Radiotherapy for head and neck tumours in 2012 and beyond: conformal, tailored, and adaptive?

ABSTRACT: Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) is a conformal irradiation technique that enables steep dose gradients. In head and neck tumours this approach spares parotid-gland function without compromise to treatment efficacy. Anatomical and molecular imaging modalities may be used to tailor treatment by enabling proper selection and delineation of target volumes and organs at risk, which in turn lead to dose prescriptions that take into account the underlying tumour biology (eg, human papillomavirus status). Therefore, adaptations can be made throughout the course of radiotherapy, as required. Planned dose increases to parts of the target volumes may also be used to match the radiosensitivity of tumours (so-called dose-painting), assessed by molecular imaging. For swift implementation of

SUBMITTER: Gregoire V 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6225523 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature