Radiation Oncology
Expert insights on radiation treatment planning, techniques, toxicity management, and multimodal cancer care.
Recent Discussions
Would you offer APBI in a patient with Paget's disease?
If breast MRI followed by central lumpectomy confirms DCIS with negative margins, then I would offer APBI with the same principle as used for DCIS.
Are there patients for whom CROSS followed by surgery and adjuvant nivolumab should still be considered, following data from MATTERHORN and ESOPEC?
ESOPEC does not invalidate CROSS—it redefines the preferred option for fit patients; in the real world, not every patient will be able to tolerate FLOT or d-FLOT: Yes. Despite the emergence of perioperative FLOT-based strategies from ESOPEC and MATTERHORN, CROSS, followed by surgery and adjuvant niv...
What are the indications to treat Dupuytren's disease with radiation?
I would not offer any radiation therapy after a surgical procedure for Dupuytren's contracture. Should the patient develop recurrent nodules that progress more than 6 months following surgery, then I would consider definitive split-course electron beam therapy to deliver 30 Gy at 3 Gy per fraction w...
Are you covering the tracheostomy site with a surgical mask due to COVID-19 to protect the therapist?
I have not routinely used masks over tracheostomy tubes, but it seems like a good idea in the current environment. Our staff, including physicians, nurses, and therapists, do use masks while taking care of these patients, including during suctioning of tracheal secretions.
For a patient with intracranial mets for ES-SCLC who undergoes resection, do you routinely offer post-op SRS to the cavity, or do you proceed with WBRT?
While Whole Brain Radiation Therapy (WBRT) has been the standard, stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) to the surgical cavity is increasingly being used to minimize neurocognitive decline. However, the issue is especially more nuanced for an ES-SCLC (we don't know whether the primary has been controlled ...
What criteria are you using for retreatment with Pluvicto (Lu-177) in those who maintain a good performance status and appropriate lab work?
Mainly, whether or not they've exhausted standard options. At the time I'm answering this, Pluvicto is approved for castration-resistant metastatic disease, either pre- or post-taxane chemotherapy. If they have not had chemo, I usually recommend it. If they have, I get their medical oncologist to we...
Do you routinely contour spinal nerves as avoidance structures for spine SBRT/SRS cases other than those for the brachial and lumbosacral plexuses?
In my practice, I do not typically contour spinal nerves as OARs other than those for brachial and lumbrosacral plexuses. Radiculopathy can occur but it is usually well tolerated and self-limiting. In my experience, the rate of persistent radiculopathy is very low.
How do you counsel a young man receiving EBRT as part of TNT for rectal cancer about risk of infertility?
I counsel male patients that, although the testes are outside the target dose volume, they will receive enough radiation that it could, at least temporarily, impair their ability to conceive. I offer to refer them for sperm banking prior to starting treatment.
What mucosal surfaces do you commonly cover with HPV-positive squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck of unknown primary?
This is an interesting question. Many radiation oncologists are eliminating the nasopharyngeal mucosa from the field when designing plans for “comprehensive mucosal irradiation” in cases of unknown primary head and neck cancers with HPV or p16 positive squamous histology. I am currently not comforta...
How would you treat synchronous high-risk prostate and rectal adenocarcinomas in an elderly man where the rectal cancer was resected secondary to obstruction (T3N0)?
Start with androgen deprivation. EBRT 45 to 50.4 Gy at 1.8 Gy per fraction to the pelvis. Boost prostate with brachytherapy if feasible or EBRT to somewhere around 80 Gy depending on the small bowel. Adjuvant chemo is unlikely to be tolerated.