title: Radiation therapy of para-aortic lymph nodes in gynaecologic cancers: techniques, results and complications.
abstract: From 1965 to 1986 the para-aortic lymph nodes of 141 patients with gynaecologic cancers were irradiated directly after initial treatment of the primary site was completed. Another 32 patients only received para-aortic radiation treatment when para-aortic metastases became clinically apparent some time later. Radiation therapy was performed using a biaxial-four-segmental-rotating-field-technique. Crude survival of the group with initial para-aortic radiation treatment is far better than of the second group. Only five cases of severe complications due to para-aortic treatment were reported. In order to analyze the reason for such a low number of complications, CT-treatment planning for a typical patient was performed for different methods as they have been described in the literature, also referring to treatment data such as success, total dose and dose-distribution, thus influencing the complication rate. Obviously, the biaxial-four-segmental-rotating-field-technique is a method allowing to deposit a certain dose into the target volume without considerably damaging tissues in the vicinity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Therapy, University Hospital, Hamburg-Eppendorf.
authors.forename: U M
authors.initials: UM
authors.lastname: Carl
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bahnsen
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Rapp
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001012:Aorta, Abdominal; D005260:Female; D005833:Genital Neoplasms, Female / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D006801:Humans; D015182:Lymphatic Irradiation / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage; D016019:Survival Analysis