Objective To explore the treatment effect and failure patterns associated with different clinical target volume on patients with esophageal carcinoma treated with 5-filed intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), and to determine whether involved field irradiation (IFI) is practicable in these patients. Methods A total of 88 patients with esophageal carcinoma between January 2012 to June 2014 underwent IMRT in our hospital, were divided into IFI group and elective nodal irradiation(ENI) group according to the CTV range for a concurrent control study. Results One-year and two-year survival rate in IFI group and ENI group were 75.0%, 45.5% and 70.5%, 43.2% respectively (P > 0.05). Local failure rate in IFI and ENI groups was 27.3% and 22.7% respectively, distant metastasis failure rates 22.7% and 18.2% respectively and regional failure rate outside the radiation field 11.4% and 4.5%, which showed no statistical difference (P > 0.05). Subgroup analysis indicated failure outside the radiation field tended to increase for primary lesion located in the up thoracic or clinical stageⅠ in IFI group. The volume dose histogram of lung V5, V20, V30 and mean lung dose of ENI group were greater than that of IFI group, while V5 of lung and the mean lung dose had statistical difference. Conclusions The survival rate and local control rate have no significant differencein IFI group and ENI group, so IFI is feasible for some esophageal carcinoma, but it should be cautious to choose IFI for those primary lesion located in the up thoracic or clinical stageⅠ.

Objective:To retrospectively analyze the treatment effect and the patterns of failure associated with different clinical target volume on patients with esophageal cancer treated with three dimensional conformal or intensity modulated radiotherapy, and to determine whether involved field radiotherapy is practicable in these patients. Methods:A total of 68 patients with esophageal squa-mous cell carcinoma between January 2007 to June 2011 in our hospital underwent three dimensional conformal or intensity modulated radiotherapy, according to the CTV range is divided into lymph involved-field group (involved field group) and lymph extended field group (extended field group). Results:In Involved field group and expand field group the survival rate of 1, 2 years were 59%, 41%and 61%, 39% respectively (P=0.56), and local control rates were 66%, 48% and 68%, 49% respectively(P=0.78). The total failure rates of involved field and the expand field were 63%and 66%(P=0.89). The local failure rate was 53%and 59%, distant metastasis failure rates were 47%and 44%, the regional failure rates were 11.8%and 7.5%in Involved field and the expand field, there were no difference in Statistics (P=0.39). The lung V10, V20, V30 and mean lung dose of extended field group were greater than that of the in-volved field group, while the mean lung dose and V10 has statistical difference. Conclusion:The involved field group was similar as the extended field group in the survival rate and local control rate, the regional recurrence and distant metastasis are the main cause of treatment failure, so the involved field radiotherapy is feasible for locally advanced esophageal carcinoma.

Objective:To explore the feasibility of constructing automatic intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) plans for cervical cancer based on Pinnacle scripts and to assess the advantages of this method in designing treatment plans for cervical cancer.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted for 40 cases of cervical cancer treated with IMRT in the department of radiation oncology of the First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical University. Among them, the data of 25 cases were employed as a reference for the initialization of objective functions. The scripts for automatic plans were designed in the Pinnacle planning system. For the remaining 15 cases, automatic and manual IMRT plans were designed (also referred to as the automatic planning group and the manual planning group, respectively). The design times of both groups were compared. Furthermore, both the dosimetric parameters of target volumes and the irradiation doses to organs at risk (OARs) were also compared between the two groups using dose-volume histograms.Results:Compared to the manual planning group, the automatic planning group exhibited a statistically significant decrease in the average design time of 32.81 min ( t = -12.91, P < 0.05), a statistically significant increase in the conformity index of the target areas of 0.01 ( t = -0.08, P < 0.05), and a decrease in the uniformity index of the target areas of 0.02. Compared to those of the manual planning group, the bladder′s V40 and V45 and the rectum′s V40 and V45 of the automatic planning group decreased by 6.88%, 4.12%, 9.93%, and 12% on average, respectively ( t = -4.49, -4.46, -3.62, -5.80, P < 0.05). Minimal differences were observed in the V30, V50, and Dmax of the small intestine between both groups, without statistically significant differences in V30 and Dmax ( P > 0.05). Compared to the manual planning group, the automatic planning group displayed decreases in the V45 and Dmeanof the bilateral femoral head of 7.9% and 106.83 cGy, respectively and a decrease in the spinal Dmax of 100.14 cGy, with statistically significant differences ( t = -6.00, -2.52, -2.55, P < 0.05). Conclusions:Automatic IMRT plans for cervical cancer, constructed based on Pinnacle scripts, can significantly reduce irradiation doses to OARs and enhance the efficiency of the plan design while ensuring dose uniformity and conformality of target areas.