title: A benchmark study on 883 nasopharyngeal cancer patients treated in two Italian centres from 1977 to 2000. Part II: Evolving technical choices and toxicity patterns.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The authors sought to define toxicity patterns according to the different accrual periods and clinical-therapeutic features in a large series of nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) patients treated in two Italian centres over more than two decades.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 883 patients consecutively treated with radiotherapy from 1977 to 2000 at the Florence (FLO) and Brescia (IRA) radiation oncology centres were studied. The crude incidence of late treatment toxicity in the different subgroups of patients was calculated and compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Higher total and fractional doses and the "older" treatment techniques were related with an increased incidence of the main late effects of treatment. More recently treated patients experienced less treatment-related complications.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Results of this benchmark study may have implications for understanding and developing new radiotherapy techniques, such as three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT) and, in particular, intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) for NPC patients.
authors.affiliation: Istituto del Radio O. Alberti, Spedali Civili, Piazzale Spedali Civili 1, 25123, Brescia, Italy.
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Magrini
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tonoli
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pasinetti
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Paiar
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Livi
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Simontacchi
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Meattini
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pegurri
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Borghetti
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Frata
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ponticelli
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Buglione
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Biti
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D019985:Benchmarking; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D011832:Radiation Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D018787:Radiation Oncology / Q000379:methods*; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome
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