Brachytherapy最新文献

{"title":"A novel 3D printing method for a notched eye plaque “dummy” for uveal melanoma brachytherapy","authors":"Firas Mourtada ,&nbsp;Sara Belko ,&nbsp;Rachel Monane ,&nbsp;Robert Pugliese ,&nbsp;Lydia Komarnicky-Kocher ,&nbsp;Sara E. Lally ,&nbsp;Wentao Wang ,&nbsp;Carol L. Shields ,&nbsp;Jacqueline Emrich","doi":"10.1016/j.brachy.2024.09.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.brachy.2024.09.002","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>PURPOSE</h3><div>Suture preplacement by the ocular oncology surgeon is a critical step before inserting a radioactive plaque for ocular melanoma brachytherapy. We report on a novel 3D-printing method to create a custom “dummy” plaque applicator for the 22 mm notched gold plaque using in-house 3D-printing.</div></div><div><h3>METHODS</h3><div>A computer-aided design (CAD) file was created replicating a heavily used gold plaque that no longer has a satisfactory “dummy” plaque. The file was exported as a 3D file (surface tessellation language, STL) and prepared using Formlabs’ PreForm print software. The 3D-printed dummies were oriented on the printer to have no cups or supports on the surfaces that would come in contact with the patient's external sclera. The dummies were printed in FormLabs BioMed Clear V1 on a Formlabs Form-3 3D printer. Postprinting, the dummies were processed in isopropyl alcohol and cured according to manufacturer instructions. They were polished utilizing a rotary tool to improve transparency. Chemical and sterilization cycle tests were performed to ensure dummy integrity.</div></div><div><h3>RESULTS</h3><div>Four “dummy” plaques were printed. The 3D-printed “dummy” dimensions were verified to be within 0.5-mm of the notched plaque using digital calipers. The polishing process created acceptable light opacity for the eye plaque procedure in the operating room. No impactful discoloration or material change was observed during the chemical and sterilization cycle tests performed.</div></div><div><h3>CONCLUSIONS</h3><div>3D printing can produce custom eye plaque dummies using transparent, biocompatible, chemically inert materials suitable for human use. This capability introduces an additional layer of patient-specific hygienics.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55334,"journal":{"name":"Brachytherapy","volume":"24 1","pages":"Pages 86-91"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142634371","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Pattern of pelvic recurrence in MRI-only adaptive brachytherapy for locally advanced cervical cancer","authors":"Denisa Pohanková ,&nbsp;Igor Sirák ,&nbsp;Miroslav Hodek ,&nbsp;Linda Kašaová ,&nbsp;Petr Paluska ,&nbsp;Jakub Grepl ,&nbsp;Munachiso Ndukwe ,&nbsp;Ivan Práznovec ,&nbsp;Jiří Petera ,&nbsp;Zdeněk Zoul ,&nbsp;Milan Vošmik","doi":"10.1016/j.brachy.2024.10.012","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.brachy.2024.10.012","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>PURPOSE</h3><div>MRI-only adaptive brachytherapy (MRI-ABT) is the state-of-the-art for treating locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC) in combination with concurrent chemoradiotherapy. We aimed to evaluate the pattern of pelvic recurrence after the treatment.</div></div><div><h3>MATERIAL AND METHODS</h3><div>A total of one hundred LACC patients were treated between January 2017 and December 2023 with concurrent chemoradiotherapy of 45 Gy in 25 fractions ± boost to lymphadenopathy (up to a maximum dose of 60 Gy in 25 fractions) with concurrent weekly cisplatin chemotherapy at the dose of 40 mg/m²/week, and MR-ABT.</div></div><div><h3>RESULTS</h3><div>At a median follow-up of 30.2 months, there were 2 local recurrences (2%) and 9 regional pelvic recurrences (9%). The median time to local/regional recurrence was 11 months (range 6–21). For all stages, the 3-year local control was 97.66%, and the 3-year pelvic control was 89.45%. Twenty-four patients died during follow-up; the 3-year overall survival was 75.11%, and the 3-year disease-free survival was 70.97%.</div></div><div><h3>CONCLUSION</h3><div>MRI-ABT combined with external beam radiotherapy and concurrent chemotherapy for LACC demonstrates excellent local and regional pelvic control. Most local/regional recurrences occur inside or at the edge of the external-beam irradiated field. Recurrences inside the field of brachytherapy are rare. Distant recurrences are the predominant cause of death in LACC patients treated with definitive CRT and MRI-ABT.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55334,"journal":{"name":"Brachytherapy","volume":"24 1","pages":"Pages 11-17"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142756048","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"High dose rate brachytherapy for lip cancer with interstitial, surface, or a combination of interstitial and surface mold technique","authors":"Serhii Brovchuk ,&nbsp;Zoia Shepil ,&nbsp;Puja Venkat ,&nbsp;Oleg Vaskevych ,&nbsp;Sang-June Park","doi":"10.1016/j.brachy.2024.09.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.brachy.2024.09.004","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>PURPOSE</h3><div>High-dose-rate brachytherapy (HDR-BT) is now becoming more common than low-dose-rate and pulsed-dose-rate BT in the treatment of lip cancer. However, due to the limited history of HDR-BT, relatively few studies have been published. Two institutions (in Ukraine and the USA) reviewed their clinical outcomes of lip cancer patients treated with HDR-BT as monotherapy or in combination with external beam radiotherapy (EBRT).</div></div><div><h3>METHODS AND MATERIALS</h3><div>An interstitial (IS), surface custom mold (SC), or a combination of IS and SC (IS+SC) was used for treatments based on the depth of tumor invasion. Prescription doses were 24 Gy in 6 BID fractions when combined with 46–50 Gy of EBRT, 45–55 Gy in 9–10 BID fractions for IS and IS+SC monotherapy or 3 Gy × 16 daily fractions for SC monotherapy.</div></div><div><h3>RESULTS</h3><div>A total of 33 cases of lip cancer were treated from 2015 to 2021. By using TNM staging classification, there were 14 stage I (42.4%), 15 stage II (45.5%), and 4 stage III (12.1%) lip cancers. Thirty-one patients (93.9%) had a complete response to the treatment. Only 2 patients (6.1%) displayed local recurrence. Grade 1, 2, and 3 acute toxicities were observed in 30.3%, 51.5%, and 18.2% of patients, respectively. Grade 1, 2, and 3 late toxicities were observed in 39.4%, 21.2%, and 0.0% of cases. Cosmetic results were excellent in 21.2%, good in 54.5%, fair in 18.2%, and poor in 6.1% of patients.</div></div><div><h3>CONCLUSIONS</h3><div>HDR-BT is an effective and safe treatment for lip carcinomas with excellent local control, functional, and cosmetic outcomes and should be considered as a standard treatment.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55334,"journal":{"name":"Brachytherapy","volume":"24 1","pages":"Pages 68-75"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142483035","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Salvage interstitial brachytherapy for treatment of recurrent endometrial cancers in the vagina: Seven-year single institution experience and review of second recurrence patterns","authors":"Marissa Sherwood ,&nbsp;Toni Barnes ,&nbsp;Hanbo Chen ,&nbsp;Amandeep Taggar ,&nbsp;Moti Paudel ,&nbsp;Liying Zhang ,&nbsp;Aishah Alqaderi ,&nbsp;Eric Leung","doi":"10.1016/j.brachy.2024.09.007","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.brachy.2024.09.007","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>INTRODUCTION</h3><div>Interstitial brachytherapy (ISBT) is a known treatment for vaginal recurrence of endometrial cancer. This study reviews a large tertiary institution's ISBT experience and outcomes for vaginal recurrences.</div></div><div><h3>MATERIAL AND METHODS</h3><div>Patients who underwent salvage ISBT for vaginal recurrence of endometrial cancer from January 1, 2014 to August 31, 2021, were identified. Initial and salvage disease factors and treatments were recorded. Outcomes were calculated including overall survival, local, and distant failure.</div></div><div><h3>RESULTS</h3><div>Thirty-nine patients were included; thirty received external beam radiotherapy and interstitial brachytherapy (EBRT + ISBT) while 9 received ISBT alone. At initial diagnosis, the ISBT alone group had an older median age, with stage IA-IV disease, frequently receiving adjuvant treatment, compared to the EBRT with ISBT group with mainly stage IA disease who did not. Median follow up was 22 months and median time to recurrence 14 months (16.5 months in EBRT + ISBT group and 14 in the ISBT alone group). Two-year overall survival was 85% for all patients, 85.6% and 83.3%in the EBRT + ISBT and ISBT alone groups, respectively. Local failure was 22.7% for all patients, 16.7% in the EBRT + ISBT group and 11.1% in the ISBT alone group. Median HRCTV D90 (EQD2) was 76.8 Gy in the EBRT + ISBT group, and 57.9 Gy in the ISBT alone group. Late grade 3 or higher toxicity occurred in only 3 patients.</div></div><div><h3>CONCLUSIONS</h3><div>EBRT + ISBT is an effective treatment for endometrial cancer vaginal recurrence, with acceptable toxicity. ISBT alone is an option for patients with contraindications to or with previous treatment of pelvic radiation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55334,"journal":{"name":"Brachytherapy","volume":"24 1","pages":"Pages 36-44"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142483036","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Long-term disease-free survival and health-related quality of life results of high-dose-rate brachytherapy as monotherapy for low and intermediate-risk prostate cancer treated in a community cancer center","authors":"Raphael William ,&nbsp;Pierre-Yves McLaughlin ,&nbsp;Mathieu Pharand-Charbonneau ,&nbsp;Debbie Smith Wright ,&nbsp;Alain Haddad ,&nbsp;Marc Gaudet","doi":"10.1016/j.brachy.2024.10.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.brachy.2024.10.004","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>PURPOSE</h3><div>To determine the long-term disease-free survival, long-term toxicity, and effect on health-related quality of life of a two-fraction regimen of high-dose-rate (HDR) prostate brachytherapy.</div></div><div><h3>METHODS AND MATERIALS</h3><div>Patients with low- or intermediate-risk prostate cancer were treated with CT-planned HDR brachytherapy as monotherapy in two implants of 13.5 Gy in one community cancer center. Prostate-specific antigen (PSA), International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) and Expanded Prostate Index Composite (EPIC) questionnaires were evaluated at each follow-up visit. Biochemical recurrence (Phoenix definition) was evaluated to determine disease-free survival at 5 and 7 years. Proportion of patients in each IPSS category (mild = 0–7, moderate = 8–18, severe = 19+) was evaluated at each follow-up interval.</div></div><div><h3>RESULTS</h3><div>Thirty patients were accrued to the study between 2014 and 2016. Median prostate-specific antigen was 8,7 (range 4.1–17.5). T stages were T1c = 65%, T2a = 21%, and T2b = 14%. Twenty-seven percent of patients had a Gleason score of 6 and 73% had a Gleason score of 7. 13% were in low risk category and 87% in intermediate risk category. Median follow-up was 84 months. There were no deaths at 84 months after brachytherapy. Disease-free survival was 90% at 5 years and 86% at 7 years. Two patients experienced late Grade 3 GU toxicity (6.6%).</div></div><div><h3>CONCLUSIONS</h3><div>This study serves as proof of concept that HDR monotherapy can be performed successfully with excellent long-term outcomes in a community cancer center with adequate training and experience. The long-term disease-free survival rate and the health-related quality of life seem acceptable as compared to other treatment modalities. Further study is ongoing with regard to the optimal dosing regimen for HDR monotherapy.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55334,"journal":{"name":"Brachytherapy","volume":"24 1","pages":"Pages 54-61"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142640453","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Efficacy and safety of chemotherapy combined with iodine-125 seed brachytherapy for intermediate and advanced oncogenic driver gene-negative non-small cell lung cancer","authors":"Meng-hua xia ,&nbsp;Kai-cai Liu ,&nbsp;Wei Zhao ,&nbsp;Yi-zhuang Cheng ,&nbsp;Liang-ping Shi ,&nbsp;Li-qin Bi ,&nbsp;Xue-ran Guo ,&nbsp;Meng-xia Zhang ,&nbsp;Wei-Fu Lv","doi":"10.1016/j.brachy.2024.09.005","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.brachy.2024.09.005","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>PURPOSE</h3><div>To compare the effectiveness and safety of CT-guided iodine-125 seed brachytherapy in conjunction with chemotherapy against chemotherapy alone for the management of intermediate and advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) lacking oncogenic driving genes.</div></div><div><h3>METHODS AND MATERIALS</h3><div>Retrospective analysis was conducted on clinical data from 128 patients diagnosed with intermediate and advanced non-small cell lung cancer who received iodine-125 combined with chemotherapy or chemotherapy alone due to the absence of oncogenic driver gene mutations. The patients in two groups were compared at 6-month follow-up for objective remission rate (ORR), Disease control rate (DCR), local progression−free survival (LPFS), overall survival (OS), clinical symptom improvement, and adverse events.</div></div><div><h3>RESULTS</h3><div>A median of 47 (range, 16–100) iodine-125 seeds were implanted. The median D90 was 139.4 Gy. In patients with stage III NSCLC, the 6-month ORR were 40.0% and 8.0% in two groups, while those with stage IV NSCLC had rates of 20.9% and 4.0%. No significant issues arose during the 5–58 months follow-up period. OS did not significantly differ between stage III and IV NSCLC patients. The LPFS for stage III patients was 14 months and 9 months, compared to 8 months and 7 months for stage IV patients. Symptom improvement rates, including cough, chest discomfort, hemoptysis, and chest constriction, were 87.2% versus 20.4%, 77.8% versus 33.3%, and 77.8% versus 26.1%, respectively.