Reproducibility of vaginal immobilization balloons overnight for cervical cancer brachytherapy.

Purpose: The use of vaginal immobilization balloons placed into the vagina for immobilization of tandem and ovoid (T+O) applicator during high-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy delivery has been used at our institution, and seems to have improved our patient comfort, decreased procedure time, and minimized applicator misplacement. We aimed to show that these balloons, while originally marketed for single-day use, are safe and maintain applicator positioning/dosimetry when left overnight for treatment delivery on sequential days.

Material And Methods: Forty-two paired computed tomography (CT) scans from thirteen patients who underwent T+O HDR treatments on sequential days with vaginal immobilization balloons overnight were retrospectively compared to calculate mean change of balloon volumes and balloon/T+O distance to bony landmarks.

Prospective Study of Use of Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale Versus Routine Symptom Management During Weekly Radiation Treatment Visits.

Purpose: During radiotherapy (RT), patient symptoms are evaluated and managed weekly during physician on-treatment visits (OTVs). The Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS) is a 9-symptom validated self-assessment tool for reporting common symptoms in patients with cancer. We hypothesized that implementation and physician review of ESAS during weekly OTVs may result in betterment of symptom severity during RT for certain modifiable domains.

Image guided volumetric response during chemoradiotherapy for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma as a predictor of disease outcomes.

Purpose: The goal of this study was to correlate volumetric image guided disease response to clinical outcomes in patients receiving chemoradiation therapy (CRT) for locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).

Materials And Methods: Thirty four patients completing definitive CRT for locally advanced HNSCC with megavoltage computed tomography (MVCT) guided tomotherapy IMRT were retrospectively reviewed for volumetric response. Grossly identifiable primary tumor (PT) and nodal disease (ND) response was evaluated by weekly MVCT regression.