We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress hp
Sign In
Advertise with Us
GLOBETECH PUBLISHING LLC

Download Mobile App




Radiation Therapy Noncompliance Impairs Tumor Control

By MedImaging International staff writers
Posted on 17 Feb 2016
Print article
A new study concludes that the interruption of sequential external beam radiation therapy (RT) appointments may impair tumor control, particularly for head and neck cancers.

Researchers at the Montefiore Einstein Center for Cancer Care (MECCC; New York, NY, USA) and Albert Einstein College of Medicine (New York, NY, USA) conducted a study that evaluated 1,227 patients between 2007 and 2012 who were scheduled for courses of external beam RT for cancers of the head and neck, breast, lung, cervix uterus, or rectum. In all, 21.7% of the patients were noncompliant, missing two or more scheduled therapy appointments, but all patients eventually completed the radiation therapy course planned for them.

The results showed that at median follow-up of 50.9 months, 108 recurrences (8.8%) and 228 deaths (18.6%) occurred. Despite the average one week delay in noncompliant patient RT completion, 16% of the noncompliant patients experienced a recurrence, versus only a 7% recurrence rate in compliant patients. According to the researchers, noncompliance to scheduled treatments may represent a new behavioral biomarker for identifying high-risk patients who require additional interventions to achieve optimal care outcomes. The study was published in January 2016 issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics.

“This study shows that the health of our patients can improve only when a course of treatment is completed in the prescribed period of time,” said senior author Prof. Madhur Garg, MD, clinical director of the department of Radiation Oncology at MECCC. “These findings should serve as a wakeup call to physicians, patients and their caregivers about the critical need to adhere to a recommended treatment schedule.”

“We previously conducted a study that demonstrated a statistically significant relationship between lower socioeconomic status and non-compliance,” said lead author Nitin Ohri, MD, assistant professor of radiation oncology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. “As an outcome result of this study, management of mood disorders, patient navigator programs, and increasing assistance with transportation are being evaluated at Montefiore as interventions that might improve patient care outcomes and close disparities among vulnerable populations.”

Prolonging radiation therapy for head and neck cancer or cervical cancer can impact tumor control and overall survival at a rate of one percent per day, which is attributed to tumor repopulation. The repopulation can even accelerate after treatment initiation.

Related Links:

Montefiore Einstein Center for Cancer Care
Albert Einstein College of Medicine


Diagnostic Ultrasound System
MS1700C
New
Prostate Cancer MRI Analysis Tool
DynaCAD Urology
New
Ultrasound-Guided Biopsy & Visualization Tools
Endoscopic Ultrasound (EUS) Guided Devices
New
Ultrasound Needle Guide
Ultra-Pro 3

Print article

Channels

MRI

view channel
Image: Comparison showing 3T and 7T scans for the same participant (Photo courtesy of P Simon Jones/University of Cambridge)

Ultra-Powerful MRI Scans Enable Life-Changing Surgery in Treatment-Resistant Epileptic Patients

Approximately 360,000 individuals in the UK suffer from focal epilepsy, a condition in which seizures spread from one part of the brain. Around a third of these patients experience persistent seizures... Read more

Ultrasound

view channel
Image: Oloid-shaped magnetic endoscope (Photo courtesy of STORM Lab/University of Leeds)

Tiny Magnetic Robot Takes 3D Scans from Deep Within Body

Colorectal cancer ranks as one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality worldwide. However, when detected early, it is highly treatable. Now, a new minimally invasive technique could significantly... Read more

Imaging IT

view channel
Image: The new Medical Imaging Suite makes healthcare imaging data more accessible, interoperable and useful (Photo courtesy of Google Cloud)

New Google Cloud Medical Imaging Suite Makes Imaging Healthcare Data More Accessible

Medical imaging is a critical tool used to diagnose patients, and there are billions of medical images scanned globally each year. Imaging data accounts for about 90% of all healthcare data1 and, until... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2025 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.