The objective of this article is to evaluate the dosimetric efficacy of volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) in comparison to dynamic conformal arc therapy (DCAT) and 3D conformal radiotherapy (3DCRT) for very small volume (≤1 cc) and small volume (≤3 cc) tumours for flattened (FF) and unflattened (FFF) 6 MV beams.

A total of 21 patients who were treated with single-fraction stereotactic radiosurgery, using either VMAT, DCAT or 3DCRT, were included in this study. The volume categorisation was seven patients each in <1, 1–2 and 2–3 cc volume. The treatment was planned with 6 MV FF and FFF beams using three different techniques: VMAT/Rapid Arc (RA) (RA_FF and RA_FFF), dynamic conformal arc therapy (DCA_FF and DCA_FFF) and 3DCRT (Static_FF and Static_FFF). Plans were evaluated for target coverage (V100%), conformity index, homogeneity index, dose gradient for 50% dose fall-off, total MU and MU/dose ratio [intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) factor], normal brain receiving >12 Gy dose, dose to the organ at risk (OAR), beam ON time and dose received by 12 cc of the brain.

The average target coverage for all plans, all tumour volumes (TVs) and delivery techniques is 96·4 ± 4·5 (range 95·7 ± 6·1–97·5 ± 2·9%). The conformity index averaged over all volume ranges <1, 2, 3 cc> varies between 0·55 ± 0·08 and 0·68 ± 0·04 with minimum and maximum being exhibited by DCA_FFF for 1 cc and Static_FFF/RA_FFF for 3 cc tumours, respectively. Mean IMRT factor averaged over all volume ranges for RA_FF, DCA_FF and Static_FF are 3·5 ± 0·8, 2·0 ± 0·2 and 2·0 ± 0·2, respectively; 50% dose fall-off gradient varies in the range of 0·33–0·42, 0·35–0·40 and 0·38–0·45 for 1, 2 and 3 cc tumours, respectively.

This study establishes the equivalence between the FF and FFF beam models and different delivery techniques for stereotactic radiosurgery in small TVs in the range of ≤1 to ≤3 cc. Dose conformity, heterogeneity, dose fall-off characteristics and OAR doses show no or very little variation. FFF could offer only limited time advantage due to excess dose rate over an FF beam.

To assess volume variations in target site due to changes in bladder filling and rectal content including air bubbles during simultaneous-integrated boost intensity-modulated radiotherapy (SIB-IMRT) of patients suffering from squamous cell carcinoma of uterine cervix.

A total of ten patients of squamous cell carcinoma of uterine cervix were enrolled in this analysis. All patients were planned to undergo SIB-IMRT using 10 MV beam. Planning target volume of the tumour (PTVtumour) and PTVnodal were prescribed with 5,040 and 4,500 cGy doses, respectively. During planning, PTVtumour V95%, PTVnodal V95% and organs at risk (OARs) (bladder, rectum, femoral heads and small bowel) volumes were measured from initial CT planning scans taken with full bladder. CT scans were acquired once in a week over a treatment period of 5·5 weeks. Intra-treatment scans with full bladder were then fused with the planning scans to determine variations in the target volume and the OAR volume. Changes in radiation dose to the PTVtumour and the PTVnodal were also assessed by comparing intra-treatment scans with the planning (first) scans.

All patients showed intra-treatment bladder volume larger than the planning bladder volume. Difference between planning bladder and intra-treatment bladder volumes ranged from 4·5 to 49%. Rectal volume varied from 17 to 60 cc. A wide variation between planning and intra-treatment air volumes was found in most of the patients. When comparing initial and inter-fraction air volumes, the maximum difference was 366·67%. Due to bladder and rectal volume variations, PTVtumour V95% and PTVnodal V95% doses did not remain constant throughout the treatment. The maximum discrepancy between intra-treatment PTVtumour dose and planning PTVtumour dose was 12·15%. The maximum difference between planning and inter-fraction PTV V95% was 48·28%. PTVnodal dose observed from scan taken in last week of treatment was 12·87% less than planning PTVnodal dose analysed from planning CT scan. Maximum difference in planning and inter-fraction PTVnodal V95% was 57·78%.