</div></div><div><h3>CONCLUSIONS</h3><div>CT-guided iodine-125 seed implantation with chemotherapy failed to improve OS in stages III and IV NSCLC. However, it did extend the LPFS of stage III NSCLC. Furthermore, the ORR was much higher than that of the chemotherapy-only group, and lung cancer clinical symptoms were significantly reduced, improving patient quality of life.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55334,"journal":{"name":"Brachytherapy","volume":"24 1","pages":"Pages 92-102"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143017938","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Biochemical outcome of prostate cancer patients treated with hypofractionated external radiation and a single high-dose-rate brachytherapy boost","authors":"Johan Staby Olsén ,&nbsp;Antonios Valachis ,&nbsp;Leif Karlsson PhLic ,&nbsp;Bengt Johansson","doi":"10.1016/j.brachy.2024.07.005","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.brachy.2024.07.005","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>INTRODUCTION</h3><div>Treating localized high-risk prostate cancer with a combination of external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) and high-dose-rate brachytherapy (HDR-BT) is a common approach. Moderately hypofractionated EBRT and a single HDR-BT boost simplifies the treatment. We aim to present our five-year results.</div></div><div><h3>METHODS</h3><div>In this study, 355 patients treated with moderately hypofractionated EBRT (42 Gy in 14 fractions) and a single HDR-BT boost (14.5 Gy) at Örebro University Hospital between 2008 and 2018 were included. They were followed with regular PSA tests.</div></div><div><h3>RESULTS</h3><div>The median age of the cohort was 70 years (range: 51–81) and the median follow-up duration was 56 months (range: 6–150). Among them, 45% were classified as very high-risk, 38% as high-risk and 17% as intermediate-risk. Adjuvant androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) with a median duration of 24 months was given to 75% of the patient cohort. The estimated 5-year failure free survival rates were 79% (whole cohort), 66% (very high-risk), 90% (high-risk) and 85% (intermediate-risk), respectively. Initial PSA &gt; 10 ng/mL, Gleason score 9–10 and tumor stage T3 were significantly associated with biochemical failure (BF). A PSA bounce occurred in 53 (15%) cases and was inversely associated with BF (<em>p</em> = 0.001) for patients receiving ADT.</div></div><div><h3>CONCLUSIONS</h3><div>Moderately hypofractionated EBRT and a single HDR-BT boost seems to be an effective treatment against intermediate- and high-risk localized prostate cancer. Treatment escalation strategies should be investigated for very high-risk patients where the risk of recurrence remains high.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55334,"journal":{"name":"Brachytherapy","volume":"24 1","pages":"Pages 45-53"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142693934","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"3D-printed template assisted intracavitary/interstitial brachytherapy for cervical cancer using repeat FMEA: Correspondence","authors":"Hinpetch Daungsupawong ,&nbsp;Viroj Wiwanitkit","doi":"10.1016/j.brachy.2024.10.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.brachy.2024.10.001","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":55334,"journal":{"name":"Brachytherapy","volume":"24 3","pages":"Page 461"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-12-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142904314","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Dosimetric evaluation of adaptive planning for five-fraction gynecologic template-based interstitial brachytherapy","authors":"Steven Blum ,&nbsp;Jessica R. Miller ,&nbsp;Kristin A. Bradley ,&nbsp;Bethany Anderson ,&nbsp;Hari Menon ,&nbsp;Bradley Eckelmann ,&nbsp;Charles Wallace ,&nbsp;Abby Besemer ,&nbsp;Michael Lawless ,&nbsp;Jordan M. Slagowski","doi":"10.1016/j.brachy.2024.07.007","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.brachy.2024.07.007","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>PURPOSE</h3><div>The purpose of this work was to evaluate whether inter-fraction imaging and replanning enhance treatment delivery adherence to clinical planning objectives in the context of a 5-fraction template-based interstitial brachytherapy (TISB) approach for gynecologic cancer treatment.