The aims of this study were to explore the outcome measures that can be recorded in a radiotherapy IT system and the extract mortality results for a group of patients receiving radical radiotherapy treatment for primary brain cancer.

Treatment mortality outcomes were extracted from a radiotherapy database and were compared to treatment technique used between 1 January 2011 and 31 December 2017. The patients selected received 1 course of radiotherapy of 60 Gray in 30 treatments (n = 270). These patients received either Conformal Radiotherapy (CRT) (n = 127) or Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT) (n = 143). Kaplan–Meier plots were generated for these two groups to assess the survival. The median survival was 20·1 months (95%CI = 16·8−23·4) and 14·0 months (95%CI = 11·1−16·5) for CRT and VMAT, respectively.

Surprisingly, the results of this data extraction demonstrated that CRT gave better survival for this group of patients, than VMAT. The reason for the difference in survival is unclear and more data are needed to explain the result.

This demonstrates that not only that a radiotherapy database can be used to extract outcome measures but that it must be done to explore where a change in treatment delivery has been of benefit to the patients or not.

The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of radiotherapy students on clinical placement, specifically focussing on the provision of well-being support from clinical supervisors.

Twenty-five students from the University of the West of England and City University of London completed an online evaluation survey relating to their experiences of placement, involving Likert scales and open-ended questions.

The quantitative results were generally positive; however, the qualitative findings were mixed. Three themes emerged: (1) provision of information and advice; (2) an open, inclusive and supportive working environment; and (3) a lack of communication, understanding, and consistency.

Students’ experiences on placement differed greatly and appeared to relate to their specific interactions with different members of staff. It is suggested that additional training around providing well-being support to students may be of benefit to clinical supervisors.

Prostate positional variability has been widely explored with seminal vesicle (SV) variability, coming into the forefront only in recent years. While planning target volume (PTV) margins and preparation protocols ameliorate the effects of bladder and rectum volume changes on prostate, studies on SV variation have looked at only position, not volume variability.

The aim of this study was to investigate whether the inter-fraction volume variability of the VSs can exist in patients receiving radiotherapy to the prostate.

SV variability was investigated by comparing four on-treatment cone beam computer tomography scans to a planning computer tomography (CT) image for two patients receiving prostate radiotherapy. For each case, variation in volumes (cm3) was compared with intra-observer variation.

SV volume variability was seen in both patients, with the largest change in volume being 78·38%. This variance was considerably (between 2 and 10 times) larger than the measured intra-observer variance.

This study identified the potential for daily SV volume variability in patients receiving prostate radiotherapy. Future large-scale studies are warranted to identify the extent of this motion and potential clinical impact. Evidence-informed PTV margins and possible SV volume control protocols may need to be adopted.

To evaluate changes of accumulated doses from an initial plan in each fraction by deformable image registration (DIR) with daily megavoltage computed tomography (MVCT) images from helical tomotherapy for prostate cancer patients.

The MVCT images of five prostate cancer patients were acquired by using a helical tomotherapy unit before the daily treatment fraction began. All images data were exported to DIR procedures by MIM software, in which the planned kilovoltage computed tomography (kVCT) images were acting as the source images with the daily MVCT acquired as the target images for registration. The automatic deformed structure was used to access the volume variation and daily dose accumulation to each structure. All dose-volume parameters were compared to the initial planned dose.

The actual median doses of the planning target volume (PTV) received 70 Gy and 50.4 Gy were decreased at the end of the treatment with an average 1·0 ± 0·67% and 2·1 ± 1·54%, respectively. As regards organs at risk (OARs), the bladder and rectum dose-volume parameters tended to increase from the initial plan. The high-dose regions of the bladder and rectum, however, were decreased from the initial plan at the end of the treatment.

The daily actual dose differs from the initial planned dose. The accumulated dose of target tends to be lower than the initial plan, but tends to be higher than the initial plan for the OARs. Therefore, inter-fractional anatomic changes should be considered by the DIR methods, which would be useful as clinically informative and beneficial for adaptive treatment strategies.

The purpose of this study was to estimate technical treatment accuracy in fractionated stereotactic radiosurgery (fSRS) using the Extend™ system (ES) of Gamma Knife (GK).

The fSRS with GK relies on a re-locatable ES where the reference treatment position is estimated using repositioning check tool (RCT). A patient surveillance unit (PSU) monitors the head and neck movement of the patient during treatment and imaging. The quality assurance test of RCT was performed to evaluate a standard error (SE) associated with a measurement tool called digital probe. A ‘4-mm collimator shot’ dose plan for a head–neck phantom was investigated using EBT3 films. CT and MR distortion measurement studies were combined to evaluate SEimaging. The combined uncertainty from all measurements was evaluated using statistical methods, and the resultant treatment accuracy was investigated for the ES.

Four sets of RCT measurements and 20 observations of associated digital probe showed SERCT of ±0·0186 mm and SEdigital probe of ±0·0002 mm. The mean positional shift of 0·2752 mm (σ = 0·0696 mm) was observed for 20 treatment settings of the phantom. The differences between radiological and predefined isocentres were 0·4650 and 0·4270 mm for two independent experiments. SEimaging and SEdiode  tool were evaluated as ±0·1055 and ±0·0096 mm, respectively. An expanded uncertainty of ±0·2371 mm (at 95% confidence level) was observed with our system.

The combined result of the positional shift and expanded uncertainty showed close agreement with film investigations.

In this study, the differences between calculated and measured dose values were then analysed to assess the performance, in terms of accuracy, of the tested treatment planning system (TPS) algorithms applied to calculate electron beam dose targeted and non-targeted the breast region.

The beryllium oxide (BeO) dosimeters placed on the female RANDO phantom were irradiated 12 MeV electron energy with medical linear accelerator and repeatedly read in the Risø thermoluminescence (TL)/optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) system via OSL method at least three times.

For electron treatment, one made quantitative comparisons of the dose distributions calculated by TPSs with those from the measurements by OSL at various points in the RANDO phantom.

The mean dose measured from the dosimeters placed on the female RANDO phantom target left breast region was 160 cGy and non-target right breast region was 1·2 cGy. Analysis of Generalised Gaussian Pencil Beam (GGPB) and Electron Monte Carlo (eMC) algorithms for determined region mean point dose values, respectively, 174 and 164 cGy. Two algorithms for non-targeted region calculated same point dose values of 0·2 cGy.

The results of this study showed that BeO dosimeters can be used with OSL method in radiotherapy applications and it is a very important tool for the determination of targeted/non-targeted absorbed dose.

While treating brain metastasis with whole-brain radiotherapy incorporating a simultaneous integrated boost (WBRT-SIB), the risk of hippocampus injury is high. The aim of this study is to compare dosimetrically between intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT) in sparing of hippocampus and organs at risk (OARs) and planning target volume (PTV) coverage.

In total, 16 patients presenting with more than one brain metastases were previously treated and then retrospectively planned using VMAT and IMRT techniques. For each patient, a dual-arc VMAT and another IMRT (five beams) plans were created. For both techniques, 30 Gy in 10 fractions was prescribed to the whole brain (WB) minus the hippocampi and 45 Gy in 10 fractions to the tumour with 0·5 cm margin. Dose–volume histogram (DVH), conformity index (CI) and homogeneity index (HI) of PTV, hippocampus mean and maximum dose and other OARs for both techniques were calculated and compared.

A statistically significant advantage was found in WB-PTV CI and HI with VMAT, compared to IMRT. There were lower hippocampus mean and maximum doses in VMAT than IMRT. The maximum hippocampus dose ranged between 15·5 and 19·2 Gy and between 18·4 and 20·6 Gy in VMAT and IMRT, respectively. The mean dose of the hippocampus ranged between 11·5 and 17·7 Gy and between 13·2 and 18·3 Gy in VMAT and IMRT, respectively.

Using WBRT-SIB technique, VMAT showed better PTV coverage with less mean and maximum doses to the hippocampus than IMRT. Clinical randomised studies are needed to confirm safety and clinical benefit of WBRT-SIB.

The head and neck cancers as a whole are the most common cancers among males in India. Technological advancements have led to an improvement in radiation therapy (RT) techniques with subsequent reduction in normal tissue complications. To correct patient set-up errors, an off-line correction method like no action level (NAL) protocol may be used as a preferred protocol particularly for a busy department. The objectives of the study were to measure the translational set-up errors using kV cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) in patients undergoing intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) in head and neck cancers and also to optimise clinical target volume (CTV) to planning target volume (PTV) margin using NAL protocol.

On the first 5 days of RT, patient’s position was verified by kV-CBCT and then weekly during the course of treatment. The comparison between the reference and kV-CBCT images was performed, and the shifts measured and recorded. The mean error from the initial five consecutive fractions was corrected on the sixth daily fraction. Displacements in all the directions were measured. The population systematic and random errors were determined and used to estimate PTV margins according to the van Herk formula.

A total of 322 images were analysed. Before correction, 15, 12 and 9% patients had systematic error ≥3 mm on X, Y and Z axes, but after correction this was reduced to 9, 0 and 0%. The total percentage of patients whose set-up margin was ≥5 mm before correction was 5, 6·25, 3·75%, but after correction it reduced to 1·88, 0, and 0·63%. The margins of total population were reduced to 63, 65 and 56% after correction on X, Y and Z axes, respectively.

A simple off-line NAL protocol can correct the set-up errors without daily on-line imaging in patients undergoing IMRT and hence acting as a resource sparing alternative. Five millimetre margin to CTVs was adequate and safe to overcome the problem of set-up errors in head and neck IMRT.

Radiation therapy (RT), in combination with chemotherapy, is the mainstay in the treatment for locally advanced oropharyngeal cancer. We analysed the tumour response and the toxicity profiles in patients having locally advanced oropharyngeal cancers receiving hypofractionated intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and concurrent chemotherapy with Cisplatin investigating the feasibility and radiobiological efficacy of the regimen, along with its use as a resource-sparing alternative for a high-volume centre.

The records of 41 eligible patients with locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of oropharynx, registered from September 2015 to April 2017, treated with hypofractionated IMRT with concurrent Cisplatin, were analysed from the hospital database. Patients received concurrent chemo-radiation with 2 cycles of 3-weekly cisplatin on day 1 and day 22 along with hypofractionated IMRT, 55 Gy delivered in 20 fractions over 4 weeks. Patients were observed for any radiation reaction or chemotherapy toxicity at least once a week during the course of radiation therapy.

Twenty-nine patients (70·7%) achieved complete response and remaining 12 showed partial response. Acute grade 3 toxicity was observed mostly in the form of oral mucositis and radiation dermatitis. Both grade 3 oral mucositis and radiation dermatitis were seen in 15 patients (36·6%) and 7 patients (17%), respectively. The most common late toxicities were dysphagia and dry mouth. Twenty-five patients (61%) completed the overall treatment within 4 weeks’ duration.

This hypofractionated regimen is feasible and was associated with tolerable acute and late morbidity and satisfactory locoregional response. Larger prospective, multi- institutional studies examining similar schedules may be undertaken to establish this as a standard practice, particularly for a high-volume centre.

This is a phantom study to evaluate the dosimetry effects of using virtual bolus (VB) in TomoTherapy Treatment Planning System (TPS) optimisation for superficial planning target volume (PTV) that extends to the body surface. Without VB, the inverse-planning TPS will continuously boost the photon fluence at the surface of the superficial PTV due to lack of build-up region. VB is used during TPS optimisation only and will not be present in actual treatment delivery.

In this study, a dummy planning target was contoured on a cylindrical phantom which extends to the phantom surface, and VB of various combinations of thickness and density was used in treatment planning optimisation with TomoTherapy TPS. The plans were then delivered with the treatment modality TomoTherapy. Radiochromic films (Gafchromic EBT3) were calibrated and used for dose profiles measurements. TomoTherapy Planned-Adaptive software was used to analyse the delivered Dose-Volume Histograms (DVHs).

The use of 2 mm VB was not providing adequate build-up area and was unable to reduce the hot spots during treatment planning and actual delivery. The use of 4 mm VB was able to negate the photon fluence boosting effect by the TPS, and the actual delivery showed relatively small deviations from the treatment plan. The use of 6 mm VB caused significant dose overestimation by the TPS in the superficial regions resulting in insufficient dose coverage delivered.

VB with the combination of 4 mm thickness and 1·0 g/cc density provides the most robust solution for the TomoTherapy TPS optimisation of superficial PTV.

Delays in the diagnosis of cancer were found to be a worldwide matter, and the early cancer detection has been targeted as a way to improve survival. Quantitative studies from Saudi Arabia reported a high number of cancer cases presenting at cancer centres for the first time with more advanced stages of the disease progression compared to Western countries without exploring the reasons for this phenomenon. Worldwide research identified several factors that contribute to delay in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer which were attributed to both patient and healthcare system. However, it was argued that variation in the operation of health systems and the socio-cultural context across countries makes it difficult to generalise findings beyond individuals’ countries. This necessitates country specific research to investigate why patients in Saudi Arabia present to cancer centres with late/advanced stages of their diseases.

The aim of this study is to identify and explore the factors that contribute to late-stage presentation of common cancers in Saudi Arabia. The main objective of this study is to understand the help seeking journey taken by patients with cancer from the time they discovered or felt their symptoms until the time they have their treatment initiated.

Qualitative interviewing was used to collect data from 20 patients and 15 health professionals. The interviews were transcribed and then were subjected to the thematic analysis using a framework approach developed by Ritchie and Spencer (1994).

While some findings support what previous studies found as contributing factors responsible for delayed presentation of common cancers, this study identified several factors, which are believed to be country-specific. The ‘role of General Practitioner (GP)’, ‘challenges facing GPs’ and ‘ambiguity of the referral system’ were found to be factors that contribute to delay in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer in Saudi Arabia.

This research identified several factors that need to be investigated in the future using quantitative methods. There is a need to investigate the extent of using alternative medicine and its possible association with late presentation of cancer.

The aim of this study is to investigate the accuracy of dose distributions calculated by the BrachyDose Monte Carlo (MC) code in heterogeneous media for high-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy and to evaluate its usability in the clinical brachytherapy treatment planning systems.

