Dear Radiation Oncology Insider,
Skin cancer is the least deadly but most common type of cancer diagnosed in the world. Surgical resection is the usual treatment for nonmelanoma skin cancers, but it can cause scarring or disfigurement, even when a Mohs surgical technique is performed.
For some of these patients, superficial radiation therapy offers an alternative to surgery. The treatment is fast, very effective, has few toxicities, and spares surrounding tissue. It's also an economic solution for patients, payors, and radiation oncology departments. This edition's Insider Exclusive investigates this not very well-known modality.
Finding ways to save on cancer treatment is important because the cost is expected to rise dramatically. A newly published study suggests it will double by 2020.
Accelerated partial-breast irradiation is a lower-cost treatment suitable for some early-stage breast cancer patients, and positive long-term outcomes were presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology's Breast Cancer Symposium held in San Francisco last month. Read about one study by clicking here. Even patients with pacemakers can have the treatment.
Radiation therapy received kudos at the Chicago Multidisciplinary Symposium in Thoracic Oncology for improving outcomes and for reducing the risk of brain metastases in early-stage non-small cell lung cancer patients. Read about these studies by clicking here and here.
Finally, we want to bring your attention to two articles about improving quality assurance, one from medicalphysicsweb editor Tami Freeman on the use of log files to monitor intensity-modulated radiation therapy, and the other about maintaining an incident reporting system.
AuntMinnie.com will be attending the American Society for Radiation Oncology annual meeting in Boston. We hope to see members of the Radiation Oncology Digital Community there.
