TY - JOUR
T1 - American Brachytherapy Society
T2 - Brachytherapy treatment recommendations for locally advanced cervix cancer for low-income and middle-income countries
AU - Suneja, Gita
AU - Brown, Derek
AU - Chang, Amy
AU - Erickson, Beth
AU - Fidarova, Elena
AU - Grover, Surbhi
AU - Mahantshetty, Umesh
AU - Nag, Subir
AU - Narayan, Kailash
AU - Bvochora-Nsingo, Memory
AU - Viegas, Celia
AU - Viswanathan, Akila N.
AU - Lin, Ming Yin
AU - Gaffney, David
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2016 American Brachytherapy Society
PY - 2017/1/1
Y1 - 2017/1/1
N2 - Purpose Most cervix cancer cases occur in low-income and middle-income countries (LMIC), and outcomes are suboptimal, even for early stage disease. Brachytherapy plays a central role in the treatment paradigm, improving both local control and overall survival. The American Brachytherapy Society (ABS) aims to provide guidelines for brachytherapy delivery in resource-limited settings. Methods and Materials A panel of clinicians and physicists with expertise in brachytherapy administration in LMIC was convened. A survey was developed to identify practice patterns at the authors’ institutions and was also extended to participants of the Cervix Cancer Research Network. The scientific literature was reviewed to identify consensus papers or review articles with a focus on treatment of locally advanced, unresected cervical cancer in LMIC. Results Of the 40 participants invited to respond to the survey, 32 responded (response rate 80%). Participants were practicing in 14 different countries including both high-income (China, Singapore, Taiwan, United Kingdom, and United States) and low-income or middle-income countries (Bangladesh, Botswana, Brazil, India, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam). Recommendations for modifications to existing ABS guidelines were reviewed by the panel members and are highlighted in this article. Conclusions Recommendations for treatment of locally advanced, unresectable cervical cancer in LMIC are presented. The guidelines comment on staging, external beam radiotherapy, use of concurrent chemotherapy, overall treatment duration, use of anesthesia, applicator choice and placement verification, brachytherapy treatment planning including dose and prescription point, recommended reporting and documentation, physics support, and follow-up.
AB - Purpose Most cervix cancer cases occur in low-income and middle-income countries (LMIC), and outcomes are suboptimal, even for early stage disease. Brachytherapy plays a central role in the treatment paradigm, improving both local control and overall survival. The American Brachytherapy Society (ABS) aims to provide guidelines for brachytherapy delivery in resource-limited settings. Methods and Materials A panel of clinicians and physicists with expertise in brachytherapy administration in LMIC was convened. A survey was developed to identify practice patterns at the authors’ institutions and was also extended to participants of the Cervix Cancer Research Network. The scientific literature was reviewed to identify consensus papers or review articles with a focus on treatment of locally advanced, unresected cervical cancer in LMIC. Results Of the 40 participants invited to respond to the survey, 32 responded (response rate 80%). Participants were practicing in 14 different countries including both high-income (China, Singapore, Taiwan, United Kingdom, and United States) and low-income or middle-income countries (Bangladesh, Botswana, Brazil, India, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam). Recommendations for modifications to existing ABS guidelines were reviewed by the panel members and are highlighted in this article. Conclusions Recommendations for treatment of locally advanced, unresectable cervical cancer in LMIC are presented. The guidelines comment on staging, external beam radiotherapy, use of concurrent chemotherapy, overall treatment duration, use of anesthesia, applicator choice and placement verification, brachytherapy treatment planning including dose and prescription point, recommended reporting and documentation, physics support, and follow-up.
KW - Brachytherapy
KW - Cervix cancer
KW - Consensus guidelines
KW - Global oncology
KW - Low-resource setting
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U2 - 10.1016/j.brachy.2016.10.007
DO - 10.1016/j.brachy.2016.10.007
M3 - Article
C2 - 27919654
AN - SCOPUS:85007504961
SN - 1538-4721
VL - 16
SP - 85
EP - 94
JO - Brachytherapy
JF - Brachytherapy
IS - 1
ER -