Half-body radiotherapy of advanced cancer.
Half-body radiotherapy to deliver doses up to 1000 rads in a single exposure evolved to meet a need in treating patients with advanced cancer. Large fields are required and a high radiation output. Treatments are well tolerated, although radiation sickness occurs in 80% of upper half and 33% of lower half-body treatments. Marrow depression is not a problem and the second half body can be treated when the peripheral blood count has returned to normal. Subjective improvement occurs in most patients and this group had a median survival of six months.
D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D011832:Radiation Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology; D011878:Radiotherapy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage