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How do you balance target coverage with tolerances of the ipsilateral eye structures and the risk of vision loss in advanced head and neck cancers?

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Mednet Member
Mednet Member
Radiation Oncology · NYC Health + Hospitals

My personal approach is to always recommend induction systemic therapy for T4b unresectable disease with orbital invasion. If it is at all resectable (T4a), I agree with offering curative surgery (including enucleation) upfront or induction if that is a surgeon preference, then post-op chemoRT or RT...

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Mednet Member
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Radiation Oncology · Beaumont Health System

In locally advanced head neck tumors, I generally counsel a higher than normal risk of vision loss in one eye and slightly higher blindness risk. I don't think optic nerve tolerance is solely based on maximum dose and so I routinely take the an optic nerve to 70 Gy.

Preserving the eye itself is of g...

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