title: Conformal radiotherapy of urinary bladder cancer.
abstract: Recent advances in radiotherapy (RT) are founded on the enhanced tumour visualisation capabilities of new imaging modalities and the precise deposition of individualised radiation dose distributions made possible with the new systems for RT planning and delivery. These techniques have a large potential to also improve the results of RT of urinary bladder cancer. Major challenges to take full advantage of these advances in the management of bladder cancer are to control, and, as far as possible, reduce bladder motion, and to reliably account for the related intestine and rectum motion. If these obstacles are overcome, it should be possible in the near future to offer selected patients with muscle invading bladder cancer an organ-sparing, yet effective combined-modality treatment as an alternative to radical surgery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology and Medical Physics, Haukeland University Hospital, N-5021 Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: Ludvig Paul
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Muren
authors.forename: Rune
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Smaaland
authors.forename: Olav
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Dahl
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D011832:Radiation Injuries / Q000517:prevention & control*; D020266:Radiotherapy, Conformal / Q000379:methods*; D001749:Urinary Bladder Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy*