ACR Revises Guidelines For Radiation Therapy Following Squamous Cell Carcinoma Resection

Julie Ritzer Ross | | Radiology Business | Business Intelligence
The American College of Radiology (ACR) has revised its appropriateness criteria for the use of radiation therapy following surgical resection of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. The revised guidelines appear in the July issue of Oral Oncology. Based on clinical trial outcomes the new guidelines stipulate, treatment should be initiated as soon as possible and completed within an 11-week period from the time of surgery when a patient will only receive radiation therapy following surgical resection. Jonathan Beilter, MD, professor of oncology and otolaryngology at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, and other members of the ACR’s expert panel of oncologists, radiation oncologists, and surgeons say the impact of the timing of radiation therapy on outcomes when it is delivered with concurrent chemotherapy is unclear. However, they claim postoperative chemoradiotherapy is more effective than postoperative radiotherapy alone for high-risk patients. For a more detailed summary of the Oral Oncology article or to purchase it online, click here.—Julie Ritzer Ross

Julie Ritzer Ross,

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