[Intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) in France: The boost of the national funding for the new expensive innovative technologies (STIC 2001 and 2002)].
The STIC 2001 and STIC 2002 projects intend to allow the implementation and the assessment of Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy in France. IMRT is an innovative technique in which the high-dose radiation volume conforms to an accurately defined target volume with less morbidity to the surrounding normal tissues. The main medical objectives of the projects are (1) to improve the therapeutic index while decreasing acute toxicity and late sequelae (mainly xerostomia and acute mucite for head and neck tumors), which allows an increase in the radiation dose to the tumor and then a better tumor control; (2) to propose a salvage treatment to patients who locally recurred in previously irradiated sites; (3) to determine the optimal treatment guidelines for a safe use of the technique in clinical routine. Our projects also aim at comparing IMRT and 3D conformal treatments on the one hand (STIC 2001), and IMRT and conventional treatments on the other hand (STIC 2002), with regard to costs. As a matter of fact, the use of IMRT is presently limited in France because its implementation requires high investment and personnel costs. The seventeen French Regional Cancer Centres involved in the two projects intend to study the additional cost of the use IMRT in comparison with the use of standard techniques, which appears to be a step for a wide use of this technique in France. Each of the studies is two-year prospective, and includes patients with head and neck tumors treated with a curative intend (post operative or exclusive treatments for STIC 2002 and STIC 2002), and patients with a prostate cancer (STIC 2001).
Marchal
C
C
Département de radiothérapie, centre Alexis-Vautrin, 54511 Vandaeuvre-Lès-Nancy, France. c.marchal@nancy.fnclcc.fr
Bensadoun
R J
RJ
Haslé
E
E
Lapeyre
M
M
Carrere
M O
MO
Gérard
J P
JP
D000328:Adult; D002173:Cancer Care Facilities; D002648:Child; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D018849:Controlled Clinical Trials as Topic; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D008297:Male; D010315:Particle Accelerators; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D011878:Radiotherapy / Q000009:adverse effects; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage; D011880:Radiotherapy Planning, Computer-Assisted; D020266:Radiotherapy, Conformal / Q000379:methods*