Radiation Oncology

Radiation Biology

Questions discussed in this category

Should methotrexate be stopped prior to radiation therapy if a patient has rheumatoid arthritis?

Have you ever used sodium alginate to treat radiation-induced mucositis of the upper digestive tract?

Sodium alginate, an ingredient found in ice cream, is now being used in Japan to reduce RT-induced esophagitis. Anecdotally, a daily quart of ice crea...

1 Answer available

Do you advise patients to hold DMARDs for conditions such as psoriasis or rheumatoid arthritis while actively undergoing radiation treatment?

Does it depend on the DMARD type (biologic, targeted synthetic, or conventional synthetic)?

2 Answers available

What is the minimum number of hyperbaric oxygen treatments you would prescribe for late radiation toxicities?

Dose is change based off of the radiation toxicity, such as poor wound healing vs radiation proctitis? What is the minimum amount of time that you wou...

2 Answers available

For concurrent chemoradiation in head and neck cancers, how important is the timing of weekly radiosensitizing cisplatin early versus late in the week?

Specifically with reference to rural settings where the logistics of early in the week delivery may be more challenging.

4 Answers available

When do you use amifostine in head and neck cancers?

1 Answer available

How does pelvic radiation impact a patient with a known iIliac aneurysm?

Would you change your dosing or dosing fractionation (45/25 vs 50.4/28 vs 46/23)? Would you try to adjust your fields?

1 Answer available

Does the dose rate of an external beam linear accelerator matter in terms of radiobiology?

There is increasing technology available (ie flattening filter-free beams) to substantially increase dose rate.

1 Answer available

How do you factor environmental or occupational radiation exposure in counseling or planning for radiation therapy?

For example, would you counsel against breast conserving therapy for a woman exposed to fallout from the Chernobyl disaster or a downwinder?

1 Answer available

When giving concurrent chemoradiation therapy, is it important that the infusion be prior to RT as opposed to after RT?

Is there data supporting the idea that chemotherapy must be onboard prior to delivering radiation for maximal radiosensitization (particularly for hea...

1 Answer available

How should RT be combined with immunotherapy to generate an abscopal response?

Is there any consensus regarding the optimal RT dose, fractionation, and timing to the best abscopal response? What is the optimal metastatic site to ...

1 Answer available

For patients with advanced-stage NSCLC being treated with concurrent chemoRT who miss treatment days secondary to acute toxicities, do you add on fractions at the end of treatment to compensate for repopulation, as is done in head and neck cancers?

If so, how do you calculate the amount of fractions that are added?

1 Answer available

When do you start temozolomide with RT for high grade glioma?

Do you feel that it must start on day 1 with RT, as strict as even 4h prior to RT (recommended by some folks for maximal “Radiosensitization&rdq...

2 Answers available

Is there a role for anti PD-1/checkpoint inhibitors or other immunotherapies with radiation?

Are there any open clinical trials testing this?

1 Answer available