For dose comparisons, three different dose calculation algorithms were used in this study. Namely, BrachyDose MC code, Eclipse TG-43 dose calculation tool and Acuros®BV model-based dose calculation algorithm (MBDCA). Dose distributions were obtained using any of the above codes in various scenarios including ‘homogenous water medium scenario’, an ‘extreme case heterogeneous media scenario’ and clinically important ‘a patient with a cervical cancer scenario’. In the ‘extreme case, heterogeneous media scenario’, geometry is a rare combination of unusual high-density and low-density materials and it is chosen to provide a test environment for the propagation of photons in the interface of two materials with different absorption and scattering properties. GammaMed 192Ir Model 12i Source is used as the HDR brachytherapy source in this study. Dose calculations were performed for the cases where there is either a single source or five sources planted into the phantom geometry in all homogenous water phantom and extreme case heterogeneous media scenarios. For the scenario a patient with a cervical cancer, dose calculations were performed in a voxelized rectilinear phantom, which is constructed from a series of computed tomography (CT) slices of a patient, which are obtained from a CT device.

In homogeneous water phantom scenario, we observed no statistically significant dose differences among the dose distributions calculated by any of the three algorithms at almost every point in the geometry. In the extreme case heterogeneous media scenario, the dose calculation engines Acuros®BV and BrachyDose are agreed well within statistics in every region of the geometry and even in the points close to the interfaces of low-density and high-density materials. On the other hand, the dose values calculated by these two codes are significantly different from those calculated by the TG-43 algorithm. In the ‘a patient with a cervical cancer scenario’, the calculated D2cc dose difference between Acuros®BV and BrachyDose codes is within 2% in the rectum and 11% for the bladder and sigmoid. There was no meaningful difference in the mean dose values between MBDCAs in the bone structures.

In this study, the accurate dose calculation capabilities of the BrachyDose program in HDR brachytherapy were investigated on various scenarios and, as a MC dose calculation tool, its effectiveness in HDR brachytherapy was demonstrated by comparative dose analysis.

The adverse health effects associated with smoking tobacco have been well investigated, and its detrimental effects on cancer treatment outcomes, efficacy and quality of life (QOL) for cancer patients have also been well documented. Tobacco smoke contains many thousands of chemicals, including a plethora of carcinogens, and the exposure of human cells to these carcinogens, and their metabolic activation, is the main mechanism by which smoking-related cancer is initiated.

This paper reports on a narrative review of recent studies in the field of effects of tobacco smoking on cancer treatment, including the effects of carcinogens in smoke on carcinogenesis, cell mutations and the immune system. The health effects of smokeless tobacco, effects of tobacco smoking on cancer treatment, and its impact on surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy are reported. The potential risks of second primary cancers or recurrence from tobacco use, the effects of second-hand smoking and cancer treatment, the impact of smoking on the QOL after cancer treatment and the need to integrate smoking cessation programs into the cancer care continuum are also reported.

Tobacco use has a direct impact on cellular function by inhibiting apoptosis, stimulating proliferation and decreasing the efficacy of cancer treatment; therefore, quitting its use has the potential to improve treatment response rates and survival, as well as reduces the risk of developing second cancers and potentially improves the QOL after treatment. Smoking cessation is one of the most important interventions to prevent cancer and is also essential after the diagnosis of cancer to improve clinical outcomes. Due to the numerous benefits of smoking cessation, it should become a critical component of the cancer care continuum in all oncology programs – from prevention of cancer through diagnosis, treatment, survivorship and palliative care. Evidence-based smoking cessation intervention should be sustainably integrated into any comprehensive cancer program, and the information should be targeted to the specific benefits of cessation in cancer patients.

In this article, our goal is to compare the TMR10 and convolution dose calculation algorithm in GammaPlan used in stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) treatments with Gamma Knife and to assess if the algorithms produce clinically significant differences.

Treatment plans were analysed from ten patients who have undergone Gamma Knife SRS treatments. Patient plans were retrospectively recalculated using Lesksell GammaPlan 10 treatment software utilising the TMR10 and convolution dose calculation algorithms in order to create a paired dataset for comparison. Evaluation was based on the dose volume histogram (parameters of minimum, mean, maximum and integral doses.

The ratios of average integral doses calculated by the convolution dose calculation algorithm to the average integral doses calculated by the TMR10 algorithm are 0·997 for the target (p=0·028), 1·048 (p=0·48) for the skull and 1·005 (p=0·68) for the brainstem.

Although doses calculated with the convolution algorithm resulted in slightly higher mean integral doses for the brainstem and skull critical structures when compared to that of TMR10 doses, these results were not statistically or clinically significant. Thus we continue to use the TMR10 algorithm at our clinic.