Topics:
Radiation Oncology • Gastrointestinal Cancers
When treating a patient with anal cancer with a vaginal dilator, do you routinely simulate the patient with and without the dilator in place?
How often do patients become unable to tolerate the dilator during the treatment course secondary to discomfort related to acute toxicity?
Answer from: Radiation Oncologist at Academic Institution
We only simulate with the dilator.The first point is that most of the benefit of the use of a dilator is in the accurate identification of the vulva / introitus avoidance structure during the contouring and planing process. It provides a separation and a place for the penumbra of the beam to go.We h...
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Answer from: Radiation Oncologist at Academic Institution
We analysed every fraction in 10 patients and the target does not move. The reference is above.
Answer from: Radiation Oncologist at Academic Institution
I’ve used vaginal dilators for sbrt of gyne patients who were anesthesia risks for interstitial brachytherapy. I have found that positioning is highly variable. I always wonder about vaginal brachytherapy since we do not do image guidance right before.
So, I would use only for simulatio...