• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.265-275
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• 2015

Despite the increasing use of stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) and stereotactic radiation surgery (SRS) in recent years, the biological base of these high-dose hypo-fractionated radiotherapy modalities has been elusive. Given that most human tumors contain radioresistant hypoxic tumor cells, the radiobiological principles for the conventional multiple-fractionated radiotherapy cannot account for the high efficacy of SBRT and SRS. Recent emerging evidence strongly indicates that SBRT and SRS not only directly kill tumor cells, but also destroy the tumor vascular beds, thereby deteriorating intratumor microenvironment leading to indirect tumor cell death. Furthermore, indications are that the massive release of tumor antigens from the tumor cells directly and indirectly killed by SBRT and SRS stimulate anti-tumor immunity, thereby suppressing recurrence and metastatic tumor growth. The reoxygenation, repair, repopulation, and redistribution, which are important components in the response of tumors to conventional fractionated radiotherapy, play relatively little role in SBRT and SRS. The linear-quadratic model, which accounts for only direct cell death has been suggested to overestimate the cell death by high dose per fraction irradiation. However, the model may in some clinical cases incidentally do not overestimate total cell death because high-dose irradiation causes additional cell death through indirect mechanisms. For the improvement of the efficacy of SBRT and SRS, further investigation is warranted to gain detailed insights into the mechanisms underlying the SBRT and SRS.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.8
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• pp.3561-3566
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• 2014

Background: Recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) after previous radiotherapy is challenging. There is no standard approach for salvage treatment. Here we present toxicity and treatment results for recurrent NFC patients who underwent fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (FSRT) as second line radiotherapy (RT). Materials and Methods: Between April 2009 and July 2012, 24 patients, with a male to female ratio of 3:1, were treated with CykerKnife$^{(R)}$ FSRT for recurrent NFC in our institution. Seven out of 24 patients had metastatic recurrent disease. Median age was 53 years (range, 20-70 years). Initial RT dose was 70Gy. The time period between initial RT and FSRT was a median of 33.2 months. The median prescription dose for FSRT was 30Gy (range, 24-30 Gy) in a median of 5 fractions (range, 4-6). Results: The median follow-up for all patients was 19.5 months (IQR: 12.2.-29.2 months). The locoregional control; progression free survival and overall survival (OS) rates for 1-, 2- and 3-year were 64%, 38%, 21%; 60%, 30%, 17% and 83%, 43%, 31%, respectively. Median OS for the entire cohort was 22 months (95% CI: 16.5-27.5). On multivariate analysis recurrent tumor stage was the only prognostic factor for OS (p=0.004). One patient exhibited grade III temporal lobe necrosis. One died because of grade IV mucositis and overlapping infection. Conclusions: The treatment of recurrent NPC is controversial. Fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy is promising. However, the published trials are heterogeneous with respect to the selection criteria and treatment details. Prospective studies with long term follow-up data are warranted.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.114-121
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• 2018

Purpose: To explore the feasibility of maximum diameter as a response assessment method for vestibular schwannomas (VS) after stereotactic radiosurgery or fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (RT), we analyzed the concordance of RT responses between maximum diameters and volumetric measurements. Materials and Methods: Forty-two patients receiving curative stereotactic radiosurgery or fractionated stereotactic RT for VS were analyzed retrospectively. Twelve patients were excluded: 4 did not receive follow-up magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans and 8 had initial MRI scans with a slice thickness >3 mm. The maximum diameter, tumor volume (TV), and enhanced tumor volume (ETV) were measured in each MRI study. The percent change after RT was evaluated according to the measurement methods and their concordances were calculated with the Pearson correlation. The response classifications were determined by the assessment modalities, and their agreement was analyzed with Cohen kappa statistics. Results: Median follow-up was 31.0 months (range, 3.5 to 86.5 months), and 90 follow-up MRI studies were analyzed. The percent change of maximum diameter correlated strongly with TV and ETV (r(p) = 0.85, 0.63, p = 0.000, respectively). Concordance of responses between the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) using the maximum diameters and either TV or ETV were moderate (kappa = 0.58; 95% confidence interval, 0.32-0.85) or fair (kappa = 0.32; 95% confidence interval, 0.05-0.59), respectively. Conclusions: The percent changes in maximum diameter and the responses in RECIST were significantly concordant with those in the volumetric measurements. Therefore, the maximum diameters can be used for the response evaluation of VS following stereotactic RT.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Medical Physics Conference
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• 2002.09a
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• pp.144-145
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• 2002