Inconsistent bladder and rectal volumes had a significant impact on target volume and dosage during an entire course of SIB-IMRT. For radiotherapy of gynaecological malignancies, data on variations in PTV should be acquired on daily basis to target radiation dose to the tumour site with accuracy.

This study reveals the characteristic nature and the use of optically stimulated luminescence dosimeters (OSLD) as an in vivo dosimetry tool for head and neck intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT).

Calibration and characterisation of OSLD such as sensitivity, reproducibility, dose-rate dependence, beam quality dependence, output factor measurement and comparison of two bleaching techniques using halogen and compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) were initially performed. Later, eye dose measurements were performed for head and neck IMRT patients using OSLD and were compared with the corresponding dose calculated by the treatment planning system (TPS).

While the sensitivity was found to be within ±5%, the dose-rate dependence and reproducibility were found to be within ±3%. The OSLD showed an under-response of 3% for 15 MV and an increase in response by 5% for Co60 (1·25 MeV) when compared with the 6 MV X-ray beam. Therefore, a separate calibration for different beam energies is required. The percentage deviation of OSLD to that of TPS was found to be within ±2·77%. The OSLD has been successfully used for the in vivo dosimetry of patients who received IMRT. Hence, it is concluded that OSLDs can serve as effective dosimeters for in vivo dosimetry.

To investigate the effect of different energies on dose distribution in volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT) plans for head and neck cancer.

Data from nine patients undergoing VMAT plans using 6 MV, 10 MV and dual-energy X-ray beams with the Pinnacle 3 V 9.10 treatment planning system (Philips Medical System, Fitchburg, WI, USA) were analysed for quality using the conformity index (CI) and homogeneity index (HI) for planning target volume (PTV), and for mean and maximum dose to the organs at risk (OARs): parotid glands, brainstem, spinal cord and optic nerves.

There were no clear differences in the HIs of the PTV dose among the different plans. The CIs for 10 MV and dual-energy VMAT plans were superior to that of the 6 MV VMAT plan (0·8 ± 0·3, 0·8 ± 0·3, and 0·7 ± 0·2, respectively; p = 0·001). There were no significant differences in mean/maximum dose to the OARs among the three VMAT plans.

Compared with the 6 MV VMAT plan, the dual-energy VMAT plan slightly increased the coverage of the PTV with the prescribed dose but did not decrease dose to the OARs.

A comparative study was performed about the plan parameters and quality indices between volumetric arc therapy (VMAT) and intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) for the treatment of high-risk prostate cancer patients. The aim of this retrospective study was to compare the two methods of external beam radiotherapy IMRT and VMAT in terms of plan quality and efficacy.

Fifteen high-risk prostate patients were planned for radiotherapy using 6 MV photon. Three dose levels were contoured having Planning Tumour Volume 1 (PTV1 = 48 Gy), Planning Tumour Volume 2 (PTV2 = 57.6 Gy) and Planning Tumour Volume 3 (PTV3 = 60 Gy). Setup margins were given using the CHIP trial method. The prescribed PTV3 dose was 60 Gy in 20 fractions which is biologically equivalent to 74 Gy in 37 fractions using α/β = 3. In case of IMRT, seven fixed beam angles 30, 60, 105, 180, 255, 300 and 330 were used and the dose was optimised using the sliding window method. In case of rapid arc technique, one or two full arcs were used for dose optimisation while keeping all the dose constraints and other planning parameters same used in IMRT. The plan evaluation parameters and Organ at risks (OARs) doses were calculated using a dose volume histogram (DVH).

The average D2, D5, D95 and PTVmean for PTV3 were 61.22, 61.13, 58.12, 60.00 Gy and 62.41 62.24 59.53 61.12 Gy for IMRT and VMAT, respectively. The averages V60 for bladder and V30 for rectum were 22.81, 25 and 67, 65% for IMRT and VMAT, respectively. The average homogeneity index (HI), conformity index (CI) and gradient index (GI) were 1.04, 1.4833, 14.79 and 1.04, 1.704, 7.89 for IMRT and VMAT, respectively.