</div></div><div><h3>METHODS AND MATERIALS</h3><div>This retrospective study analyzed nineteen patients who underwent 5 fractions of interstitial brachytherapy over 3 days using the Syed–Neblett template. A verification CT scan was acquired for applicator assessment and reviewed by a radiation oncologist and medical physicist before each fraction. Eleven patients required replanning at least once during the treatment course. Replanning on the verification CT scan consisted of generating new target and organ-at-risk contours, digitizing catheter positions, and optimizing source dwell times to meet planning objectives. Dwell times and positions from the initial treatment plan were evaluated on the new contours to assess the dose that would have been delivered without replanning (nonadapted). Significance of nonadapted versus adapted dose differences were evaluated using a 2-sided Wilcoxon sum rank test.</div></div><div><h3>RESULTS</h3><div>The average (min, max) change in dose (Gy) between the clinically delivered plans and the nonadapted plans were HR-CTV D_90%: −6.5 (−0.6, −15.1), HR-CTV D_98%: −6.5 (−0.4, −12.6), Bladder D_2cc: −0.5 (0.0, −2.8), Bowel D_2cc: −0.8 (0.0, −3.2), Rectum D_2cc: −1.1 (0.0, −11.5), Sigmoid D_2cc: −1.4 (−0.1, −5.4). Dosimetric changes in HR-CTV coverage were significantly improved with replanning while organ-at-risk differences were nonsignificant (<em>p</em> &gt; 0.05). Fraction 3 was the most common fraction indicated for replanning.</div></div><div><h3>CONCLUSIONS</h3><div>Replanning template-based interstitial brachytherapy can improve target coverage and adherence to planning goals.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55334,"journal":{"name":"Brachytherapy","volume":"23 6","pages":"Pages 668-675"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142115896","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Gynecological brachytherapy hybrid training: The Tata Memorial Centre and BrachyAcademy experience","authors":"Elena Dizendorf ,&nbsp;Supriya Chopra ,&nbsp;Prachi Mittal ,&nbsp;Ankita Gupta ,&nbsp;Remi Nout ,&nbsp;Alina Sturdza ,&nbsp;Cyrus Chargari ,&nbsp;Kari Tanderup ,&nbsp;Ekkasit Tharavichitkul ,&nbsp;Hamza Tatli ,&nbsp;Meenakshi Jeeva ,&nbsp;Jeevanshu Jain ,&nbsp;Subhajit Panda ,&nbsp;Ritu Raj Upreti ,&nbsp;Yogesh Ghadi ,&nbsp;Akshay Bhavke ,&nbsp;Satish Kohle ,&nbsp;Rajesh Bhajbhuje ,&nbsp;Jai Prakash Agarwal","doi":"10.1016/j.brachy.2024.07.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.brachy.2024.07.002","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>PURPOSE</h3><div>The lack of training is a significant barrier to practicing brachytherapy (BT). Tata Memorial Centre, alongside international BT experts and BrachyAcademy, developed a hybrid gynecological BT training module. This study outlines the preparation, organization, and execution of the 2022–2023 Mumbai training, evaluates its effectiveness, and highlights areas for improvement.</div></div><div><h3>MATERIALS AND METHODS</h3><div>Participants were radiation oncologists (RO) and medical physicists (MP) with experience in gynecological BT aiming to transition to image-guided brachytherapy (IGBT). The training covered cervical, endometrial, vaginal, vulvar, periurethral cancers, and pelvic reirradiation. The hybrid course included online pre and postcourse homework assignments, a live workshop with hands-on training, a 6-month online follow-up, and a 12-month opportunity to share the transition experience.</div></div><div><h3>RESULTS</h3><div>The December 2022 Mumbai live workshop spanned 2.5 days, attracting 39 participants from 8 countries (Asia, Africa, Australia/Oceania). Feedback rated the course 9/10, with 78% fully meeting expectations. Forty-four percent suggested extending hands-on training. At the 6-month follow-up, response rates were low (33% RO, 11% MP). Among responding RO, 70% reported practice changes after attending the course, 40% implemented IGBT concepts in clinical practice, and 50% increased confidence in image-guided procedures. Overall, 45% of respondent sites could strengthen their intracavitary/interstitial program, while others faced limitations due to lack of access to advanced BT applicators.</div></div><div><h3>CONCLUSION</h3><div>The hybrid gynecological BT training concept was successfully executed. Areas for improvement include extending hands-on training and enhancing participant engagement postcourse. Structured steps beyond training may be needed to improve the utilization of advanced brachytherapy for gynecological cancers.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55334,"journal":{"name":"Brachytherapy","volume":"23 6","pages":"Pages 648-659"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142303357","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}