<abstract xml:lang="en" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>Treatment of high-grade gliomas continues to be frustrating for the clinician as the medial survival stands at a dismal 14.5 months for glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) with the current standard of care. Given the high dose and generous margins required to be irradiated, three dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3DCRT) has become standard practice. Radiation dose escalation beyond 60 Gy, by means of stereotactic or intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) boost, has not yielded clinically significant benefits in terms of local control or survival. At the same time, the potential of IMRT to spare normal tissues such as the brain stem and the optic apparatus makes it an attractive tool for modern radiation oncologists in seeking to improve post-radiotherapy quality of life. At our centre, we have been treating a large number of cases of high grade glioma with 3DCRT and IMRT for the last several years. The present study has been an effort to understand any potential benefits that IMRT, even without dose escalation, can offer.</p></abstract>

Treatment of high-grade gliomas continues to be frustrating for the clinician as the medial survival stands at a dismal 14.5 months for glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) with the current standard of care. Given the high dose and generous margins required to be irradiated, three dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3DCRT) has become standard practice. Radiation dose escalation beyond 60 Gy, by means of stereotactic or intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) boost, has not yielded clinically significant benefits in terms of local control or survival. At the same time, the potential of IMRT to spare normal tissues such as the brain stem and the optic apparatus makes it an attractive tool for modern radiation oncologists in seeking to improve post-radiotherapy quality of life. At our centre, we have been treating a large number of cases of high grade glioma with 3DCRT and IMRT for the last several years. The present study has been an effort to understand any potential benefits that IMRT, even without dose escalation, can offer.

Dosimetric comparison of three dimensional conformal radiotherapy and intensity modulated radiotherapy in high grade gliomas

Department of Radiation Oncology & Medical Physics, Advanced Medicare & Research Institute (AMRI) Cancer Centre, Advanced Medicare & Research Institute (AMRI) Hospitals, Kolkata, India

Department of Radiotherapy, Westbank Hospital, Andul Road, Howrah-711109, India

Polish Journal of Medical Physics and Engineering

Treatment of high-grade gliomas continues to be frustrating for the clinician as the medial survival stands at a dismal 14.5 months for glioblastoma multiforme...

Dosimetric comparison of three dimensional conformal radiotherapy and intensity modulated radiotherapy in high grade gliomas

Published Online: Feb 15, 2012

Page range: 75 - 84

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/v10013-011-0008-1

This content is open access.