Stereotactic radiotherapy is required to irradiate a small tumor accurately. The radiotherapy showing improves when making an accidental error little boundlessly. It is performed according to treatment planning that is established by the outside landmark of head. At present, when stereotactic radiotherapy for a head is done, the Leksell Flame is fixed on the head, and positioning based on the point and so on which it is in that fixed implement is performed. However, there are problems on the method done at present in the point such as reappearance when the fractionated irradiation method in which the Leksell Flame is removed and installed at every treatment is done because there are landmarks outside the head. Landmarks in the skull were decided, and that precision was examined for the purpose of the improvement of the radiation therapeutic gain. Linac-graphy with longitudinal and lateral view were taken with 6 MV photon beams. A distance to base point inside the skull, each film measured the angle from a center of the small irradiation field, and comparison was done. From the results, a large accidental error wasn't seen as a result of the measurement by every film. Stereotactic radiotherapy for a head treatment had an accidental error of about several millimeters when treatment positioning was done. Therefore, it was thought that there was no problem about an accidental error to arise by putting a landmark in the skull. And, because an accidental error was easy to discover, we thought that modification could be done easily. It was suggested that a landmark in the skull on thus study were useful for improvement of stereotactic radiotherapy.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.110-113
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• 2006

Surgery and radiotherapy are mainly used for plasma cell neoplasm which constitutes about $1{\sim}2%$ of human malignancy. The authors carried out Fractionated Stereotactic Radiotherapy[FSRT] on the residual tumor after the subtotal removal of Intracranial plasmacytoma. A huge mass lesion was observed on MRI [magnetic resonance image] in the left anterior and middle cranial fossa of a 63-year-old man with left exophthalmus which lasted for a month, and was suspected as a meningioma with strong contrast enhancement. Extramedullary plasmacytoma was diagnosed on histopathological examination. After the surgery, FSRT was also carried out on the residual tumor which invaded the skull base. One-year follow up after FSRT showed contrast enhancement only in the left sphenoid bone on MRI, which indicated significant decrease in the size of the tumor without any abnormal neurologic deficits. We treated intracranial plasmacytoma which invaded left anterior and middle cranial fossa and surrounded cavernous sinus without cranial nerve deficit through subtotal tumor removal and FSRT.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.154-158
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• 2006

Objective : We treated 10 pediatric diffuse intrinsic brain stem glioma[BSG] patients with Novalis system [linac based radiotherapy unit, Germany] and examined the efficacy of the Fractionated Stereotactic Radiotherapy[FSRT]. Methods : A retrospective review was conducted on 10 pediatric diffuse intrinsic BSG patients who were treated with FSRT between May, 2001 and August, 2004. The mean age of the patient group was 7.7 years old. Male to female ratio was 4 to 1. The mean dose of FSRT was 38.7Gy, mean fractionated dose was 2.6Gy, mean fractionation size was 16.6, and target volume was $42.78cm^3$. The mean follow up period was 14 months. Results : Four weeks after completion of FSRT, improvements on neurological status and Karnofsky performance scale[KPS] score were recorded in 9/10 (90%] patients and magnetic resonance imaging[MRI] showed decrease in target tumor volume in 8 pediatric patients. The median survival period was 13.5 months after FSRT and treatment toxicity was mild. Conclusion : It is difficult for surgeons to choose surgical treatment for diffuse intrinsic BSG due to its dangerous anatomical structures. FSRT made it possible to control the tumor volume to improve neurological symptoms with minimal complications. We expect that FSRT is a feasible treatment modality for pediatric diffuse intrinsic BSG with tolerable toxicities.

• 대한두경부종양학회:학술대회논문집
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• 1998.11a
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• pp.283-284
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• 1998

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Medical Physics Conference
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• 2002.09a
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• pp.136-137
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• 2002

We have been researching upgrade version of a stereotactic whole body frame, used for evaluating daily setup accuracy of the patient positioning during fractionated extra-cranial stereotactic radiotherapy. Currently, we are focusing on the development of a new stereotactic whole body frame, and then will handle organ movement produced by breathing at the next stage. MeV-Green is chosen for the best immobilizer possible and the epoxy board is for the frame with the dimension of 110 em in length, 50 cm in width in order to maximize transmission rate of the beam from lateral or posterior direction and to fit CT and PET scanners with an aperture of 55 cm at least. The key point of an upgraded stereotactic whole body frame will be set on the collision-free rotation of the gantry with the frame, and the development of the checking structure for the daily patient repositioning regarding internal target.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.9-14
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• 2002

We invented the newly developed Fractionated Stereotactic Radiotherapy(F.S.R.T) system using combined techniques of couch mounting and pedestal mounting system. Head fixation frame consists of a milled alluminium alloy(duralumin) and is placed to the couch. This frame immobilized patient head using the dental bite, 3.2 mm frontal and occipital thermoplastic mask. To evaluate the coordinate of target isocenter, Brown-Revert-Walls C.T localizer can be attached to this frame. And also, we developed the frame mounting system by developing the modification of pedestal mounting system. This system is fixed to couch floor and can be used to evaluate the isocenteric accuracy of gantry, couch and collimator in Q.A procedure. In order to measure the relocation accuracy, the acrylic phantom and the accurate pointers have been made. The repositioning of the targets in the phantom were estimated by comparing C.T coordinates and E.C.L portal films taken with anterior-posterior and right-left direction. From the results of experiments, the average distance errors between the target isocenter and its mean position were 0.71$\pm$0.19 for lateral, 0.45$\pm$0.15 for inferior-superior, 0.63$\pm$0.18 for anterior-posterior. And the maximum distance error was less than 1.3 mm. The new head fixation frame and frame mounting system were non-invasive, accurately relocatable, easy to use, very light and well tolerable by the results of phantom tests. The major advantage of using this frame mounting system is complete access to any point in the Patients cranium especially posterior direction

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.92-97
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• 2005

Purpose : Reports on the outcome of curative radiotherapy for the primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are rarely encountered in the literature. in this study, we report our experience of a clinical trial where fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT) was used in treating a primary HCC. Materials and Methods : A retrospective analysis was peformed on 20 patients who had been histologically diagnosed as HCC and treated by fractionated SRT. The long diameter of tumor measured by CT was $2\~6.5$ cm (average: 3.8 cm). A single dose of radiation used in fractionated SRT was S or 10 Gy: each dose was prescribed based on the planning target volume and normalized to $85\~99\%$ isocenter dose. Patients were treated $3\~5$ times per week for 2 weeks, with each receiving a total dose of 50 Gy (the median dose: 50 Gy). The follow up period was $\~55$ months (the median follow up period: 23 months). Results : The response rate was $50\%$ (12 patients), with 4 patients showing complete response ($20%$), 8 patients showing partial response ($40\%$), and 8 patients showing stable disease ($40\%$). The 1-year and 2-year survival rates were $70.0\%$ and $43.1\%$, respectively, and the median survival time was 20 months. The 1-year and 2-year disease free survival rates were $65\%$ and $32.5\%$, respectively, and the median disease-free survival rate was 19 months. Some acute complications of the treatment were noted as follows: dyspepsia in 12 patients ($60\%$), nausea/emesis in 8 patients ($40\%$), and transient liver function impairment in 6 patients ($30\%$). However, there was no treatment related death. Conclusion : The study indicates that fractionated SRT is a relatively safe and effective method for treating primary HCC. Thus, fractionated SRT may be suggested as a local treatment for HCC of small lesion and containing a single lesion, when the patients are inoperable or operation is refused by the patients. We thought that fractionated SRT is a challenging treatment modality for the HCC.