BJR
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by MacKay, R. I.
Right arrow Articles by Read, G.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by MacKay, R. I.
Right arrow Articles by Read, G.

The British Journal of Radiology, Vol 70, Issue 833 517-526, Copyright © 1997 by British Institute of Radiology

ARTICLES

Predicting late rectal complications following prostate conformal radiotherapy using biologically effective doses and normalized dose-surface histograms

RI MacKay, JH Hendry, CJ Moore, PC Williams and G Read
North Western Medical Physics, Christie Hospital NHS Trust, Manchester, UK.

A model to predict the late normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) of the rectum following conformal therapy is described. The model evaluates the biological consequence of inhomogeneities in the physical dose by computing dose histograms of the biologically effective dose to the surface of the rectum for a given fractionation scheme. A method of normalizing the surface area of the rectum is employed so that the predicted NTCP is independent of the differing cross-sectional size of sections of the rectum, ensuring the NTCP is dependent only on the dose delivered to sensitive rectal tissues. The model has been used to assess severe late rectal complications and the milder RTOG grades 2 and 3 reactions. This model was found to predict severe toxicity levels of 1.7 +/- 0.6% for an accelerated treatment of 50 Gy in 16 fractions commonly employed at this centre. This result lies between the severe toxicities predicted for 60 and 62 Gy delivered in 2 Gy fractions. The model predicts that the average NTCP for severe late effects for nine prostate patients becomes greater than 5% with a fractionation scheme of 70 Gy in 35 fractions, for the four fields treatment. The effects of not treating all fields at each therapy session on rectal toxicity were also investigated. Biologically effective dose-surface histograms show that the dose to the lower surface of the rectum is increased by not treating all fields at each therapy session, but the predicted differences in rectal NTCP are negligible.


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Br. J. Radiol.Home page
E Dale, T P Hellebust, O S Bruland, and D R Olsen
Comparative analyses of the dynamic properties of the rectum studied by cryo-sections of human cadavers and pelvic CT scans of patients
Br. J. Radiol., February 1, 2003; 76(902): 104 - 108.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Br. J. Radiol.Home page
C M Nutting, C M Corbishley, B Sanchez-Nieto, V P Cosgrove, S Webb, and D P Dearnaley
Potential improvements in the therapeutic ratio of prostate cancer irradiation: dose escalation of pathologically identified tumour nodules using intensity modulated radiotherapy
Br. J. Radiol., February 1, 2002; 75(890): 151 - 161.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
BJR DMFR IMAGING  ALL BIR JOURNALS 
Copyright © 1997 by the British Institute of Radiology.