VMAT takes less dose-delivery time and lesser number of monitoring units than IMRT, thus it compensates the intrafractional movements during dose delivery. The Dose GI in VMAT was much better than IMRT. This indicates sharper dose fall off near the normal tissue. No other major differences were observed in terms of plan evaluation parameters between IMRT and VMAT techniques. So, we conclude that VMAT technique is more efficient than IMRT in terms of plan quality and dose delivery.

Total body irradiation (TBI) is an external beam radiation therapy in which large field size and extended source skin distances (SSDs) are applied to deliver a therapeutic dose to the whole body. As measurements in such situations are not common and have more uncertainties in comparison to standard dosimetry situations, it is more precise if calculated beam data can be used instead of measurements taken under TBI situations. The purpose of this study is to compare calculated beam data [percentage depth dose (PDD) and dose rate] with those obtained from simulated treatment measurements.

PDD and dose rates were measured for the 6- and 18-MV photon beams under TBI and standard conditions using 9,000 cm3 water phantom and ion chambers (Markus and Farmer). The results were then compared with the calculated PDD and dose rate data. The beam flatness was also measured under TBI and standard conditions for both 6- and 18-MV photon beams, and the results were then compared.

A comparison of the measurement and calculated beam data shows that the difference between calculated and measured PDD values is −6·97 and −4·14% for the 6- and 18-MV photon beams, respectively. The ratio of calculated to measured dose rate was 1·09 and 1·02 for the 6- and 18-MV photon beams, respectively. The beam flatness under TBI conditions was 4·59% for 6-MV and 5·37% for 18-MV photon beam, whereas under standard conditions, these values were 1·50 and 1·98% for 6- and 18-MV radiation beams, respectively.

According to the results, due to a high error level in dose rate and PDD calculations, these parameters must be directly measured under TBI conditions; however, regarding the obtained results, direct measurement is not necessary for the 18-MV photon beam.

To report a single-institution experience of intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and RapidArc treatment plans for the patients treated with low grade mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) of the salivary gland while sparing the organs at risk (OARs) within tolerance limits.

Twenty-five patients with MEC were selected to develop and analyse the treatment plans using both of the techniques. Dose distributions were calculated using Eclipse treatment planning system (Varian Medical Systems, Palo Alto, CA). Plans were generated to deliver the dose of 6000 cGy in 30 fractions. For IMRT, seven angle plans were used and for RapidArc, two half arcs were used with the same 6 MV photon beam. Quality of treatment plans was evaluated by using parameters such as, coverage, conformity index (CI), homogeneity index (HI), gradient index (GI), unified dosimetry index (UDI), dose volume histogram, delivery time and OARs sparing for IMRT and RapidArc plans.

The analysis revealed that IMRT and RapidArc coverages are 0·90 and 0·94, respectively; CIs are 1·15 and 1·10, respectively; HIs are 1·12 and 1·07, respectively; GIs are 0·94 and 0·98, respectively. Average UDI values for RapidArc and IMRT are 1·09 and 1·11, respectively. Integral dose comparison shows better OAR sparing for RapidArc. RapidArc plans have the shorter beam on time (45%) in comparison with IMRT plans.

Planning constraints were achieved in both techniques. However, RapidArc showed better quality treatment plan, OARs sparing and shorter delivery time as compared to IMRT.

To analyse the presentation, diagnosis and patterns of care of extraosseous Ewing sarcoma treated at our institution between 2008 and 2018.

Electronic medical records of extraosseous Ewing sarcoma patients treated at our institution between January 2008 and April 2018 were reviewed. Kaplan–Meier curves were plotted to assess the overall and disease-free survival with 95% confidence intervals. A univariate analysis was carried out to assess the impact of variables such as surgical excision, completeness of surgery, completeness of chemotherapy and addition of radiation therapy on the survivorship.

The records of 65 patients treated at our institution were available for review. The mean age was 26·4 years. The most frequent sites of extraosseous Ewing tumour were kidney—9/65 (13·8%) and brain—10/65 (15·4%). Sixteen (24·6%) patients presented with inoperable/metastatic disease at diagnosis. The other 49 (75·4%) had localised disease at presentation. The median overall survival of the 49 non-metastatic patients was 46 months, and the disease-free survival was 45 months.

Extraosseous Ewing sarcoma is a rare and aggressive tumour diagnosed by molecular techniques. Multi-modality treatment including surgical resection with wide margins, adjuvant radiation when indicated and completion of systemic chemotherapy results in optimum outcomes.

