Objective To investigate the effects of cleaning and disinfection of thermoplastic masks on the hospital infection in patients receiving precise radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma ( NPC). Methods A prospective study was performed among 102 patients receiving precise radiotherapy for NPC from 2013 and 2016, consisting of 18 patients with early?stage ( I, Ⅱ) disease and 84 patients with advanced (Ⅲ, IV) disease. All patients were randomly divided into group A and group B using a random number table. For group A, the marker lines of thermoplastic masks were sandwiched by double plastic tapes;cleaning and disinfection plus ultraviolet ( UV ) disinfection were applied to the masks 1 h prior to radiotherapy and immediately after radiotherapy. For group B, only conventional UV disinfection was applied to the masks. The surface of the masks was examined and hospital infection during radiotherapy was evaluated. Results At the 18th radiotherapy, group A had a significantly lower mask surface colony count than group B (7.90±650 vs. 139.05±12929 CFU/cm2, P=0000). Group A also had a significantly lower incidence of hospital infection than group B (725% vs. 882%, P=0046). For the patients with early stage NPC, particularly, there was no significant difference in the incidence of infection between the two groups (556% vs. 667%, P=0629). For patients with advanced NPC, group A had a significantly lower incidence of infection than group B ( 762% vs. 929%, P=0035) . There were no significant differences in incidence rates of oral mucosal, skin, and respiratory system infections between the two groups ( 471% vs. 510%, P=0692;176% vs. 235%, P=0463;78% vs. 137%, P=0338) . In both groups A and B, the incidence of oral mucosal infection was significantly higher than the incidence rates of skin infection ( P=0001, 0000) and respiratory system infection ( P=0004, 0000) . Conclusions Thermoplastic mask is one of the risk factors for hospital infection in patients receiving precise radiotherapy for NPC. Timely cleaning and disinfection plus UV disinfection can significantly reduce the surface colony count and the incidence of hospital infection in patients with NPC, particularly in those with advanced NPC receiving precise radiotherapy. The incidence of hospital infection is the highest in the oral mucosa, followed by the skin and the respiratory system.

Objective To investigate the repeatability of precise radiotherapy placement of self-made adjustable angle wedge plate,negative pressure vacuum pad and conmon soft pillow,corresponding to 3 groups.The study is demonstrated with a thermoplastic membrane immobilization technology in kyphotic deformity patients with head and neck cancer (including primary and secondary),respectively.Methods From Jun 2014 to Apr 2016,48 cases of severe head and neck cancer patients received radiotherapy humpback who were randomly divided into 3 groups.Combined with thermoplastic head and neck shoulder film position fixation,the right foot direction at the end of the skull styloid process layer center was set as a reference point.On the left foot at the end of the direction of styloid process layer center,localization of the origin of the coordinate system in patients around the head and foot,dorsoventrally (x,y,z) analysis of the direction change of position measurement was performed.Results There was no significant difference between the adjustable angle wedge plate and negative pressure vacuum pad groups of the coordinate system (P ＞ 0.05).Compared with common soft pillow group,three dimensional positioning errors and three dimensional coordinate system transfer errors of the adjustable angle wedge plate and negative pressure vacuum pad groups were statistically significantly different (t =-6.99 to-2.69,-5.13 to-2.71,P＜0.05).Conclusions The self-made adjustable angle wedge plate has good repeatability,saves time and money,is simple and durable on precise radiotherapy positioning of kyphotic deformity patients with head and neck cancer.

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Objective To investigate the effects of multimedia information technologies on precision radiotherapy of head and neck malignant tumors (HNT). Methods A total of 96 patients with HNT recruited from 2016 to 2019 were randomly assignedto group A and group B with the same planning methodand therapists/technicians. Conventional and multimedia information technologies were respectively used in group A and group B for medical science popularization, individualized education, and doctor-patient communication before radiotherapy planning and positioning. Medical compliance, radiotherapy responses, setup errors, and machine occupancy time were investigated. Results Medical compliance was significantly higher (P < 0.05) in group A (96.5%) than in group B (73.8%). Skin acute radiation reaction was significantly lower (P < 0.05) in group A than in group B. Three-dimensional absolute setup errors were 0.69 ± 0.29 mm, 0.97 ± 0.69 mm, and 0.79 ± 0.47 mm in group A, which were significantly lower than 1.39 ± 0.81 mm, 1.87 ± 1.19 mm, and 2.50 ± 0.99 mm in group B(P < 0.05). Traditional three-dimensional setup errors were 0.73 ± 0.39 mm, 0.51 ± 0.69 mm, and 0.74 ± 0.17 mm in group A, which were significantly lower than 1.32 ± 0.76 mm, 1.89 ± 1.21 mm, and 1.37 ± 0.57 mm in group B (P < 0.05). Planning time was 145.15 ± 28.45 sin group A, which was significantly lower than 240.38 ± 50.45 sin group B (P < 0.05). Positioning time was 115.15 ± 18.45 s in group A, which was significantly lower than 173.38 ± 24.45 sin group B (P < 0.05). Conclusion The application of multimedia information technologies inmedical science popularization, individualized education, and doctor-patient communication forpatients who received precision radiotherapy for HNT can significantly increase patient compliance, alleviate acute radiation reactions, reduce setup errors, and shorten the machine occupancy time of planning and positioning.