Radiation Oncology
Expert insights on radiation treatment planning, techniques, toxicity management, and multimodal cancer care.
Recent Discussions
Would you offer radiation therapy for stage IV pancreatic adenocarcinoma with liver metastases after 12 cycles of FOLFIRINOX and maintenance capecitabine, now with locally progressive disease at the pancreatic primary and rising CA 19-9?
Although not stated in the question, I assume this is a situation in which the liver metastases appear to be responding to chemotherapy with a radiographic partial response or stable disease. If the patient were progressing in both the liver and the pancreas, the next step in management would most l...
Would you recommend ISRT for an initially bulky nodular lymphocyte predominant Hodgkin lymphoma with complete metabolic response after 4 cycles of R-CHOP?
Nodular lymphocyte-predominant Hodgkin lymphoma (NLPHL) is a rare subtype of Hodgkin lymphoma. Approximately 95% of Hodgkin lymphoma cases are classified as classic Hodgkin lymphoma, including the nodular sclerosis, mixed cellularity, lymphocyte-rich, and lymphocyte-depleted subtypes, all of which a...
What are your top takeaways from ASCO GU 2026?
KEYNOTE-B15: Practice-changing study in mUC overturning prior SOC of several decades and establishing EVP as the new standard of care for patients with MIBC.RC48G001: Robust data for DV, a HER2-targeting ADC in treatment-refractory patients with mUC, supporting its use for a biomarker-defined patien...
How do you approach the decision to boost patients diagnosed with DCIS?
Based on prospective and also retrospective data Chua, AACR Volume 81, Issue 4 Supplement, pp. GS2-04. We would recommend for high grade, < 50 years and close margin and in the era of genomic testing to patients with high genomic score.
For locally advanced breast cancer, to what dose do you treat undissected clinically positive level III axilla, SCV or IM nodes?
At MD Anderson Cancer Center, we systematically stage the regional nodes using ultrasound. We biopsy suspicious nodes with FNA at the time of ultrasound. Given this systematic approach to staging, we have a large experience treating patients with biopsy-confirmed infraclavicular, supraclavicular, an...
What is the best treatment for radiation recall skin reaction of the breast?
History and distribution suggest radiation recall effect. If no agent which precipitated recall, can be ascertained then have done symptomatic management with a topical agent and follow up to see course (it subsides or gets better with time).
How would you manage an elderly female patient with a remote history of synchronous bilateral invasive ductal carcinoma with a new triple-negative recurrence in the left breast and axilla with extension to the contralateral breast?
Unfortunately, if no good systemic options are left including pembro/parp inhibitor then the outcome is most likely palliative. Will try a hypofractionation schedule for palliative/preoperative dose of RT.
How does the potential for a patient to accept or forego adjuvant tamoxifen factor into your recommendations on adjuvant RT for DCIS?
In the RTOG 9804 trial, the only factors predicting for local control in the breast were the use of radiation and of tamoxifen. So for women who have hormone positive tumors, I strongly advocate for some treatment in addition to the lumpectomy.I find the results of the UK, Australia, and New Zealand...
What is your response to the question, "Is this terminal?"
Thanks for this question, it's really important. This question comes up in two distinct scenarios: when a person is first diagnosed and when a person is nearing the end of her life. Let's talk about them in sequence. 1). At diagnosis: When a person is first diagnosed, this question is part of "getti...
Would you perform unilateral or bilateral hippocampal avoidant whole brain RT in a patient with a prior SRS to a small hippocampal metastasis?
I would recommend bilateral HA-WBRT and memantine in this situation. The role for HA-WBRT is shrinking over time with a diminishing patient population between the expanding role of SRS for multiple brain mets and no role for cranial RT for poor prognosis patients with no/limited systemic therapy op...