101. Radiation Therapy for Soft-Tissue Sarcomas: A Primer for Radiologists
- Author
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Sree Harsha Tirumani, Atul B. Shinagare, Jeremy R. Wortman, Elizabeth H. Baldini, Jyothi P. Jagannathan, Michael H. Rosenthal, Nikhil H. Ramaiya, and Jason L. Hornick
- Subjects
medicine.medical_specialty ,medicine.medical_treatment ,Brachytherapy ,Multimodality Therapy ,030218 nuclear medicine & medical imaging ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Rhabdomyosarcoma ,Humans ,Medicine ,Combined Modality Therapy ,Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and imaging ,Neoplasm Staging ,Ultrasonography ,Radiotherapy ,medicine.diagnostic_test ,business.industry ,Fibromatosis ,Soft tissue ,Sarcoma ,Magnetic resonance imaging ,medicine.disease ,Magnetic Resonance Imaging ,Radiation therapy ,Fibromatosis, Aggressive ,Positron emission tomography ,030220 oncology & carcinogenesis ,Radiology ,Tomography, X-Ray Computed ,business - Abstract
Radiation therapy (RT) plays an important role in multimodality therapy for soft-tissue sarcomas (STS). RT treatment paradigms have evolved significantly in recent years, and many different complex RT modalities are commonly used in STS. These include external-beam RT, intensity-modulated RT, stereotactic body RT, and brachytherapy. Imaging is essential throughout the treatment process. Plain radiographs, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging, ultrasonography, and positron emission tomography/CT all play potential roles in the management of STS. Before RT, high-quality imaging is needed to direct management decisions, both by global tumor staging and detailed assessment of the extent of local disease. At the time of RT, precise planning imaging is required to delineate tumor volumes, including gross tumor volume, clinical target volume, and planning target volume, which are used to direct therapy. In addition, imaging at the time of RT must outline the location of adjacent vital organs, to optimize treatment efficacy and minimize toxicity. After RT, imaging is needed to assess the patient for tumor response to therapy. In addition, imaging at regular intervals is often required to monitor for recurrence of disease and potential complications of therapy. The purpose of this review is to familiarize radiologists with the indications for RT in STS, common therapeutic modalities used, roles of imaging throughout the treatment process, and complications of therapy.
- Published
- 2016
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