ArticleTechnical innovations & patient support in radiation oncology2026
A case report of radiotherapy for head and neck cancer in a pregnant woman: dosimetric optimization and
Article in Technical innovations & patient support in radiation oncology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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.
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.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Radiotherapy during pregnancy is a rare and ethically complex requiring careful management of fetal exposure. Although peripheral doses from head and neck radiotherapy are typically low, fetal irradiation carries a potential developmental or carcinogenic risk. Accurate dose estimation and optimization are essential when radiotherapy cannot be postponed. Case presentation: A 27-year-old woman, 26 weeks pregnant, required adjuvant radiotherapy for a left parotid adenoid cystic carcinoma (pT4a N3b, R1). To minimize fetal exposure, a one-month pre-treatment period was dedicated to dosimetric optimization. Three clinically equivalent VMAT plans were compared using different collimator angles (15°/345°, 80°/30°, and 80°/100°). Out-of-field dose measurements were assessed using a calibrated ionization chamber positioned in a slab phantom at varying depths and distances simulating fetal position and progression of pregnancy. All plan showed low out-of-field dose, below 100 mGy. The plan with 80°/100° collimator angles (Popt2) consistently showed the lowest out-of-field dose and was therefore selected for treatment. A lead apron was added during treatment. Conclusions: This unprecedented case in our institution demonstrates the feasibility of safely delivering radiotherapy during pregnancy through multidisciplinary coordination and meticulous dose management. Phantom-based optimization and Background: Radiotherapy during pregnancy is rare and presents significant ethical and technical challenges dure to fetal radiation exposure. The nature of these effects depends on both the dose level and the stage of pregnancy [1]. Although postponing treatment until after delivery is preferable whenever possible, radiotherapy can be administered during pregnancy under certain conditions. The International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) has established that, for an absorbed dose below 100 mGy, no risk to fetal development is expected [2] and medical termination of pregnancy is not justified regarding radiation risks. Nevertheless, fetal dose optimization remains essential, as stochastic risks may exist even at low exposure levels.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.