title: [CT- and MRI-guided conformal interstitial and external beam radiotherapy of primary brain tumors: prospects in Hungary].
abstract: The technical improvements gained over the last decade in neuroradiology and radiotherapy have brought significant theoretical and experimental changes in the treatment of primary glial brain tumours. The follow-up of patients with CT, MRI and isotope diagnostic examinations proves that the relapses take place in the vicinity of the primary site in most cases. Consequently, the conventional large fields or whole brain irradiation techniques have been phased out and the conformal irradiation methods focused on the tumorous targets have gained ground. The exact neuroanatomic projection, the image based 3-dimensional treatment planning methods and the conformal irradiation techniques ensure that only the tumorous or the potentially infiltrated regions become irradiated with maximal protection of the normal brain tissues. The increased protection of the normal tissues makes a dose escalation possible, which may result in the augmentation of the therapeutic benefits. In Hungary both the interstitial and the external beam conformal radiotherapies of the CNS have become accessible in practice over the recent years. In possession of manifold treatment modalities (percutaneous fractionated conformal radiotherapy, stereotactic radiosurgery, high dose rate after-loading and low dose rate interstitial irradiation), it is found necessary to overview the indicative territories, advantages, limitations and possible complications of different interventions. The authors describe the possible routes of further improvements and ways of dose escalation. Nevertheless, it is emphasised that gliomas--with reduced radiosensitivity and high potential to infiltrate the adjacent brain tissues-represent the illness in the whole CNS. It implies that in the future it will probably be necessary to initiate systemic therapeutic modalities in the course of routine treatment strategies in addition to the focused and more effective radiotherapy regimens.
authors.affiliation: Sugárterápiás Osztály, Országos Onkológiai Intézet, Budapest.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mangel
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Julow
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Major
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Valálik
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Horváth
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kiss
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Somogyi
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Németh
mesh_terms: D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D019583:Dose Fractionation, Radiation; D005910:Glioma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D006801:Humans; D006814:Hungary; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D016634:Radiosurgery; D011878:Radiotherapy / Q000379:methods; D011880:Radiotherapy Planning, Computer-Assisted; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed