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Clinical Radiation Oncology

Section edited by Stephanie Combs, Pirus Ghadjar, Matthias Guckenberger, Daniel Habermehl, Silke Nachbichler, Maximilian Niyazi, and Falk Roeder

The Clinical Radiation Oncology section aims to provide a platform for clinical research in radiation oncology. Research includes innovative early phase and later stage clinical trials, technical approaches, review articles on “burning” clinical questions, invited key reviews, RT planning studies, multimodal therapy, data mining from retrospective cohorts in a hypothesis-generating manner, interconnection between imaging and improved target delineation, and intensity modulation/high precision techniques. The section addresses current, timely and cutting- edge research and reviews about clinically relevant issues in radiation oncology, while offering a fast review process.

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  1. The optimal care for pT3N0 rectal cancer remains controversial. And whether tumor location can be used to guide the administration of adjuvant radiotherapy for pT3N0 rectal cancer is not fully confirmed. The c...

    Authors: Hai-hua Peng, Xin-hui Zhou, Tong-chong Zhou, Xing-sheng Qiu and Kai-yun You
    Citation: Radiation Oncology 2019 14:8
    Content type: Research Published on:

  2. Lung dose-volume histogram (DVH) in radiotherapy could be calculated from multiple normal lung definitions. The lung dosimetric parameters generated from various approaches are significantly different. However...

    Authors: Yinnan Meng, Haihua Yang, Wei Wang, Xingni Tang, Caiping Jiang, Yichao Shen and Wei Luo
    Citation: Radiation Oncology 2019 14:7
    Content type: Research Published on:

  3. We performed a prospective phase II study to compare acute toxicity among five different hypofractionated schedules using proton therapy. This study was an exploratory analysis to investigate the secondary end...

    Authors: Boram Ha, Kwan Ho Cho, Kang Hyun Lee, Jae Young Joung, Yeon-Joo Kim, Sung Uk Lee, Hyunjung Kim, Yang-Gun Suh, Sung Ho Moon, Young Kyung Lim, Jong Hwi Jeong, Haksoo Kim, Weon Seo Park and Sun Ho Kim
    Citation: Radiation Oncology 2019 14:4
    Content type: Research Published on:

  4. This study was conducted to investigate a new short-course radiotherapy regimen for patients with metastatic hormone refractory prostate cancer (HRPC) presenting with a dominant debilitating symptom.

    Authors: Jesper Carl, Dirk Rades, Claudia Doemer, Cornelia Setter, Jürgen Dunst and Niels Henrik Holländer
    Citation: Radiation Oncology 2019 14:3
    Content type: Study protocol Published on:

  5. Advanced radiotherapy (RT) techniques allow normal tissue to be spared in patients with extremity soft tissue sarcoma (STS). This work aims to evaluate toxicity and outcome after neoadjuvant image-guided radio...

    Authors: Jan C. Peeken, Christoph Knie, Kerstin A. Kessel, Daniel Habermehl, Severin Kampfer, Hendrik Dapper, Michal Devecka, Rüdiger von Eisenhart-Rothe, Katja Specht, Wilko Weichert, Klaus Wörtler, Carolin Knebel, Jan J. Wilkens and Stephanie E. Combs
    Citation: Radiation Oncology 2019 14:2
    Content type: Research Published on:

  6. Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) can recur in the brain after whole-brain irradiation (WBI). We documented outcomes after treatment of such recurrences and sought predictors of local control and overall survival ...

    Authors: Ryoko Suzuki, Xiong Wei, Pamela K. Allen, James W. Welsh, James D. Cox, Ritsuko Komaki and Steven H. Lin
    Citation: Radiation Oncology 2018 13:258
    Content type: Research Published on:

  7. Local progression-free survival (LPFS = stable or improved motor function/resolution of paraplegia during RT without in-field recurrence following RT) is important when treating metastatic spinal cord compress...

    Authors: Dirk Rades, Antonio J. Conde-Moreno, Jon Cacicedo, Theo Veninga, Barbara Segedin, Karmen Stanic and Steven E. Schild
    Citation: Radiation Oncology 2018 13:257
    Content type: Research Published on:

  8. Elective use of radiation therapy to treat regionally involved lymph nodes (LNs) after radical surgery for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is controversial. We studied metastasis patterns through a p...

    Authors: Xiaofei Zhang, Xi Yang, Jianjiao Ni, Yida Li, Liqing Zou, Li Chu, Xiao Chu, Fan Xia and Zhengfei Zhu
    Citation: Radiation Oncology 2018 13:255
    Content type: Research Published on:

  9. This study aimed to evaluate the inter-fraction set-up error and intra-fraction motion during reverse semi-decubitus (RSD) breast radiotherapy, and to determine a planning target volume (PTV) margin.

    Authors: Jie Lee, Shih-Hua Liu, Jhen-Bin Lin, Meng-Hao Wu, Chieh-Ju Wu, Hung-Chi Tai, Shih-Ming Hsu, Yin-Ju Chen, Jo-Chiao Tai and Yu-Jen Chen
    Citation: Radiation Oncology 2018 13:254
    Content type: Research Published on:

  10. Although stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT) for vestibular schwannoma has demonstrated excellent local control rates, hearing deterioration is often reported after treatment. We therefore wished to assess the cha...

    Authors: A. van Linge, R. van Os, N. Hoekstra, B. Heijmen, L. Stienstra, A. Dallenga, J. Wolbers and A. Mendez Romero
    Citation: Radiation Oncology 2018 13:253
    Content type: Research Published on:

  11. Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) has emerged as a common adjuvant modality used with surgery for resectable brain metastases (BMs). However, the optimal sequence of the multi-modality therapy has not been estab...

    Authors: Wei X. Huff, Namita Agrawal, Scott Shapiro, James Miller, Charles Kulwin, Mitesh Shah, Jesse J. Savage, Troy Payner, Alexander Vortmeyer, Gordon Watson and Mahua Dey
    Citation: Radiation Oncology 2018 13:252
    Content type: Study protocol Published on:

  12. The dismal overall survival (OS) prognosis of glioblastoma, even after trimodal therapy, can be attributed mainly to the frequent incidence of intracranial relapse (ICR), which tends to present as an in-field ...

    Authors: Sebastian Zschaeck, Peter Wust, Reinhold Graf, Martin Misch, Julia Onken, Pirus Ghadjar, Harun Badakhshi, Julian Florange, Volker Budach and David Kaul
    Citation: Radiation Oncology 2018 13:251
    Content type: Research Published on:

  13. The role of the dose escalation strategy in brain radiotherapy for small cell lung cancer (SCLC) patients with brain metastases (BMs) has not been identified. This study aims to determine whether an additional...

    Authors: Han Sun, Liming Xu, Youyou Wang, Junhua Zhao, Kunpeng Xu, Jing Qi, Zhiyong Yuan, Lujun Zhao and Ping Wang
    Citation: Radiation Oncology 2018 13:250
    Content type: Research Published on:

  14. Concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) is effective in the treatment of locally advanced cervical squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). However, whether treatment outcomes of cervical adenocarcinoma are equivalent to SC...

    Authors: Ke Hu, Weiping Wang, Xiaoliang Liu, Qingyu Meng and Fuquan Zhang
    Citation: Radiation Oncology 2018 13:249
    Content type: Research Published on:

  15. To report our experience in planning and delivering total marrow irradiation (TMI) and total marrow and lymphatic irradiation (TMLI) in patients with hematologic malignancies.

    Authors: Zhirong Bao, Hongli Zhao, Dajiang Wang, Jian Gong, Yahua Zhong, Yu Xiong, Di Deng, Conghua Xie, An Liu, Xiaoyong Wang and Hui Liu
    Citation: Radiation Oncology 2018 13:248
    Content type: Research Published on:

  16. The survival benefit of PCI in ES-SCLC reported by a European randomized trial (RCT) in 2007 was not replicated by a Japanese RCT published in 2017. This study aimed to evaluate the uptake of PCI before and af...

    Authors: Yu Yang Soon, Huili Zheng, Shaun Zhirui Ho, Wee Yao Koh, Cheng Nang Leong, Jeremy Chee Seong Tey, Balamurugan Vellayappan, Swee Peng Yap, Ivan Weng Keong Tham and Kam Weng Fong
    Citation: Radiation Oncology 2018 13:247
    Content type: Research Published on:

  17. The standard treatment for superficial esophageal cancer (SEC) involving muscularis mucosal (T1a-MM) or submucosal (T1b) invasion has been the surgical resection of the esophagus. However, esophagectomy with e...

    Authors: Gen Suzuki, Hideya Yamazaki, Norihiro Aibe, Koji Masui, Naomi Sasaki, Daisuke Shimizu, Takuya Kimoto, Atsushi Shiozaki, Osamu Dohi, Hitoshi Fujiwara, Takeshi Ishikawa, Hirotaka Konishi, Yuji Naito, Eigo Otsuji and Kei Yamada
    Citation: Radiation Oncology 2018 13:246
    Content type: Research Published on:

  18. Oesophageal cancer with airway invasion presents a challenge for therapy and often has serious complications. We analysed the clinical outcomes of radiation therapy (RT) in patients with clinical T4b oesophage...

    Authors: Hakyoung Kim, Dongryul Oh, Yong Chan Ahn, Keunchil Park, Myung-Ju Ahn, Se-Hoon Lee, Jong-Mu Sun, Young Mog Shim, Jae Ill Zo, Yong Soo Choi, Hong Kwan Kim and Jong Ho Cho
    Citation: Radiation Oncology 2018 13:245
    Content type: Research Published on:

  19. Automatic multi-criteria optimization is necessary for intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) because of low planning efficiency and large plan quality uncertainty in current clinical practice. Most stud...

    Authors: Yanhua Mai, Fantu Kong, Yiwei Yang, Linghong Zhou, Yongbao Li and Ting Song
    Citation: Radiation Oncology 2018 13:241
    Content type: Research Published on:

  20. Peer review systems within radiation oncology are important to ensure quality radiation care. Several individualized methods for radiation oncology peer review have been described. However, despite the importa...

    Authors: Ashley A. Albert, William N. Duggar, Rahul P. Bhandari, Toms Vengaloor Thomas, Satyaseelan Packianathan, Robert M. Allbright, Madhava R. Kanakamedala, Divyang Mehta, Chunli Claus Yang and Srinivasan Vijayakumar
    Citation: Radiation Oncology 2018 13:239
    Content type: Research Published on:

  21. Volumetric shrinkage of normal tissues such as salivary glands, kidneys, hippocampus are observed after radiotherapy. We aimed to assess the alterations in pancreatic volume of patients who received abdominal ...

    Authors: Cengiz Gemici, Gokhan Yaprak, Sevim Ozdemir, Tamer Baysal, Ozgur Ozan Seseogullari and Hazan Ozyurt
    Citation: Radiation Oncology 2018 13:238
    Content type: Research Published on:

  22. Neoadjuvant radio- or chemoradiation (nIRT) therapy is the standard treatment for loco-regional advanced rectal cancer patients of the lower or middle third. Currently, intensity modulated radiation therapy (I...

    Authors: Hendrik Dapper, Iván Rodríguez, Stefan Münch, Jan C. Peeken, Kai Borm, Stephanie E. Combs and Daniel Habermehl
    Citation: Radiation Oncology 2018 13:237
    Content type: Research Published on:

  23. To compare the clinical outcome in prostate cancer patients treated with radiotherapy using two forms of image guidance: bone-based (BB) or fiducial-based (FB).

    Authors: Aleksandra Napieralska, Wojciech Majewski, Roland Kulik, Grzegorz Głowacki and Leszek Miszczyk
    Citation: Radiation Oncology 2018 13:235
    Content type: Research Published on:

  24. The aim of this study was to evaluate long-term efficacy and survival prognostic factors of stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for un-resectable liver metastases in patients enrolled in a prospective p...

