Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 2, 2026
Proton Therapy Delivery and Its Clinical Application in Select Solid Tumor Malignancies
Published on: February 6, 2019
Grading-system-dependent volume effects for late radiation-induced rectal toxicity after curative radiotherapy for
Hans Paul van der Laan1, Alphons van den Bergh, Cornelis Schilstra
1Department of Radiation Oncology, University Medical Center Groningen/University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands. h.p.van.der.laan@rt.umcg.nl
Purpose:
To assess the association between the dose distributions in the rectum and late Radiation Therapy Oncology Group and the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (RTOG/EORTC), Late Effects of Normal Tissue SOMA, and Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) version 3.0 graded rectal toxicity among patients with prostate cancer treated with RT.
Methods And Materials:
Included in the study were 124 patients who received three-dimensional conformal RT for prostate cancer to a total dose of 70 Gy in 2-Gy fractions. All patients completed questionnaires regarding rectum complaints before RT and during long-term follow-up. Late rectum Grade 2 or worse toxicity, according to RTOG/EORTC, LENT SOMA, and CTCAE v3.0 criteria, was analyzed in relation to rectal dose and volume parameters.
Results:
Dose-volume thresholds (V40>or=65%, V50>or=55%, V65>or=45%, V70>or=20%, and a rectum volume
Conclusions:
Volume effects for late radiation-induced rectal toxicity are present, but their clinical significance depends on the grading system used. This should be taken into account in the interpretation of studies reporting on radiation-induced rectal toxicity.
