Total body irradiation (TBI) is an important part of bone marrow transplantation conditioning regimens. In TBI, dose escalation is difficult, because of associated normal organ toxicities. A method to deliver a more targeted dose of TBI preferentially to sites of greatest tumor burden is needed to reduce the dose to normal organs, reduce toxicities, and permit dose escalation. The purpose of th...

Strategic planning for the Radiation Therapy Committee of the Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG) is comprehensively evaluated every six years in an effort to maintain a current and relevant scientific focus, and to provide a standard platform for future development of protocol concepts. Participants in the 2008 Strategic Planning Workshop included clinical trial experts from multiple specialties, ...

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide. Majority of newly diagnosed lung cancers are non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), of which up to half are considered locally advanced at the time of diagnosis. Patients with locally advanced stage III NSCLC consists of a heterogeneous population, making management for these patients complex. Surgery has long been the preferred local tre...

Patients with stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) comprise a heterogeneous group, some of whom have curable disease. Although surgery plays a role for some patients, the majority of fit patients will be treated with chemotherapy and radiation alone. The optimal therapy for all patients remains undefined, but certain principles of care are widely accepted. Specifically, concurrent chemo...

In oncology, treating cancer with a beam of photons is a well established therapeutic technique, developed over 100 years, and today over 50% of cancer patients will undergo traditional X-ray radiotherapy. However, ionizing radiation therapy is not the only option, as the high-energy photons delivering their cell-killing radiation energy into cancerous tumor can lead to significant damage to he...

Radiation oncology modalities such as intensity-modulated and image-guided radiation therapy can reduce the high dose to normal tissue and deliver a heterogeneous dose to tumors, focusing on areas deemed at highest risk for tumor persistence. Clinical radiation oncology produces daily doses ranging from 1 to 20 Gy, with tissues being exposed to 30 or more daily fractions. Hypothesizing the cell...

Monoclonal antibodies have become an important modality for cancer therapy. Genetically engineered chimeric and humanized antibodies have demonstrated activity against both overt leukemia and minimal residual disease. High-dose radioimmunotherapy can potentially allow intensification of antileukemic therapy before bone marrow transplantation yet minimize radiation exposure to normal organs. Tar...

Over the past 25 years, significant advances have been made in the management of patients with rectal cancer. Phase III studies have shown the efficacy of postoperative radiation therapy and chemotherapy in improving local control and survival of patients with resected stage II and III disease. Data from the randomized German CAO/ARO/AIO-94 trial of preoperative versus postoperative chemoradiat...

Patients with locally advanced renal cell carcinoma are at high risk of metastatic relapse following surgery. Patients with metastatic disease have a poor prognosis and few systemic therapy options. Radiation, chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, vaccines, and immunotherapy have all been tested as adjuvant therapy without benefit. Neoadjuvant therapy in the metastatic setting holds promise as a new ...

Head-and-neck cancer is a major form of the disease worldwide. Treatment consists of surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy, but these have not resulted in improved survival rates over the past few decades. Versatile nanoparticles, with selective tumor targeting, are considered to have the potential to improve these poor outcomes. Application of nanoparticle-based targeted therapeutics has...