title: Intraluminal brachytherapy in the treatment of oesophageal cancers--some preliminary results.
abstract: Cancer of the oesophagus is the sixth commonest cancer in males in Singapore. The majority occur in the elderly and patients are often debilitated at presentation. Treatment is often aimed at palliation only. In this article, the preliminary results of 15 patients treated solely on a high dose rate remote afterloading Gammamed brachytherapy machine with an Iridium 192 (Ir192) source are reported. The patients were given 15 Gray (Gy) in a single or two 7.5 Gray fractions. All the patients treated had some improvement of their dysphagia, and seven out of 11 (63%) evaluable patients had symptom improvement lasting at least 11 weeks.
authors.affiliation: Department of Therapeutic Radiology, Singapore General Hospital.
authors.forename: J T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Wee
authors.forename: D R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Theobald
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Chua
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001918:Brachytherapy / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000150:complications / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D003680:Deglutition Disorders / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016896:Treatment Outcome