For patients with locally advanced laryngeal cancer, two main treatment options are either up-front surgery [total laryngectomy (TL)] followed by postoperative adjuvant radiation therapy (RT) or definitive concurrent chemoradiation (CCRT) with surgery retained as salvage. The objectives were to study the feasibility of CCRT using intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) in locally advanced laryngeal cancer with respect to response, toxicities, and quality of life (QoL) and comparison with other modality—TL with post-operative RT.

The records of 48 patients with locally advanced laryngeal cancer (T3/T4aN0-2), registered between years 2014 and 2017, treated with IMRT (definitive or adjuvant postoperative IMRT) were analysed from the hospital database. The patients received RT either as definitive CCRT or as adjuvant treatment after TL. RT in all patients was delivered with IMRT-SIB(simultaneous integrated boost) technique and concurrent chemotherapy with weekly cisplatin. The response was assessed at 12 weeks. Toxicities and QoL were assessed and compared between patients receiving definitive CCRT and adjuvant RT.

92·3% patients who received definitive CCRT achieved complete response. Toxicities were of low grade in patients receiving both definitive and adjuvant treatments. All the patients (except two partial responders of CCRT) remained disease-free at the last follow-up. At 2 years of follow-up of each patient—Global QoL, emotional and social functioning were better in definitive CCRT patients. Laryngectomy patients had more dyspnoea, insomnia and financial difficulties. Although the problems of dry mouth, sticky saliva and swallowing were comparable, laryngectomy patients faced more problems with speech, senses, social eating, social contact and cough.

Definitive CCRT using IMRT-SIB with weekly cisplatin is a feasible option for patients of locally advanced laryngeal cancer with acceptable response rate. IMRT yields better toxicity outcomes with sparing of organs at risk. CCRT patients have better QoL than laryngectomy patients in several parameters.

To compare the dosimetric performance of flattening filter-free (FFF) beam and flattened beams (FBs) utilising volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT) for craniospinal irradiation (CSI) planning.

Five medulloblastoma patients were randomly selected retrospectively and 40 plans were generated. The dose prescription to the planning target volume (PTV) was 36 Gy in 20 fractions. VMAT plans were created using 6 MV and 10 MV FB and FFF beam. Final dose calculations were performed using Acuros XB (AXB) and analytical anisotropic algorithm (AAA). Dosimetric parameters such as D98%, D95%, D50%, V110%, conformity index (CI), homogeneity index (HI), low-grade dose index, high-grade dose index, dose to the organ at risks (OARs) and normal tissue mean dose were noted. The effect of low-dose volume on normal tissue was also analysed.

The 6 MV and 10 MV flattened and FFF beam plan generates similar target coverage, and a significant difference was observed in the HI and CI. FFF beam plan produces lower doses in some of the OARs as compared to FB. Significant differences were also noted in monitor unit (MU), body-PTV mean dose and low-dose spillage regions (1–10 Gy) outside the PTV. In our study, 6 MV and 10 MV FFF beam beams need 23–25% more MUs to achieve planning goals when compared to FBs. The increased MUs in FFF plan decreases the body-PTV mean dose (0·07–0·09 Gy in 6 MV FFF and 0·31 Gy in 10 MV FFF in both algorithms) when compared to FB plans.

FFF beams generate a highly conformal and homogenous plan in CSI cases. FFF beam plan reduced the non-tumour dose and will aid in reducing the probability of second malignancies.

This study aims to evaluate dosimetric parameters like percentage depth dose, dosimetric field size, depth of maximum dose surface dose, penumbra and output factors measured using IBA CC01 pinpoint chamber, IBA stereotactic field diode (SFD), PTW microDiamond against Monte Carlo (MC) simulation for 6 MV flattening filter-free small fields.

The linear accelerator used in the study was a Varian TrueBeam® STx. All field sizes were defined by jaws. The required shift to effective point of measurement was given for CC01, SFD and microdiamond for depth dose measurements. The output factor of a given field size was taken as the ratio of meter readings normalised to 10 × 10 cm2 reference field size without applying any correction to account for changes in detector response. MC simulation was performed using PRIMO (PENELOPE-based program). The phase space files for MC simulation were adopted from the MyVarian Website.

