nuclear magnetic resonance imaging; positron emission tomography; follow up; gold standard; quality control; computer assisted tomography; radiotherapy dosage; radiotherapy; morbidity; practice guideline; dose-response relationship, radiation; dysphagia; head and neck cancer; imrt; head and neck neoplasms; radiotherapy, intensity-modulated; tumor burden; probability; three dimensional imaging; xerostomia; nasopharynx carcinoma; relative biological effectiveness; computer assisted radiotherapy; dry eye; radiation dose distribution; fluorodeoxyglucose; eye toxicity; head and neck carcinoma; oropharynx carcinoma; paranasal sinus carcinoma; target organ; pharynx carcinoma |
| Journal Title: | The Oncologist |
| Volume: | 12 |
| Issue: | 5 |
| ISSN: | 1083-7159 |
| Publisher: | Oxford University Press |
| Date Published: | 2007-05-01 |
| Start Page: | 555 |
| End Page: | 564 |
| Language: | English |
| DOI: | 10.1634/theoncologist.12-5-555 |
| PUBMED: | 17522243 |
| PROVIDER: | scopus |
| DOI/URL: | |
| Notes: | --- - "Cited By (since 1996): 31" - "Export Date: 17 November 2011" - "CODEN: OCOLF" - "Source: Scopus" |
