Mohamed Elshaikh

Radiotherapy: what can be achieved by technical improvements in dose delivery?

The specialty of radiotherapy has changed rapidly over the past two decades with the development of more sophisticated planning and delivery techniques. These techniques have made it possible to increase safely the radiation dose to the tumour while limiting the dose to surrounding healthy tissues that are sensitive to radiation. Here, we focus on clinical improvements that have been achieved with technological advances in the planning and delivery of radiotherapy and look at the potential for future improvements. It should be noted that improved understanding of the biology underlying the radiation response and the use of chemotherapy and molecularly targeted therapy to enhance radiation sensitivity have contributed equally to the improved outcome of patients undergoing radiotherapy.

ACCELERATION OF HYPERFRACTIONATED CHEMORADIATION REGIMEN FOR ADVANCED HEAD AND NECK CANCER

Our aim was to evaluate the acceleration of a hyperfractionated, concurrent chemoradiation regimen (HxCRT) for advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).

Common Radiotherapy Techniques for Spinal Tumors

Radiation therapy is an important modality in the management of both primary and metastatic tumors involving the spine and spinal cord. The mesenchymal elements of the spinal column and its contents may give rise to a wide variety of primary tumors. Yet, primary neoplastic lesions of the spine are rare, accounting for roughly 5 to 10% of all skeletal tumors. Metastatic lesions of the spine are far more common (1). True spinal cord neoplasms are relatively rare and typically intradural in location. Radiation therapy has evolved over the past decades to better meet these needs. Better pretreatment imaging studies, megavoltage linear accelerators, and computer-based three-dimentional (3D) treatment planning are all improving radiation dose distributions, thus, decreasing the likelihood of severe acute or late toxicity.