Initial clinical experience with helical tomotherapy for head and neck cancer

Allen M. Chen, Richard L.S. Jennelle, Radhika Sreeraman, Claus C. Yang, Tianxiao Liu, Srinivasan Vijayakumar, James A. Purdy

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

24 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background. To report a single-institutional experience with the use of helical tomotherapy (HT)-based intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) for head and neck cancer. Methods. Seventy-seven consecutive patients were treated with HT for squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck to a median dose of 66 Gy (range, 60 to 72 Gy). Megavoltage CT scans were obtained as part of an image-guided registration protocol for patient alignment before each treatment. Concurrent chemotherapy was administered to 48 patients (62%). Results. The 2-year estimates of overall survival, localregional control, and disease-free survival were 82%, 77%, and 71%, respectively. Spatial evaluation of local-regional failures revealed that 16 of the 18 patients who progressed in the primary site or neck failed in the high-dose planning target volume (PTV). Conclusions. HT appears to achieve clinical outcomes comparable to contemporary series reporting on IMRT for head and neck cancer.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1571-1578
Number of pages8
JournalHead and Neck
Volume31
Issue number12
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 2009

Keywords

  • Head and neck cancer
  • Helical tomotherapy
  • Intensity-modulated radiotherapy

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Initial clinical experience with helical tomotherapy for head and neck cancer'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this