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Integrated approach to radiation therapy provides quality care for cancer patients
November 08, 2006Results from a University of Pittsburgh study demonstrate that intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) can be uniformly delivered in a large health care system of academic and community cancer centers through a centralized planning and treatment process. The findings, presented today at the 48th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) in Philadelphia, demonstrate that patients can receive consistent quality of care despite geographic distances.
"Our study demonstrates that it is feasible for patients to receive IMRT in their own communities without sacrificing high-quality care," said Ajay Bhatnagar, M.D., principal investigator of the study and chief resident, department of radiation oncology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. "This is possible through an integrated network in which treatment is standardized across all cancer centers."
According to study results, there were no significant differences in toxicity profiles and recommended radiation dose prescriptions in 758 prostate cancer patients treated with IMRT at 12 separate community cancer centers and one academic flagship facility. All 13 centers, connected through a telemedicine network, followed the same clinical pathway guidelines for the radiotherapy management of prostate cancer, which included specific details on volumes for radiation treatment planning and recommended doses of IMRT.
"By standardizing planning and treatment for IMRT, patients who live in remote locations can benefit from the same quality of care available at a large academic medical center," said Dwight E. Heron, M.D., study co-author and associate professor of radiation oncology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and director of radiation oncology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC). "Bringing advanced radiation therapy to community locations can have a very positive effect on a patient's quality of life by relieving the anxiety and stress of traveling for treatment."
IMRT treatment planning for the centers was performed at one central location, D3 Radiation Planning, located in Pittsburgh, Pa. Through telemedicine capabilities, medical physicists based at D3 collaborated with radiation oncologists at community locations to develop individualized treatment plans for the patients.
"D3 has worked closely with UPMC physicians in developing standardized approaches for IMRT treatment planning for prostate cancer," said Robin Green, CEO of D3. "Centralizing the treatment planning and delivery process can provide an effective and efficient way to consistently provide high-quality treatment."
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
"By standardizing planning and treatment for IMRT, patients who live in remote locations can benefit from the same quality of care available at a large academic medical center," said Dwight E. Heron, M.D., study co-author and associate professor of radiation oncology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and director of radiation oncology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC). "Bringing advanced radiation therapy to community locations can have a very positive effect on a patient's quality of life by relieving the anxiety and stress of traveling for treatment."
IMRT treatment planning for the centers was performed at one central location, D3 Radiation Planning, located in Pittsburgh, Pa. Through telemedicine capabilities, medical physicists based at D3 collaborated with radiation oncologists at community locations to develop individualized treatment plans for the patients.
"D3 has worked closely with UPMC physicians in developing standardized approaches for IMRT treatment planning for prostate cancer," said Robin Green, CEO of D3. "Centralizing the treatment planning and delivery process can provide an effective and efficient way to consistently provide high-quality treatment."
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
Radiation Therapy Current Events and Radiation Therapy News RSSRare pancreatic cancer patients may live longer when treated with radiation therapy
Radiation therapy is effective in achieving local control and palliation in patients with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PNTs), despite such tumors being commonly considered resistant to radiation therapy.
New cancer target for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
Physician-scientists from Weill Cornell Medical College have discovered a molecular mechanism that may prove to be a powerful target for the treatment of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a type of cancer that affects lymphocytes, or white blood cells.
Iowa State engineers develop 3-D software to give doctors, students a view inside the body
James Oliver picked up an Xbox game controller, looked up to a video screen and used the device's buttons and joystick to fly through a patient's chest cavity for an up-close look at the bottom of the heart.
Men leave: Separation and divorce far more common when the wife is the patient
A woman is six times more likely to be separated or divorced soon after a diagnosis of cancer or multiple sclerosis than if a man in the relationship is the patient, according to a study that examined the role gender played in so-called "partner abandonment." The study also found that the longer the marriage the more likely it would remain intact.
PET imaging response a prognostic factor after thoracic radiation therapy for lung cancer
A rapid decline in metabolic activity on a PET scan after radiation therapy for non-small cell lung cancer is correlated with good local tumor control, according to a study presented by researchers at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital at the 51st ASTRO Annual Meeting.
Chemo-radiation before prostate removal may prevent cancer recurrence
Researchers in the Oregon Health & Science University Knight Cancer Institute and the Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center have found a combination of radiation therapy and chemotherapy given before prostate removal is safe and may have the potential to reduce cancer recurrence and improve patient survival.
Radiation therapy technique successfully treats pain in patients with advanced cancer
Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), a radiation therapy procedure pioneered at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI) that precisely delivers a large dose of radiation to tumors, effectively controls pain in patients with cancer that has spread to the spine.
Aiming to avoid damage to neurocognitive areas of the brain during cranial radiation
Radiation oncologists at Rush University Medical Center are intent on finding ways to avoid damage to the critically important hippocampus and limbic circuit of the brain when cranial radiation is required to treat existing or potential metastatic cancers.
Study of concurrent radiotherapy, chemotherapy shows promise in small cell lung cancer
Treating limited stage small cell lung cancer(LSCL) with a combination of accelerated high-dose radiotherapy and chemotherapy has shown encouraging results.
Stereotactic radiotherapy offers noninvasive, effective treatment for frail patients with early-stage lung cancer
Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) should be considered a new standard of care for early-stage lung cancer treatment in patients with co-existing medical problems, according to results from a national clinical trial led by UT Southwestern Medical Center physicians.
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