Published in Strahlentherapie
The experiences of the treatment of bladder carcinoma indicated the direction in which the dose optimization program of intraabdominal tumours can be carried out. Small intraabdominal target volumes seem to tolerate doses from 31 to 33 Gy applied in 20 fractions. The best results with local tumour control and low complication rates have so far been...
Published in Strahlentherapie
The results of neutron and neutron boost irradiation of 199 patients with soft tissue sarcomas treated between 1978 and 1983 are presented. The median follow-up period is 42 months. The recurrence free survival rates by last review are 93% for patients with T1 tumours (n = 14), 87% for T2 tumours (n = 84) and 73% for T3 tumours (n = 101). The actua...
Published in Strahlentherapie
The rationale for treating all fields every day with photons was reviewed. Since the effects of neutron radiation are much less dependent on alterations of fractionation schedules, and since preferential sparing for late effects is not obtained by fractionation of neutron dose, less convincing reasons exist for treating all fields every day with ne...
Published in Strahlentherapie
Part of the clinical results from the "EORTC Heavy-Particle Therapy Group" are reviewed (September 1984). Fast neutrons can bring a significant benefit, compared to conventional photon (or electron) techniques, in well defined patient series. A benefit for neutrons is observed, in Hammersmith and in Amsterdam, for locally extended salivary gland tu...
Published in Strahlentherapie
Fractionated precision high-dose proton radiotherapy has been carried out at the Harvard Cyclotron Laboratory (HCL) since 1973, in a collaborative effort with the Radiation Medicine Department of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the Retina Service of the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary (MEEI). This paper will discuss proton treatment in...
Published in Strahlentherapie
From 1957 to 1968, the 230-cm synchrocyclotron at the Gustaf Werner Institute was used for clinical tests with a 185 MeV proton beam. The radiotherapeutic research was part of an extensive research programme in physics, chemistry, biology and medicine. Only a small series of patients were treated. A brief review of the early development and clinica...
Published in Strahlentherapie
Between March 1978 and October 1983, 65 patients with locally advanced soft tissue sarcomas were treated at the cyclotron of Louvain-la-Neuve. 46 patients are analysed, 19 patients with intraabdominal or intrathoracic lesions are excluded. After "radical surgery" (no "gross tumour" present at the time of neutron therapy), a local control rate of 93...
Published in Strahlentherapie
82 radioresistant mesenchymal sarcomas localized mainly at the trunk and the extremities have been irradiated with fast neutrons. In all three tumor dose ranges applied (6 to 9.6, 10 to 12.6, and 13 to 19 Gy) alike with 90% of the tumors either complete (congruent to 50%) or partial (congruent to 40%) regressions were observed; only 10% were unresp...
Published in Strahlentherapie
Various preclinical tests have been performed to determine the properties of fast neutrons of a mean energy of 2 MeV produced by an U-235 converter plate in the research reactor of the Technical University of Munich. Experiments have been carried out using two specific beams denoted as RENT I and RENT II (RENT stands for Reaktor Neutron Therapy). R...
Published in Strahlentherapie
The present day rationale for anticipating a therapeutic advantage of neutrons over X-rays is reviewed. It is based on the following characteristics of tumorous tissue: hypoxia, poor cell cycle redistribution, large repair capacity and rapid growth. It is obvious that not all of the possible reasons why X-ray therapy may fail can be circumvented by...