Variations were seen between the detectors and MC, especially for fields smaller than 2 × 2 cm2 where the lateral charge particle equilibrium was not satisfied. Diamond detector was seen as most suitable for all measurements above 1 × 1 cm2. SFD was seen very close to MC results except for under-response in output factor measurements. CC01 was observed to be suitable for field sizes above 2 × 2 cm2. Volume averaging effect for penumbra measurements in CC01 was observed. No detector was found suitable for surface dose measurement as surface ionisation was different from surface dose due to the effect of perturbation of fluence. Some discrepancies in measurements and MC values were observed which may suggest effects of source occlusion, shift in focal point or mismatch between real accelerator geometry and simulation geometry.

For output factor measurement, TRS483 suggested correction factor needs to be applied to account for the difference in detector response. CC01 can be used for field sizes above 2 × 2 cm2 and microdiamond detector is suitable for above 1 × 1 cm2. Below these field sizes, perturbation corrections and volume averaging corrections need to be applied.

Radiotherapy is a mainstay of cancer therapy for a wide variety of anatomical areas. An unfortunate side effect of treatment can be radiation damage to the skin which can be a painful and debilitating problem. Previous experience from the experimental use of Flamigel® in two large-scale clinical studies on affected skin has proven sufficiently positive for the addition of a new product in the Flamigel® family (now commercially available in the UK as Flamigel RT®, Flen Health UK). The aim of this investigation is to evaluate the use of this new product to study how effective it is in the prevention and/or treatment of radiation-induced skin damage.

A survey was conducted among radiotherapy specialist teams in dedicated UK radiotherapy centres between 1 January 2017 and 31 October 2017. This report is of a preliminary evaluation conducted by UK-based specialists on 108 patients undergoing radiotherapy. The scoring system for skin reactions of the ‘Radiation Therapy Oncology Group’ was used.

Results show that the use of Flamigel® has the potential to soothe (p = 0·0001), reduce pain (p = 0·0001) and reduce pruritus (p = 0·004). The product met the expectations of the clinicians involved (p < 0·0001) of whom most were happy to continue use or to recommend its use to colleagues (p < 0·0001).

Flamigel® is an effective treatment in the management of radiation-induced skin reactions. Erythema was unchanged through the study period (p = 0·42). No adverse reactions were reported after the use of Flamigel from twice to six times a day.

Spatially fractionated Grid radiation therapy (SFGRT) in an effective technique for bulky and radio-sensitive tumours. SFGRT using a constructed block has been used to evaluate the photon and photo-neutron (PN) dose measurement in 18-MV photon beam energy.

A mounted Grid block on to a Varian Clinac 2100c linear accelerator was used to perform photon dosimetry. The percentage depth dose, in-plane and cross-plane beam profile and output factor was measured by ionization chamber in water. The PN contamination was measured after photon dosimetry using the combination of thermoluminescence dosimetry types 600 and 700, and Polycarbonate Film dosimeters on the surface and in the maximum depth dose (dmax) of solid water™ slabs.

The valley-to-peak ration for 6 and 18 MV photon beams obtained from the beam profiles was ~35 and 72%, respectively. Fast and thermal PN equivalent dose decreased in the Grid field compared to an open field (without Grid).

The Grid therapy dosimetry compared to the conventional radiotherapy (without the grid) the production of fast and thermal neutrons were reduced. Using of a Grid block in high-energy photon beams for a long period of the treatment continuously might be a new source of contamination due to the interaction of photon beam resulting the activation of the Grid block

This study aimed to optimise computed tomography (CT) simulation scan parameters to increase the accuracy for gross tumour volume identification in brain radiotherapy. For this purpose, high-contrast scan protocols were assessed.

A CT accreditation phantom (ACR Gammex 464) was used to optimise brain CT scan parameters on a Toshiba Alexion 16-row multislice CT scanner. Dose, tube voltage, tube current–time and CT dose index (CTDI) were varied to create five image quality enhancement (IQE) protocols. They were assessed in terms of contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and noise level and compared with a standard clinical protocol. Finally, the ability of the selected protocols to identify low-contrast objects was examined based on a subjective method.

