PURPOSE: To investigate the treatment outcome and failure patterns after definitive chemoradiation therapy in locally advanced, unresectable esophageal cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From February 1994 to December 2002, 168 patients with locally advanced unresectable or medically inoperable esophageal cancer were treated by definitive chemoradiation therapy. External beam radiation therapy (EBRT) (42~46 Gy) was delivered to the region encompassing the primary...

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3857/jkstro.2008.26.4.195   

PURPOSE: This study was performed to evaluate the disease-free survival and risk factors of recurrence in early breast cancer patients who have undergone breast conserving surgery and radiation therapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From March 1997 to December 2002, 77 breast cancer patients who underwent breast conserving surgery and radiation therapy were reviewed retrospectively. The median follow-up time was 58.4 months (range 43.8~129.4...

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3857/jkstro.2008.26.4.204   

PURPOSE: The objective of this retrospective study was to identify predictive factors for the complete pathologic response and tumor downstaging after preoperative concurrent chemoradiotherapy for locally advanced rectal cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between the years 2000 and 2008, 39 patients with newly diagnosed rectal cancer without prior evidence of distant metastasis received preoperative concurrent chemoradiotherapy followed by surgery. The median radiation...

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3857/jkstro.2008.26.4.213   

PURPOSE: Various treatment techniques have been attempted for the radiotherapy of anal cancer because of acute side effects such as perineal skin reactions. This study was performed to investigate an optimal radiotherapy technique in anal cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study subjects included 35 patients who underwent definitive concurrent chemoradiotherapy for anal cancer in Yonsei Cancer Center between 1990 and 2007....

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3857/jkstro.2008.26.4.222   

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of the use of external radiation therapy (ERT) in terms of survival and compliance in patients with anaplastic thyroid carcinoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The medical records of 17 patients with anaplastic thyroid carcinoma treated with ERT between 1993 and 2002 were retrospectively reviewed. ERT was administered after surgery in 14...

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3857/jkstro.2008.26.4.229   

PURPOSE: Three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3DCRT) and intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) were found to reduce the incidence of acute and late rectal toxicity compared with conventional radiation therapy (RT), although acute and late urinary toxicities were not reduced significantly. Acute urinary toxicity, even at a low-grade, not only has an impact on a patient's quality of life, but also can...

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3857/jkstro.2008.26.4.237   

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate anal sphincter preservation rates, survival rates, and prognostic factors in patients with rectal cancer treated with preoperative chemoradiotherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred fifty patients with pathologic confirmed rectal cancer and treated by preoperative chemoradiotherapy between January 1999 and June 2007. Of the 150 patients, the 82 who completed the scheduled chemoradiotherapy,...

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3857/jkstro.2008.26.4.247   

PURPOSE: Oral mucositis induced by radiotherapy to the head and neck area, is a common acute complication and is considered as the most severe symptom for cancer patients in the early stages of treatment. This study was proposed to establish the oral mucositis mouse model induced by a single dose of radiation for the facility of testing therapeutic candidates which...

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3857/jkstro.2008.26.4.257   

PURPOSE: This study aimed to quantitatively measure the movement of tumors in real-time and evaluate the treatment accuracy, during the treatment of a liver tumor patient, who underwent radiosurgery with a Synchrony Respiratory motion tracking system of a robot CyberKnife. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study subjects included 24 liver tumor patients who underwent CyberKnife treatment, which included 64 times of treatment...

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3857/jkstro.2008.26.4.263   

PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy of a belly-board device (BBD) in reducing the volume of small bowel during four-field pelvic irradiation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-two cancer patients (14 uterine cervical cancer, 6 rectal cancer, and 2 endometrial cancer) scheduled to receive pelvic irradiation were selected for this study. Two sets of CT images were taken with and without the belly-board device...

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3857/jkstro.2008.26.4.271   

PURPOSE: To identify the inter-fractional shift pattern and to assess an adequate treatment margin in the radiotherapy of a liver tumor using mega-voltage computed tomography (MVCT) of a tomotherapy unit. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-six patients were treated for liver tumors by tomotherapy from April 2006 to August 2007. The MVCT images of each patient were analyzed from the 1st to the 10th...

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3857/jkstro.2008.26.4.280   

PURPOSE: To improve the quality of the statistical analysis of papers published in the Journal of the Korean Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (JKOSTRO) by evaluating commonly encountered errors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Papers published in the JKOSTRO from January 2006 to December 2007 were reviewed for methodological and statistical validity using a modified version of Ahn's checklist. A statistician reviewed...

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3857/jkstro.2008.26.4.289