PURPOSE: The purpose of this review is to provide an update on novel radiation treatments for head and neck cancer. RECENT FINDINGS: Despite the remarkable advances in chemotherapy and radiotherapy techniques, the management of advanced head and neck cancer remains challenging. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is an appealing target for novel therapies in head and neck cancer because not only...

PURPOSE: To analyze the survival outcomes and prognostic factors in glioblastoma patients treated with surgery and radiation therapy. MATERIALS AND MEHTODS: One hundred twenty glioblastoma patients treated with postoperative radiation therapy from 1994 to 2003 at Samsung Medical Center were retrospectively reviewed. Surgical extents were gross total resection in 22 patients (18%), subtotal resection in 69 (58%), and biopsy only in...

PURPOSE: To evaluate whether positron emission tomography (PET) with 2-[F-18]fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG) can be used to predict of early response to definitive aim radiotherapy (RT) in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck using response rate and locoregional control as study endpoints. MATERIALS AND MEHTODS: Twenty-two patients with head and neck cancer underwent a FDG-PET study before RT, after a first...

PURPOSE: This study was done to evaluate xerostomia following intensity modulated radiotherapy for patients with head and neck cancer, and to analyze the correlation between the dosimetric parameters and xerostomia parameters. MATERIALS AND MEHTODS: From February till October 2003, 13 patients with 3 months of follow-up were evaluated for xerostomia after being treated for head and neck cancer with IMRT. Their...

PURPOSE: This retrospective study was conducted to compare early preliminary results of breast conservation therapy (BCT) with mastectomy in early breast cancer. MATERIALS AND MEHTODS: We evaluated 171 women with AJCC stage I and II breast cancer who had been treated at Kangnam St. Mary's Hospital from March 1989 to August 1996. Eighty-eight patients underwent mastectomy and 85 patients did conservative surgery...

PURPOSE: To evaluate the clinical findings, prognosis and treatment strategy of patients with neuroendocrine carcinoma of cervix. MATERIALS AND MEHTODS: Thirteen patients with neuroendocrine carcinoma of cervix were included in this study, as confirmed histologically and immunohistochemically at the Dongsan Medical Center, Keimyung University, between May 1944 and October 2001. The mean age of patients was 56 years with a range...

PURPOSE: In radiotherapy for cervix cancer, both 3-dimensioal radiotherapy (3D-CRT) and intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) could reduce the dose to the small bowel (SB), while the small bowel displacement system (SBDS) could reduce the SB volume in the pelvic cavity. To evaluate the effect of the SBDS on the dose to the SB in 3D-CRT and IMRT plans, 3D-CRT and...

PURPOSE: We have previously reported that human glioblastoma cells are sensitized to radiation-induced death after their exposure to trichostatin A (TSA), a histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDAC-I), prior to the irradiation. We aimed to measure the magnitude of the radiosensitizing effect of TSA in human head and neck cancer cell lines. MATERIALS AND MEHTODS: Human head and neck cancer cell lines, HN-3...

PURPOSE: To examine whether a synthetic bile acid derivatives (HS-1200) sensitizes the radiation-induced apoptosis in human breast cancer cells (MCF-7) and to investigate the underlying mechanism. MATERIALS AND MEHTODS: Human breast cancer cells (MCF-7) in exponential growth phase were treated with HS-1200 for 24 hours at 37degrees C with 5% CO2 in air atmosphere. After removal of HS-1200, cells were irradiated...

PURPOSE: To confirm the reproducibility of in vivo transmission dosimetry system and the accuracy of the algorithms for the estimation of transmission dose in head and neck radiation therapy patients. MATERIALS AND MEHTODS: From September 5 to 18, 2001, transmission dose measurements were performed when radiotherapy was given to brain or head and neck cancer patients. The data of 35 patients...