PURPOSE: To evaluate the effectiveness and tolerance of postoperative external beam radiotherapy for patients with low grade glioma of the brain and define the optimal radiotherapeutic regimen. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between June, 1985 and May, 1998, 72 patients with low grade gliomas were treated with postoperative radiotherapy immediately following surgery. Median age was 37 years with range of 11 to 76 years....

PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to look for the possible efficacy of postoperative external irradiation for incompletely resected meningiomas. METHODS AND MATERIALS: From August 1981 to January 1997, forty-four patients with intracranial meningioma were treated by postoperative external irradiation. Of the 44 meningiomas, 18 transitional, 13 meningotheliomatous, 6 hemangiopericytic, 4 atypical, 2 fibroblastic and 1 malignant meningioma were identified....

PURPOSE: This study was performed to determine the optimal treatment volume of patients treating with radiation therapy for intracranial germ cell tumor. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From 1993 to 1998, 19 patients with intracranial germ cell tumors treated by gamma knife radiosurgery were analyzed. The location of tumor was as follows; 9 cases on pineal region, 1 case on suprasellar region, and...

PURPOSE: This study was performed to evaluate the effectiveness and tolerance of craniospinal irradiation for patients with medulloblastoma and to define the optimal radiotherapeutic regimen. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the records of 43 patients with medulloblastoma who were treated with external beam craniospinal radiotherapy at our institution between May, 1984 and April, 1998. Median follow up period was 47...

PURPOSE: The goal of this study was to improve the accuracy of three-dimensional conformal radio therapy (3-D CRT) by measuring the treatment setup error and physiological movement of liver based on the analysis of images which were obtained by electronic portal imaging device (EPID). MATERIALS AND METHODS: For 10 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, 4-7 portal images were obtained by...

PURPOSE: To evaluate the extent and frequency of the inter- and intra-treatment isocenter deviations of the whole pelvis radiation field in using small bowel displacement system (SBDS). METHODS AND MATERIALS: Using electronic portal imaging device (EPID), 302 postero-anterior (PA) and 232 lateral portal images were prospectively collected from 11 patients who received pelvic radiation therapy (7 with cervix cancer and 4...

PURPOSE: Tumor hypoxia can be overcome with hypoxic cytotoxin. In mouse tumor, tirapazamine's efficacy of the potentiating radiation effect was tested by the tumor oxygenation status combined with hyperfactionated radiotherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The control and hypoxic mouse tumors were established by inoculation of RIF-1 tumor cells into the normal or previously irradiated back and thigh of C3H mice. When the...

PURPOSE: To determine if the tumor intersitial fluid pressure (TIFP) and/or its change in patients with metastatic lymph node in head and neck area can predict radiotherapy outcome. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In 26 biopsy proven metastatic lymph node patients in head and neck area with accessible by direct inspection and palpation, and of sufficient thickness (>1 cm) to permit accurate needle...

PURPOSE: To investigate whether combined beta-carotene with X-irradiation has more enhanced radition response than X-irradiation or not, we performed a experiment about in vitro cytotoxicity of beta-carotene and/or X-irradiation in the fibrosarcoma cells, tumor growth delay of combined beta-caroten with/or X-irradiation in the mouse fibrosarcoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 2% emulsion of beta-carotene was serially diluted and used. X-irradiation was given...

PURPOSE: It was studied that the relationship between radiation dose, dose rate and the frequency of chromosomal aberrations in peripheral lymphocytes. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Peripheral lymphocytes were irradiated in vitro with 6 MeV X-ray at dose ranges from 50 cGy to 800 cGy. The variations of the frequency of chromosomal aberrations were observed according to different radiation dose rate from 20...

INTRODUCTION: Stereotactic radiation therapy (SRT) can deliver highly focused radiation to a small and spherical target lesion with very high degree of mechanical accuracy. For non-spherical and large lesions, however, inclusion of the neighboring normal structures within the high dose radiation volume is inevitable in SRT. This is to report the beam shaping using the partial closure of the independent jaw...

PURPOSE: This investigation was performed in order to improve the health care of radiation workers, to predict a risk, to minimize the radiation exposure hazard to them and for them to realize radiation exposure danger when they work in radiation area in hospital. METHODS AND MATERIALS: The documentations checked regularly for personal radiation exposure in four university hospitals in Pusan city...