BACKGROUND Peritoneal carcinomatosis occurs in different cancer subtypes and is associated with a dismal prognosis. Some doubts remain whether the whole abdomen can be treated by regional hyperthermia, therefore we analyzed feasibility conducting a pilot study. METHODS A simulation of the abdominopelvic heat distribution in 11 patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis was done using the HyperPl...

We present an institutional experience on the clinical implementation of magnetic resonance (MR)-guided vaginal brachytherapy using commercially available solid applicator models. To test the fidelity of solid applicator models to digitize vaginal cylinder applicators, three datasets were evaluated. The first included 15 patients who were simulated with CT alone. Next, a water phantom was used ...

PURPOSE Both the AccuBoost D-shaped and round applicators have been dosimetrically characterized and clinically used to treat patients with breast cancer. While the round applicators provide conformal dose coverage, under certain clinical circumstances the breast skin dose may be higher than preferred. The purpose of this study was to modify the round applicators to minimize skin dose while not...

PURPOSE Positron emission tomography (PET) provides physiologic information that is not available from computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance studies. PET images may allow more accurate delineation of three-dimensional treatment planning target volumes of brachytherapy gynecologic (GYN) implants. This study evaluates the feasibility of using PET as the sole source of target, normal stru...

The objective of this work is to evaluate the interfractional biological effective dose (BED) variation in MammoSite high dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy. Dose distributions of 19 patients who received 34 Gy in 10 fractions were evaluated. A method was employed to account for nonuniform dose distribution in the BED calculation. Furthermore, a range of alpha/beta values was utilized for specific c...

The need for more accurate radiation therapy treatment planning is driving improvements in radiation transport calculations. In particular, the inclusion of patient specific anatomy and tissue density heterogeneities will be very important, particularly for treatment modalities that involve strong material discontinuities. The study presented here compares the application of the deterministic c...

This service provides calibrations for ^^Sr + beta particle ophthalmic applicators. The calibration determines the average surface absorbed-dose rate to water over the active area of the applicator. The technique used is to measure current per unit mass of air at the active surface with an extrapolation ionization chamber, and to convert this into absorbed-dose rate with Bragg-Gray cavity ioniz...

PURPOSE The dose values computed with the treatment planning system and the in vivo dose measurements with semiconductor detectors in rectum during the high dose rate brachytherapy treatment fraction of the cervix carcinoma are occasionally significantly different. We've investigated the consistency of the Fletcher-Suit applicator geometry and the in vivo rectal probe's position stability durin...

*Corresponding author: Dr. Mohammad Amin Mosleh-Shirazi, Department of Radiotherapy and Oncology, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran. Fax: +98 711 6474320 E-mail: [email protected] Background: The dose rate distribution delivered by a low dose rate 137Cs pellet source, a spherical source used within the source trains of the Selectron gynecological brachytherapy system, was inv...