Radiation Oncology
Expert insights on radiation treatment planning, techniques, toxicity management, and multimodal cancer care.
Recent Discussions
How do you approach teeth extractions for head and neck cancer patients getting radiation?
Here is what my oral surgeon, who deals with ORN, told me: “We do implants in fields of high does radiation. The risk of immediate and long term failure is higher but often the risk/benefit still weighs in favor. I have two patients that have devoleped ORN (one immediate and one late) after implants...
Do you recommend using altered fractionation for a patient with squamous cell carcinoma of the skin in the head and neck region who cannot receive concurrent chemotherapy?
In an octagenarian who cannot undergo surgery or chemotherapy, I would be reluctant to use an accelerated curative-intent radiotherapy regimen. This is primarily because meta-analyses of altered fractionation mucosal head and neck cancer have shown limited improvement in outcome over conventionally ...
How do you manage musculoskeletal pain in men receiving androgen deprivation therapy for non-metastatic prostate cancer?
This a very good question. Because bone pain can be a symptom of "benign" bone health issues without bone metastasis and because of the patient population demographics including risk factors, we obtain baseline bone health screening on most patients who must undergo Androgen Deprivation Therapy (ADT...
What is your preferred approach to young adults with CNS pure germinoma (markers negative, single nodule, CSF negative)?
This is a great question as we tried to evaluate the benefits and trade-offs between both approaches with ACNS0232 but the study closed prematurely because of poor accrual. As with many other studies that have drastic differences in the strata which are randomized, it can be tough to ask patients an...
Does radiation improve bone health and allow for healing of a pathological fracture in a patient with multiple myeloma refusing surgery?
Radiation for myeloma lesions does allow for recalcification of lytic lesions about 50% of the time. There is a suggestion that higher doses increases the degree of recalcification (increasing doses from 20 Gy to 30 Gy increased recalcification by 12% according to Matuschek C et al. Radiat Oncol. 20...
Do you use anti-PD-1/anti-PD-L1 therapies in lung cancer patients with a prior history of radiation pneumonitis?
I have used anti-PD-1 directed therapies in patients with a prior history of radiation pneumonitis. The history had excluded her from one clinical trial of these agents but not another that is also combining the anti-PD-1 directed therapy with a CTLA-4 agent. If someone is on steroids for a current...
How do you decide which dose/fractionation to use for consolidative therapy to the lung in patients with oligometastatic NSCLC who have responded well to first-line systemic therapy?
For the first part of the question, I broadly think of two groups of patients 1) Lung nodule suitable for SBRT: would then do something like 54 Gy in 3 or 50 Gy in 5 depending on the location 2) Stage III, ie primary in lung and mediastinal nodes: would then do something like 45 Gy in 15 fractions. ...
What dose schedule do you prescribe to the HRCTV when using interstitial technique for treating cervical cancer with HDR brachytherapy?
I follow the American Brachytherapy Society guidelines (Brachytherapy 11 (2012) 47-52) which uses doses of 5Gyx 5 to HR-CTV after 45 GY external beam and 4.5GY x5 fx after dose of 50.4GY extrenal beam radiationOne has to be aware of increased toxicity in this BID fractionationFor Vaginal - I will al...
Should a glioma patient on phenytoin be completely tapered off prior to starting radiation?
Toxic epidermal necrsosis during cranial radiation has been reported, although very rare. In pateints with no such history, I have not seen any similar complication. However, it would be better to taper off the drug if the patient has a history of the skin condition. When a phenytoin induced skin r...
What is the best radiation therapy treatment for vertebral body metastasis with epidural extension adjacent to the spinal cord for radio-resistant tumors (melanoma, renal cell, etc.)?
I assume you are asking about tumor abutting the cord but without neurologic symptoms from compression. Even if there is not compression, there may still be a role for surgery if there is concern about instability of the spine. A commonly used metric is the SINS score (Fourney et al. JCO 2011; 29(22...