Evidence map›Paper›PMID 27648086›Full record

ArticleJournal of contemporary brachytherapy2016

Clinical implementation of a novel applicator in high-dose-rate brachytherapy treatment of esophageal cancer.

Ivan M Buzurovic, Jorgen L Hansen, Mandar S Bhagwat, Desmond A O'Farrell, Scott Friesen, Thomas C Harris, Antonio L Damato, Robert A Cormack, Neil E Martin, Phillip M Devlin

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of contemporary brachytherapy, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Auxetic solution for enhanced esophageal brachytherapy applicator.Journal of contemporary brachytherapy · 2025
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Ivan M BuzurovicDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Dana Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Jorgen L HansenDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Dana Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Mandar S BhagwatDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Dana Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Desmond A O'FarrellDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Dana Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Scott FriesenDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Dana Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Thomas C HarrisDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Dana Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Antonio L DamatoDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Dana Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Robert A CormackDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Dana Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Neil E MartinDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Dana Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Phillip M DevlinDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Dana Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeIn this study, we present the clinical implementation of a novel transoral balloon centering esophageal applicator (BCEA) and the initial clinical experience in high-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy treatment of esophageal cancer, using this applicator. MATERIAL AND

methodsAcceptance testing and commissioning of the BCEA were performed prior to clinical use. Full performance testing was conducted including measurements of the dimensions and the catheter diameter, evaluation of the inflatable balloon consistency, visibility of the radio-opaque markers, congruence of the markers, absolute and relative accuracy of the HDR source in the applicator using the radiochromic film and source position simulator, visibility and digitization of the applicator on the computed tomography (CT) images under the clinical conditions, and reproducibility of the offset. Clinical placement of the applicator, treatment planning, treatment delivery, and patient's response to the treatment were elaborated as well.

resultsThe experiments showed sub-millimeter accuracy in the source positioning with distal position at 1270 mm. The digitization (catheter reconstruction) was uncomplicated due to the good visibility of markers. The treatment planning resulted in a favorable dose distribution. This finding was pronounced for the treatment of the curvy anatomy of the lesion due to the improved repeatability and consistency of the delivered fractional dose to the patient, since the radioactive source was placed centrally within the lumen with respect to the clinical target due to the five inflatable balloons.

conclusionsThe consistency of the BCEA positioning resulted in the possibility to deliver optimized non-uniform dose along the catheter, which resulted in an increase of the dose to the cancerous tissue and lower doses to healthy tissue. A larger number of patients and long-term follow-up will be required to investigate if the delivered optimized treatment can lead to improved clinical outcomes.

Indexed as

brachytherapyesophageal cancerHDRoptimization

Identifiers

PMID27648086
PMCPMC5018528

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-SA
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.