    Authors: Marta Scorsetti, Tiziana Comito, Elena Clerici, Ciro Franzese, Angelo Tozzi, Cristina Iftode, Lucia Di Brina, Pierina Navarria, Pietro Mancosu, Giacomo Reggiori, Antonella Fogliata, Stefano Tomatis, Guido Torzilli and Luca Cozzi
    Citation: Radiation Oncology 2018 13:234
    Content type: Research Published on:

  25. The purpose of this study is to compare the efficacy and safety of concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) versus chemotherapy alone for patients with stage IV esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).

    Authors: Jiahua Lyu, Tao Li, Qifeng Wang, Fang Li, Peng Diao, Li Liu, Churong Li and Jinyi Lang
    Citation: Radiation Oncology 2018 13:233
    Content type: Research Published on:

  26. The usefulness of particle therapy for skull base chordoma has not been established. The aim of this retrospective study was to analyse the treatment outcomes of proton therapy (PT) and carbon ion therapy (CIT...

    Authors: Masaru Takagi, Yusuke Demizu, Fumiko Nagano, Kazuki Terashima, Osamu Fujii, Dongcun Jin, Masayuki Mima, Yasue Niwa, Kuniaki Katsui, Masaki Suga, Tomohiro Yamashita, Takashi Akagi, Koh-ichi Sakata, Nobukazu Fuwa and Tomoaki Okimoto
    Citation: Radiation Oncology 2018 13:232
    Content type: Research Published on:

  27. Tangent-based intensity modulated radiation therapy (TIMRT) is a common adjuvant radiotherapy strategy for breast cancer patients. This study compared the dosimetric characteristics of tangent-based volumetric...

    Authors: Pei-Chieh Yu, Ching-Jung Wu, Yu-Lun Tsai, Suzun Shaw, Shih-Yu Sung, Louis Tak Lui and Hsin-Hua Nien
    Citation: Radiation Oncology 2018 13:231
    Content type: Research Published on:

  28. To evaluate the treatment outcome and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) change after stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) for localized prostate cancer.

    Authors: Younghee Park, Hae Jin Park, Won Il Jang, Bae Kwon Jeong, Hun-Jung Kim and Ah Ram Chang
    Citation: Radiation Oncology 2018 13:230
    Content type: Research Published on:

  29. The ano-inguinal lymphatic drainage (AILD) is located in the subcutaneous adipose tissue of the proximal medial thigh. Currently, there are no recommendations for an inclusion of the ‘true’ AILD in the clinica...

    Authors: Hendrik Dapper, Markus Oechsner, Christoph Hirche, Stefan Münch, Christina Sauter, Kai Borm, Jan C. Peeken, Stephanie E. Combs and Daniel Habermehl
    Citation: Radiation Oncology 2018 13:227
    Content type: Research Published on:

  31. Patients with recurrent retroperitoneal and pelvic region tumors often require multimodal therapies. Intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) can deliver high-dose radiation to tumor beds, even if first-line ex...

    Authors: Tharcisio Machado Coelho, Ricardo César Fogaroli, Antonio Cassio Assis Pellizzon, Douglas Guedes De Castro, Guilherme Rocha Melo Gondim, Maria Leticia Gobo Silva, Michael Jenwei Chen and Henderson Ramos
    Citation: Radiation Oncology 2018 13:224
    Content type: Research Published on:

  32. Currently, the standard treatment for locally advanced cervical cancer patients is concurrent chemoradiotherapy. Here we aim to evaluate therapeutic efficacy, treatment failure, toxicity and prognostic factors...

    Authors: Qingyu Meng, Weiping Wang, Xiaoliang Liu, Xiaorong Hou, Xin Lian, Shuai Sun, Junfang Yan, Zhikai Liu, Zheng Miao, Ke Hu and Fuquan Zhang
    Citation: Radiation Oncology 2018 13:223
    Content type: Research Published on:

  33. It has been reported that proximity of the tumor to the optic disc and macula, and radiation dose to the critical structures are substantial risk factors for vision loss following plaque brachytherapy. However...

