Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39670056›Full record

ReviewClinical and translational radiation oncology2025

Radiobiology and modelling in Brachytherapy: A review inspired by the ESTRO Brachytherapy pre-meeting course.

A J Stewart, C Chargari, A Chyrek, F Eckert, J L Guinot, T P Hellebust, P Hoskin, C Kirisits, B Pieters, F A Siebert and 5 more

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Clinical and translational radiation oncology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing 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

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Breakthroughs in modern brachytherapy are transforming cancer care.Physics and imaging in radiation oncology · 2025
    Article
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

15 authors.

A J StewartRoyal Surrey County Hospital, Guildford, United Kingdom.
C ChargariPitié Salpêtrière University Hospital, Paris, France.
A ChyrekBrachytherapy Department, Greater Poland Cancer Centre, Poznań, Poland.
F EckertMedical University of Vienna, Department of Radiation Oncology, Austria.
J L GuinotFoundation Instituto Valenciano de Oncologia (IVO) Valencia, Spain.
T P HellebustOslo University Hospital, Norway.
P HoskinMount Vernon Cancer Centre and Division of Cancer Sciences, United Kingdom.
C KirisitsMedical University of Vienna, Department of Radiation Oncology, Austria.
B PietersAmsterdam University Medical Center, Department of Radiation Oncology, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
F A SiebertUKSH, Campus Kiel Clinic of Radiotherapy, Germany.
L TagliaferriPoliclinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli, IRCCS - Rome, Italy.
K TanderupAarhus University/Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark.
D TodorVirginia Commonwealth University, United States of America.
P WojcieszekThe Maria Sklodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology, Gliwice Branch, Poland.
J M Hannoun-LeviAntoine Lacassagne Cancer Center - University Côte d'Azur, Nice, France.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Brachytherapy (BT) plays a key role in cancer treatment by delivering a high dose to a small volume over a short time. The use of BT is currently validated in a wide range of cancers such as cervical, prostate and breast cancers while being a favourable choice for organ preservation, such as in penile or rectal cancer, or in the setting of reirradiation. Consideration of the radiobiology of BT is integral to the choices made around dose and fractionation and combination with other techniques such as external beam radiotherapy (EBRT). Much of the radiobiology of brachytherapy is based on historic data, but fortunately there is a drive to integrate translational research including radiobiologic parameters into modern BT research. In a changing therapeutic landscape moving to a high dose rate (HDR) based on high dose per fraction, it is important to ensure that the incorporation of new radiobiology knowledge helps to drive clinical practice. This manuscript takes the ESTRO Brachytherapy pre-meeting course (May 3, 2024 - Glasgow ESTRO meeting) as a base and develops the concepts to present an overview of radiobiology in brachytherapy. Presented are 3 different considerations: the fundamentals of BT radiobiology (BT radiobiology history, biology and BT, α/β and re-irradiation), the pre-clinical radiobiology approach (pulsed dose radiotherapy (PDR) vs HDR, BT vs best EBRT techniques, high dose regions and integrated boost) and clinical radiobiology approaches (optimal number of BT fractions, radiobiology in BR for cervical, prostate, breast, skin/H&N and gastro-intestinal cancers). Presented is an analysis of radiobiology and modelling in BT aiding the integration of scientific pre-clinical and clinical data to allow a better understanding of the use of radioactive sources for cancer treatment.

Identifiers

PMID39670056
PMCPMC11636333

What OpenQuestion holds

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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.