Case Report
Copyright ©2009 The WJG Press and Baishideng. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Sep 21, 2009; 15(35): 4444-4445
Published online Sep 21, 2009. doi: 10.3748/wjg.15.4444
Preliminary experience of helical tomotherapy for locally advanced pancreatic cancer
Cyrus Chargari, Francois Campana, Philippe Beuzeboc, Sofia Zefkili, Youlia M Kirova
Cyrus Chargari, Francois Campana, Philippe Beuzeboc, Sofia Zefkili, Youlia M Kirova, Department of Radiotherapy, Institut Curie, 75248 Paris, France
Philippe Beuzeboc, Department of Medical Oncology, Institut Curie, 75248 Paris, France
Author contributions: Chargari C, Campana F and Kirova YM designed the research; Chargari C, Campana F, Beuzeboc P, Zefkili S and Kirova YM performed the research and contributed new reagents/analytic tools; Chargari C and Kirova YM analyzed the data; Chargari C, Campana F, Beuzeboc P, Zefkili S and Kirova YM wrote the paper.
Correspondence to: Youlia M Kirova, MD, Department of Radiotherapy, Institut Curie, 75248 Paris, France. youlia.kirova@curie.net
Telephone: +33-1-44324193 Fax: +33-1-53102653
Received: May 21, 2009
Revised: August 13, 2009
Accepted: August 20, 2009
Published online: September 21, 2009
Abstract

Radiotherapy for locally advanced pancreatic cancer is technically difficult and frequently associated with high-grade digestive toxicity. Helical tomotherapy (HT) is a new irradiation modality that combines megavoltage computed tomography imaging for patient positioning with intensity-modulated fan-beam radiotherapy. Its recent availability opens new fields of exploration for pancreatic radiotherapy as a result of its ability to tailor very well-defined dose distributions around the target volumes. Here, we report the use of HT in two patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer. Doses to the bowel, kidneys and liver were reduced significantly, which allowed for excellent treatment tolerance without any high-grade adverse effects in either patient.

Keywords: Pancreatic neoplasms; Helical tomotherapy; Adverse effects; Treatment tolerance