Among the five IQE protocols, the one with the highest tube current–time product (250 mA) and lowest tube voltage (100 kVp) showed higher CNR, while another with a tube current–time product of 150 mA and a tube voltage of 135 kVp had improved SNR and lower noise level compared to the standard protocol. In contouring low-contrast objects, the protocol with the highest milliampere and lowest peak kilovoltage exhibited the lowest error rate (1%) compared to the standard protocol (25%).

CT image quality should be optimised using the high-dose parameters created in this study to provide better soft tissue contrast. This could lead to an accurate identification of gross tumour volume recognition in the planning of radiotherapy treatment.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the commonest and the most aggressive primary brain tumour. Pentavalent 99mTc-dimercaptosuccinic acid (99mTc (V)-DMSA) has been found to be a tumour-seeking agent. Pre-radiotherapy 99mTc (V)-DMSA positive scan was found to be significantly correlated with poor progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). This study aims at evaluating the impact of quantitative 99mTc (V)-DMSA tumour uptake before and after radiotherapy on PFS and OS in patients with GBM.

A prospective study included 40 patients with GBM. Single-photon emission computed tomography studies were done before and after adjuvant radiotherapy and were qualitatively and quantitatively evaluated. The retention index (RI) of the viable tumour was correlated with PFS and OS.

The qualitative enhancement of 99mTc (V)-DMSA uptake either positive or negative was significantly correlated with PFS at both early and late images (p-values 0·04 and 0·026, respectively) and OS only in the late image (p-value 0·036). The calculated ion/non-lesion ratios at late images were statistically correlated with PFS and OS (p-values 0·021 and 0·025, respectively). The baseline RI had significant correlation with PFS only (p-value 0·01).

The degree of 99mTc (V)-DMSA scan positivity is a poor prognostic factor for PFS and OS in GBM patients.

The study aimed to evaluate the shear bond strength (SBS) of metal brackets and adhesive properties of bonded irradiated and non-irradiated teeth.

Sixty-six extracted premolar samples were randomly divided into three groups—(a) Control group consisting of 22 non-irradiated, non-aged teeth (Group 1), (b) 22 non-irradiated, aged samples (Group 2) and (c) 22 irradiated, aged samples (Group 3). Irradiation was done using gamma irradiation with a fractionated dose of 60 Gy for 5 consecutive days per week over 6 weeks. Metal brackets were bonded on all samples with light cure adhesive and subjected to SBS test using universal testing machine. The samples were assessed under the scanning electron microscope to check for the adhesive remnant index (ARI) and tag depth.

There was a statistically significant decrease in the mean SBS of the irradiated samples compared to the non-irradiated teeth. The non-irradiated, aged samples showed a majority of ARI scoring 1 and 2. Whereas, the irradiated samples showed ARI scoring 2 and 3. Approximately, 77·3% of the non-irradiated samples showed no adhesive present on the tooth surface, and 27·2% of the irradiated samples had more than 50% adhesive present on the enamel surface.

There is a statistically significant decrease in SBS of irradiated enamel compared to that of non-irradiated teeth. However, the SBS observed in the three groups was well above the ideal SBS for orthodontic bonding, that is, 5·6–6·8 MPa. The adhesive remnant was found on all samples of the irradiated group. Deeper adhesive resin tags were found in the irradiated group in the resin–enamel interface.

Brain tumours are relatively rare disease but present a large medical challenge as there is currently no method for early detection of the tumour and are typically not diagnosed until patients have progressed to symptomatic stage which significantly decreases chances of survival and also minimises treatment efficacy. However, if brain cancers can be diagnosed at early stages and also if clinicians have the potential to prospectively identify patients likely to respond to specific treatments, then there is a very high potential to increase patients’ treatment efficacy and survival. In recent years, there have been several investigations to identify biomarkers for brain cancer risk assessment, early detection and diagnosis, the likelihood of identifying which group of patients will benefit from a particular treatment and monitoring patient response to treatment.

This paper reports on a review of 21 current clinical and emerging biomarkers used in risk assessment, screening for early detection and diagnosis, and monitoring the response of treatment of brain cancers.