    Authors: Yongsook C. Lee, Shih-Chi Lin and Yongbok Kim
    Citation: Radiation Oncology 2018 13:221
    Content type: Research Published on:

  34. To propose an easily applicable segmentation method (perPET-RT) for delineation of tumour volume during radiotherapy on interim fluorine 18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomogr...

    Authors: J. Ganem, S. Thureau, I. Gardin, R. Modzelewski, S. Hapdey and P. Vera
    Citation: Radiation Oncology 2018 13:219
    Content type: Research Published on:

  35. This study was performed to evaluate skin toxicity during modern three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT) and to evaluate the importance of dose distribution and patient related factors.

    Authors: Kai J. Borm, Maximilian Loos, Markus Oechsner, Michael C. Mayinger, Daniela Paepke, Marion B. Kiechle, Stephanie E. Combs and Marciana N. Duma
    Citation: Radiation Oncology 2018 13:218
    Content type: Research Published on:

  36. A high neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is a marker of systemic inflammation and together with the platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) is associated with worse outcomes in several solid tumors. We investiga...

    Authors: Beat Bojaxhiu, Arnoud J. Templeton, Olgun Elicin, Mohamed Shelan, Kathrin Zaugg, Marc Walser, Roland Giger, Daniel M. Aebersold and Alan Dal Pra
    Citation: Radiation Oncology 2018 13:216
    Content type: Research Published on:

  37. Cancer cachexia is a prevalent symptom of head and neck neoplasms. The reduction in skeletal muscle mass is one of the main characteristics which can lead to poor physical functioning. The purposes of this pil...

    Authors: Manuel Grote, Cornelius Maihöfer, Martin Weigl, Patricia Davies-Knorr and Claus Belka
    Citation: Radiation Oncology 2018 13:215
    Content type: Research Published on:

  38. Dose escalation of conventionally fractionated radiation therapy (CFRT) above 45–54 Gy has an unclear survival benefit. Prior National Cancer Database (NCDB) analyses have shown improved overall survival with ...

    Authors: Sung Jun Ma, Kavitha M. Prezzano, Gregory M. Hermann and Anurag K. Singh
    Citation: Radiation Oncology 2018 13:214
    Content type: Research Published on:

  39. To determine the prognostic impact of comorbidity and age in medically inoperable early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) using the age-adjusted Charls...

    Authors: Julia Dreyer, Michael Bremer and Christoph Henkenberens
    Citation: Radiation Oncology 2018 13:213
    Content type: Research Published on:

  40. This was a prespecified secondary analysis of a randomized trial that analyzed bone density and pain response following fractionated intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) versus three-dimensional conformal r...

    Authors: Tanja Sprave, Vivek Verma, Robert Förster, Ingmar Schlampp, Katharina Hees, Thomas Bruckner, Tilman Bostel, Rami Ateyah El Shafie, Thomas Welzel, Nils Henrik Nicolay, Jürgen Debus and Harald Rief
    Citation: Radiation Oncology 2018 13:212
    Content type: Research Published on:

  41. [18F] fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography ([18F] FDG-PET/CT) may be used for tumor staging and prognosis in several tumors but its role in rectal cancer is still debated. The ai...

    Authors: Letizia Deantonio, Angela Caroli, Erinda Puta, Daniela Ferrante, Francesco Apicella, Lucia Turri, Gianmauro Sacchetti, Marco Brambilla and Marco Krengli
    Citation: Radiation Oncology 2018 13:211
    Content type: Research Published on:

  42. To evaluate long-term IPSS score and urinary quality of life after radiotherapy for prostate cancer, in patients with prior history of surgical treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).

