BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Pigmented villonodular synovitis (PVNS) is a rare proliferative disorder involving synovial membranes, and patients with PVNS have a variable prognosis. We retrospectively analyzed clinical outcomes after synovectomy plus low-dose external beam radiotherapy for diffuse PVNS of the knee. METHODS We reviewed the medical records of 23 patients who underwent postoperative r...

Total radiation dose is not a reliable measure of biological effect when dose-per-fraction or dose-rate is changed. Large differences in biological effectiveness (per gray) are seen between the 2 Gy doses of external beam radiotherapy and the large boost doses given at high dose-rate from afterloading sources. The effects are profoundly different in rapidly or slowly proliferating tissues, that...

Liposarcoma of the thyroid gland is rare with only 3 cases reported in the English literature. We present a further two patients whom we have recently treated: a 49 year old lady with a myxoid liposarcoma and a 71 year old man with a pleomorphic liposarcoma. Both underwent macroscopic excision of tumour but had positive margins, so were then treated with external beam radiotherapy. The former p...

A retrospective analysis is presented of the results of external beam radiotherapy for retinoblastoma utilising an accurate lens sparing technique. Local tumour control has been assessed in a consecutive series of 67 eyes in 53 children all of whom received external beam radiotherapy as the primary treatment of retinoblastoma. Follow up ranged from 12 to 82 months (median 35 months) with 76% of...

The role of Cobalt-60 as a radiation source in teletherapy for the treatment of cancer needs hardly to be reiterated. Although not used commonly in developed countries, cobalt-60 teletherapy machines can still be regarded as a very viable and cost effective option for the treatment of a sizeable fraction of cancer patients. At present in India, there are only 399 teletherapy units (280 telecoba...

No standard treatment exists for locally relapsed prostate cancer after primary external beam radiotherapy with no evidence of distant metastases. Radical prostatectomy, brachytherapy, cryotherapy and high-intensity focused ultrasound are currently used as local salvage treatments. Data on the safety and effectiveness of high dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy in this scenario are limited. We report...

Background: Radiotherapy is a reliable and effective treatment for various malignancies and can be used for both curative and palliative/prophylactic ends. In order to achieve accuracy, reliability and success in the implementation of radiotherapy, it is imperative that patients adapt to the treatment and remain motionless. Material and methods: In this study, the records of anesthetic agents u...

OBJECTIVE To determine whether the more intensive screening and treatment for prostate cancer in the Seattle-Puget Sound area in 1987-90 led to lower mortality from prostate cancer than in Connecticut. DESIGN Natural experiment comparing two fixed cohorts from 1987 to 1997. SETTING Seattle-Puget Sound and Connecticut surveillance, epidemiology, and end results areas. PARTICIPANTS Populati...

The purpose of this study was to ensure accuracy in radiation dose delivery, external dosimetry quality audit has an equal importance with routine dosimetry performed at clinics. To do so, dosimetry quality audit was organized by the Secondary Standard Dosimetry Laboratory (SSDL) of Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology (PINSTECH) at the national level to investigate and minimize...

Multiple studies have shown that being married improves the survival of patients with cancer, irrespective of race/ ethnicity. The social and emotional support of marriage, rather than economic advantage, is apparently the deciding factor. We examined whether information regarding marital status could inform treatment decisions and patient management among men diagnosed with prostate cancer. In...