Understanding biomarkers, molecular mechanisms and signalling pathways can potentially lead to personalised and targeted treatment via therapeutic targeting of specific genetic aberrant pathways which play key roles in malignant brain tumour formation. The future holds promising for the use of biomarker analysis as a major factor for personalised and targeted brain cancer treatment, since biomarkers have the potential to measure early disease detection and diagnosis, the risk of disease development and progression, improved patient stratification for various treatment paradigms, provide accurate information of patient response to a specific treatment and inform clinicians about the likely outcome of a brain cancer diagnosis independent of the treatment received.

Bolus material is frequently used on patient’s skin during radiation therapy to reduce or remove build-up effect for high-energy beams. However, the air-gaps formed between the bolus and the skin’s irregular surface reduce the accuracy of treatment planning. To achieve a good treatment outcome using bolus, experimental investigations are required to choose its thickness and to quantify the air-gap effect.

Measurements for a 6 MV photon beam with a fixed source surface distance were carried out using the 31021 Semiflex 3D chamber into the water phantom. Firstly, the depth of maximum dose (R100) and the dose value at surface (Ds) were evaluated as a function of bolus thickness for some square fields. Secondly, to test the effect of the air-gaps ranged from 5 to 30 mm with a step of 5 mm between the bolus and the phantom surface, a water-equivalent RW3 (Goettingen White Water) slab form of 10 mm thickness was considered as a bolus.

We observed that the linear behaviour of R100 in terms of the bolus thickness makes the choice of this parameter more convenient depending on field size. In addition, increasing the air-gaps widens the penumbra and created electrons that have a greater probability to quit the radiation field borders before reaching the surface. The dose spread of the off-field area could have a significant influence on the patient treatment.

Based on dose distribution comparisons between the measurements with and without air-gaps for the field size of 100 mm × 100 mm, it has been demonstrated that a maximum air-gap value lower than 5 mm would be desirable for an efficient use of the bolus technique.

Comparison of the integral dose (ID) delivered to organs at risk (OAR), non-target body and target body by using different techniques of craniospinal irradiation (CSI).

Ten CSI patients (medulloblastoma) already planned and treated either with linear accelerator three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (Linac-3DCRT) technique or with linear accelerator RapidArc (Linac-RapidArc) technique by Novalis-Tx Linac machine have been analysed. Retrospectively, these patients are again planned on Radixact-X9 Linac with Helical, Direct-3DCRT and Direct-intensity-modulated radiation therapy (Direct-IMRT) techniques. The dose prescription to planning target volume brain (PTV-Brain) and PTV-Spine is 36 Gy in 20 fractions and is kept the same for all techniques. The target body, non-target body, OARs and total body dose are compared.

ID is lowest in the RapidArc plan for every patient in comparison to Helical and Direct-IMRT. The ID for Body-PTV was found slightly higher in the RapidArc plan in comparison to 3DCRT plans. But there is better normal tissue sparing for most of the OARs in RapidArc plans if it compares with 3DCRT plans.

RapidArc is a better alternative for the treatment of CSI. It provides better target coverage and better OARs sparing from any other treatment techniques.

To evaluate the information needs of radiotherapy patients and their families. To explore influential factors regarding information-seeking behaviours. To identify the preferred formats of information and the optimum time for radiotherapy patients to receive information. To assess the implications for clinical practice in satisfying patient information needs.

A Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature database search of literature was undertaken and publications screened for retrieval with 36 qualifying for inclusion in the evaluation.

There was inconclusive evidence exploring the impact that patient age, diagnosis, family background, and educational status had on the information-seeking behaviours and preferences of cancer patients. There is an agreement that there are positive and negative benefits of using different formats of information: verbal, written, virtual, and so on, and ultimately healthcare providers must utilise a combination of information formats to satisfy the information needs and preferences of individual patients. Inconsistent data were found on the optimum time to deliver cancer information to patients and professionals, and therapeutic radiographers should not assume that their information priorities are the same as those of their patients—every patient has unique and individually specific information needs.

The information needs of patients and families are dependent on individual circumstances, and priorities have a tendency to change during the cancer management journey, presenting huge challenges for therapeutic radiographers who are required to regularly reassess and satisfy the varying needs and preferences. More research is needed within the area of information needs and preferences for cancer patients receiving radiotherapy.