    Authors: Mélanie Guilhen, Christophe Hennequin, Idir Ouzaid, Ingrid Fumagalli, Valentine Martin, Sophie Guillerm, Pierre Mongiat-Artus, Vincent Ravery, François Desgrandchamps and Laurent Quéro
    Citation: Radiation Oncology 2018 13:209
    Content type: Research Published on:

  43. The aim of our study was to evaluate feasibility, toxicity profile and local control of salvage intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) delivered with simultaneous integrated boost (SIB) associated or not to c...

    Authors: L. Nicosia, L. Agolli, C. Reverberi, V. De Sanctis, L. Marinelli, G. Minniti, J. Di Muzio, M. Valeriani and M. F. Osti
    Citation: Radiation Oncology 2018 13:207
    Content type: Research Published on:

  44. To assess the efficacy and safety of stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) in the management of adrenal gland metastases (AGMs) from lung cancer. Moreover, it is the first two-institutional experience and...

    Authors: Xianzhi Zhao, Xiaofei Zhu, Jianfeng Fei, Haipeng Ren, Yangsen Cao, Xiaoping Ju, Zhiyong Yuan and Huojun Zhang
    Citation: Radiation Oncology 2018 13:205
    Content type: Research Published on:

  45. Stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) offers an alternative treatment for pancreatic cancer, with the potential for improved tumour control and reduced toxicity compared with conventional therapies. Howeve...

    Authors: Christy Goldsmith, P. Nicholas Plowman, Melanie M. Green, Roger G. Dale and Patricia M. Price
    Citation: Radiation Oncology 2018 13:204
    Content type: Research Published on:

  46. Radiation-induced heart disease is mainly caused by activation of the fibrotic process. Transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-β1) and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) are pro-fibrotic mediators. The aim ...

    Authors: Hanna Aula, Tanja Skyttä, Suvi Tuohinen, Tiina Luukkaala, Mari Hämäläinen, Vesa Virtanen, Pekka Raatikainen, Eeva Moilanen and Pirkko-Liisa Kellokumpu-Lehtinen
    Citation: Radiation Oncology 2018 13:201
    Content type: Research Published on:

  47. The prognostic value of supra-clavicular lymph node (SCLN) metastases in esophageal cancer (EC) is still not clear.

    Authors: Hong-Yao Xu, Sheng-Xi Wu, He-San Luo, Chu-Yun Chen, Lian-Xing Lin and He-Cheng Huang
    Citation: Radiation Oncology 2018 13:200
    Content type: Research Published on:

  48. Two prospective phase II trials were designed to assess the efficacy and safety of image-guided proton therapy (IGPT) for either medically inoperable or operable stage I non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The...

    Authors: Koichiro Nakajima, Hiromitsu Iwata, Hiroyuki Ogino, Yukiko Hattori, Shingo Hashimoto, Toshiyuki Toshito, Kensuke Hayashi, Kenji Akita, Fumiya Baba, Katsumi Nakamae, Jun-etsu Mizoe and Yuta Shibamoto
    Citation: Radiation Oncology 2018 13:199
    Content type: Research Published on:

  49. To compare patterns of care for elderly patients versus non-elderly patients with non-surgically treated stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) using the National Cancer Database (NCDB). We hypothesize t...

    Authors: Eric D Miller, James L Fisher, Karl E Haglund, John C Grecula, Meng Xu-Welliver, Erin M Bertino, Kai He, Peter G Shields, David P Carbone, Terence M Williams, Gregory A Otterson and Jose G Bazan
    Citation: Radiation Oncology 2018 13:196
    Content type: Research Published on:

  50. Adjuvant radiotherapy in advanced head and neck squamous cell cancer (HNSCC) reduces the risk of local-regional failure and most likely increases the survival rate. Patients at high risk for tumor recurrence m...

    Authors: Christiane Matuschek, Jan Haussmann, Edwin Bölke, Stephan Gripp, Patrick J. Schuler, Bálint Tamaskovics, Peter Arne Gerber, Freddy-Joel Djiepmo-Njanang, Kai Kammers, Christian Plettenberg, Bahar Anooshahr, Klaus Orth and Wilfried Budach
    Citation: Radiation Oncology 2018 13:195
    Content type: Research Published on:
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Radiation Oncology

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