title: Breast skin doses from brachytherapy using MammoSite HDR, intensity modulated radiation therapy, and tangential fields techniques.
abstract: Skin doses from brachytherapy using MammoSite HDR, Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT), and conventional tangential fields techniques were compared. For each treatment technique, skin doses were measured using paired thermoluminescent dosimeters placed on the patient's skin: (i) directly above the balloon catheter during MammoSite HDR brachytherapy treatments and (ii) 4 cm inside the treatment borders during the IMRT and conventional breast treatments. The mean dose measured was about 58% of the prescription dose for the patients treated using the MammoSite technique. On the other hand, for patients treated with IMRT and tangential fields, the mean dose was found to be about 69% and 71% of the corresponding prescription dose. This study suggests that in breast cancer radiation treatments the MammoSite HDR technique reduces skin doses compared to IMRT and tangential field techniques.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, Pittsburgh, PA, USA. selvarajrn@upmc.edu
authors.forename: Raj N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Selvaraj
authors.forename: Ajay
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bhatnagar
authors.forename: Sushil
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Beriwal
authors.forename: M Saiful
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Huq
authors.forename: Dwight E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Heron
authors.forename: Debbie
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sonnik
authors.forename: Edward
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Brandner
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Surgent
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mogus
authors.forename: Melvin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Deutsch
authors.forename: Kristina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gerszten
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Shalom
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kalnicki
authors.forename: Ning J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Yue
authors.forename: Cheng B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Saw
mesh_terms: D001918:Brachytherapy / Q000379:methods*; D001940:Breast / Q000528:radiation effects*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage / Q000592:standards; D050397:Radiotherapy, Intensity-Modulated / Q000379:methods*; D012867:Skin / Q000528:radiation effects*; D016896:Treatment Outcome