[en] Purpose: 1) to measure the basic structural characteristics of radiation oncology facilities for the entire country, providing census data for January 1, 1994; 2) to allow comparisons by facility type, equipment, or patient load; 3) to allow comparisons of the patterns of equipment and personnel to previous surveys; and 4) to make a preliminary assessment of the geographic distribution of facilities. Methods and Materials: A mail survey verified whether each potential facility delivered megavoltage radiation therapy and collected data on treatment machines, other equipment, personnel, new patients, and procedures performed. Responses were obtained from 99% of potential facilities. The census data was summarized for the entire country, by hospital-based, free-standing, or federal category, by single or multiple treatment machine group, and by new patient load category. Geographic analysis compared the center of radiation oncology facilities with the center of cities or towns having a population of more than 25,000 residents in 1990. Results: In the United States in 1994, 1542 facilities delivered megavoltage radiation therapy, with 2744 treatment machines, 2777 FTE radiation oncologists, 1349 FTE physicists, 1314 FTE dosimetrists, and 7167 FTE radiation therapists. They treated 560,262 new patients and reported that 60% were treated with curative intent. Eighty percent of the facilities had a dedicated treatment planning computer and 15% had a time-sharing treatment-planning computer, but 5% had no treatment-planning capability. Ninety-five percent of all facilities reported that patients were simulated at that facility. Fourteen percent of all facilities used hyperthermia, 8% intraoperative radiation therapy, 12% stereotactic radiosurgery, and 19% conformal therapy with 3D planning. Of all facilities 35% reported having a dedicated CT scanner and 12% reported having a CT simulator in the department. The distributions of these measures were reported for hospital-based, free-standing, and federal facilities, for single-treatment machine, and multiple-treatment machines facilities, and for three categories based on patient load. Only 18 cities with a population over 25,000 were more than 25 miles from a radiation oncology facility, of which only eight were more than 50 miles from a facility. Conclusion: The Facilities Surveys continue to provide a unique source of census data on radiation oncology in the United States, allowing comparisons by facility group and over time

[en] Purpose: To determine the impact of evolving technology and the influence of published findings from retrospective and prospective studies on the patterns of radiotherapy practice for patients with carcinoma of the uterine cervix. Materials and Methods: 66 institutions were randomly selected for the National Survey (NS) from a master list of all radiation facilities in the United States, proportionally stratified according to practice type. To study the potential influence of patient ethnicity on practice patterns, 12 additional facilities were selected for a Minority-Rich Survey (MRS) from a list of institutions that reported a high proportion of minority patients in their census. Each facility submitted a list of patients treated in 1992-94 with radiation for squamous carcinoma of the cervix. Patients who had clinical evidence of distance metastases or who were treated with initial hysterectomy were excluded. Patients were randomly selected from each institution for review. A total of 601 patients' records were reviewed in the treating institution by one of two trained research associates. Information was recorded about patients' characteristics, diagnostic evaluation, tumor extent, treatment approach, and radiotherapy techniques. Results: Of 601 patients, 31%, 40%, 24% and 4% had FIGO Stage I, II, III, or IV disease, respectively. 79% of women had a Karnofsky status ≥90 and 76% had a pre-treatment Hgb ≥10. Black women tended to have lower hemoglobin levels and a poorer performance status than Hispanic or non-Hispanic white patients although the distribution of tumors according to FIGO stage was similar for women of different ethnic groups. Diagnostic work-up included a CT scan in (411(516)) patients for whom information was available (80%). Of these, 61 (15%) were interpreted as showing evidence of nodal metastasis in either the abdomen or pelvis. Lymphangiogram or MRI were obtained in only 4% and 5% of patients, respectively. 104 patients had surgical exploration for nodal evaluation. Of these, 43 (41%) were found to have regional metastases. Fields were designed using a dedicated simulator in 97% of 563 cases for whom information was available. However fields were designed using only a diagnostic X-ray unit in 17 cases. 108 patients (18%) had CT-based treatment planning using a dedicated unit or CT simulator. (582(601)) patients (97%) were treated with curative intent. 532 (91%) were treated with a combination of external beam irradiation and brachytherapy. Most of those treated with external alone had locally advanced disease but (18(235)) patients with Stage I-IIA disease (8%) did not receive brachytherapy. Patients in the MRS were less likely to be treated with shaped fields (73% vs 95%), but were more likely to be treated with daily fractions ≤180 cGy (95% vs 79%), four-field technique (88% vs 76%) and high-energy photons ≥15MV (85% vs 57%) than patients in the NS. 111 patients (18%) received the external beam and brachytherapy components of their treatment in different facilities. Only 20 patients (3%) were treated with interstitial templates. Of 520 patients who had intracavitary treatments, 467 (90%) were with low-dose-rate (LDR) sources, 51 (10%) were with high-dose-rate (HDR) sources, and 2 were treated with a combination of dose rates. 50% of patients treated with LDR had 1 application with or without adjuvant hysterectomy and 50% had ≥2 applications. A broad variety of schedules were used for HDR treatment. The mean overall duration of treatment for all patients was 57 days. However, for 25% of patients, the overall duration of treatment was > 10 weeks. The median duration of treatment for patients with Stages I-IIA was 55 days vs 62 days for those with Stages IIB-III. 86 patients (14%) failed to complete planned radiotherapy. Patient compliance was more likely to be cited as the reason for incomplete treatment in the MRS (53% vs 30%) and these patients were also more likely to have unplanned treatment breaks (11% vs 5%) than those in the NS. 38 patients (6%) were treated on GOG or RTO G protocols and another 10 (1.7%) were treated on institutional IRB-approved protocols. 134 patients (22%) received chemotherapy before (14 pts), during (123 pts), or after (6 pts) radiotherapy. Cisplatin, 5-FU, and hydroxyurea were the most commonly used drugs. Conclusions: Most patients with carcinoma of the cervix continued to be treated with a combination of external beam radiotherapy and LDR brachytherapy. Although most patients were treated with appropriate treatment planning and modern equipment, the failure to use brachytherapy and a tendency to excessive treatment prolongation may still have compromised treatment in some cases. Despite a lack of convincing data supporting its use, many patients were treated with chemotherapy outside investigational studies

[en] Purpose: Over the last two decades, the chance for the cure of localized prostate cancer by radiation has been improved by the widespread use of PSA for early detection and by a number of technical advances in treatment delivery. This study was designed to determine whether the stage of presentation and the quality of radiation treatment delivered are comparable between Caucasian and minority patients nationally and within minority-rich areas. Methods and Materials: A random survey conducted for the Patterns of Care Study in Radiation Oncology of 80 facilities treating patients with radiation in the USA. Of these, 67 comprise the 'National Survey' and 13 a 'Minority-Rich' survey (>40% of treated patients are minorities). Nine hundred twenty-six men with localized prostate cancer were treated in 1994. Five hundred ninety-five were in the national and 331 in the minority-rich survey. The main outcome measures were the clinical features of Caucasian and minority men at presentation and technical characteristics of the treatment delivered to them. Results: African-American men presented with more advanced disease (higher-presenting PSA and T-stage) than Caucasians in both the national and the minority-rich surveys. Hispanics also presented with later disease and could be grouped with African-American men rather than Caucasians. Overall the stage and PSA at presentation was earlier than seen in the previous Patterns of Care Study survey of 1989. The quality of treatment delivered has improved since 1989, with no distinction seen between those facilities sampled nationally and those within minority-rich areas. Conclusion: African-American and Hispanic men with prostate cancer present for therapy at a later stage than Caucasian men, but when they do, the treatment received is of comparable quality

[en] The shortage of radiation therapists (radiation therapy technologists) has existed in the United States for many years. It now appears the supply may be matching the demand. This report analyzes the data from the most recent manpower study from ACR/ASTRO carried out in 1990 using the Patterns of Care Master Facility list. The report is a comparison of these figures with similar figures published in IJROBP in December, 1983. Between 1980 and 1990 the number of radiation therapists rose from 3096 to 5353, an increase of 72%. During this period of time, the number of radiation therapy machines increased 47%, and the number of patients being treated increased 30%. The total number of educational programs in radiation therapy technology increased from 101 in 1989 to 123 in 1993. The total enrollment in these programs grew from 806 in 1989 to 1591 in 1993. The number of first time examinees in radiation therapy technology by ARRT in 1983 was 387 and increased to 943 in 1994. It is apparent that as a result of the increase in the number of radiation therapy educational programs and the more effective recruitment into these program, the supply of graduating radiation therapists has reached the demand. The future needs for entry level radiation therapists should be based on current data as well as new Blue Book standards that are being developed

[en] Purpose: To extend the observations of patients with carcinoma of the cervix treated in 1973 for over 15 years, in 1978 for over 10 years, and in 1983 for over 5 years for survival and local control to compare treatment times and outcome. Methods and Materials: A nationwide survey of the patterns of practice in radiation therapy for patients with squamous carcinoma of the cervix collected pretreatment and treatment data using external surveyors who reviewed patients' records. Outcome information was updated for the three separate databases by mail survey. Overall survival, no evidence of disease (NED) survival, and local control curves by stage were plotted using the estimates derived by the Kaplan--Meier method. Results: Total number of patients surveyed was 1686: 937 patients in 1973, 565 patients in 1978, and 184 patients in 1983. These are the results from changes in treatment policy, particularly the increasing use of brachytherapy. Of Stage III patients, the percentage receiving brachytherapy was 60.5% in 1973, 76.5% in 1978, and 87.9% in 1983 (p < 0.001 by linear trend test). Also, there was an increased proportion in use of higher energy for external pelvic irradiation during the more recent time period, e.g., 28% in the 1973 study, 60% in the 1978 study, and 87% in the 1983 study compared to the usage of cobalt-60 equipment. Comparison of results including overall survival, local control, and NED survival for the three different time periods showed improvement in outcome for Stage III in 1983, but not Stages I and II. The 5-year survival for Stage III increased from 25% in the 1973 survey to 47% in the 1983 survey, a linear trend that is statistically significant (p = 0.02). Conclusion: The long-term results of radiotherapy for patients with carcinoma of the cervix show improved outcome for Stage III patients, which probably results from improved treatment, including higher energy for pelvic irradiation and increase in use of brachytherapy contributing better local control and fewer complications

[en] Purpose: To document national standards of care for patients receiving radiotherapy as part of curative treatment for Hodgkin's disease. Materials and Methods: A national survey was conducted of 61 institutions treating 275 patients with Stages I-III Hodgkin's disease and representing six facility type strata. Pretreatment evaluation, radiotherapy treatment parameters, and use of combined modality therapy were assessed. Results: Ann Arbor stage for the 275 patients was as follows: IA, 69 (25%); IB, 7 (3%); IIA, 123 (45%); IIB, 36 (13%); IIIA 23 (8%), IIIB, 14 (5%); unknown, 3 (1%). Pretreatment evaluation included complete blood count for 93%, sedimentation rate in 29%, chest CT in 88%, abdominal CT scan in 87%, and bone marrow biopsy in 81%. Lymphangiograms were obtained in 50% of cases; laparotomy was performed in 46%. The yield of positive findings in the spleen at laparotomy was 6.5% overall. Facility differences with respect to staging were seen only for the use of gallium scans, which were more commonly used in academic centers (44% vs. 15-23% elsewhere, p < 0.001). Radiotherapy was delivered with a linear accelerator in 94% of cases. Treatment simulation was performed for 94% and individualized blocks constructed for 95% overall; however, freestanding facilities had a lower rate of performance of these procedures (78% vs. 98-99% for simulation and 88% vs. 96-99% for customized blocking, p < 0.001). The mean supradiaphragmatic dose was 36.74 Gy and the mean subdiaphragmatic dose was 33.81 Gy. Planned combined modality therapy was given in 36% of patients. The use of combined modality therapy by stage was as follows: IA, 11%; IB, 43%; IIA, 30%; IIB, 68%; IIIA, 57%; IIIB, 100%. Chemotherapy was completed prior to radiation in 80% of cases and generally consisted of ABVD (32%), an alternating regimen (25%), or MOPP (22%). Among Stage I/II patients, use of chemotherapy was associated with reduced radiation doses (mean supradiaphragmatic dose 34.53 Gy vs. 38.43 Gy and mean subdiaphragmatic dose 31.27 Gy vs. 34.51 Gy), and reduced volumes of treatment (87% vs. 28% treated to one side of the diaphragm only). Laparotomy was not associated with decreased supra- or subdiaphragmatic radiation doses or decreased volumes of treatment. Conclusions: With the exception of gallium scans, pretreatment evaluation is relatively uniform across facility strata. Increased understanding of prognostic factors in Hodgkin's disease and greater use of planned combined modality therapy for higher risk patients appears to have contributed to a decreased use of and low yield of positive findings for laparotomy. Laparotomy was not associated with reduced radiation volumes or doses. Freestanding radiation facilities had a lower rate than other facility types for the performance of treatment simulation and customized patient blocking

[en] Purpose: To determine the impact of research findings and evolving technology on the patterns of radiotherapy practice for patients with carcinoma of the uterine cervix. Methods and Materials: Sixty-two radiation therapy facilities participated in the study after having been selected from a random sample, proportionally stratified according to practice type, of all United States facilities. Each facility submitted a list of patients treated during 1992-1994 with radiation for squamous carcinoma of the cervix. Cases for review were randomly selected from each institution after excluding those of patients who had distant metastases or initial hysterectomy. A total of 471 patients' records were reviewed in the treating institutions to obtain information about patients' characteristics, diagnostic evaluation, tumor extent, treatment approach, and radiotherapy techniques. Results: Of the 61 facilities that treated eligible cases of intact cervical cancer during the 3-year survey period, 35 (57%) treated fewer than three eligible patients per year. Thirty-four (83%) of 41 non-academic facilities vs. 1 (5%) of 20 academic facilities treated fewer than three patients per year. FIGO stages were I, II, III, and IV in 32%, 40%, 24%, and 3% of patients, respectively. Computed tomography (CT) was the most common method of lymph node evaluation, but surgical evaluation, which was performed in 76 (16%) patients, had increased from previous surveys. Fields were designed using a dedicated simulator in 95% of patients; a dedicated CT unit was used for treatment planning in 119 (30%) cases. External beam irradiation was most often given using a four-field technique at 180 cGy per day on a 10-20 MV linear accelerator. The average daily fraction size had decreased from previous surveys, and 13% of patients were treated with daily doses of 170 cGy or less. Most patients were treated with a combination of external beam and low dose-rate (LDR) intracavitary irradiation. Of 425 patients who had treatment with curative intent that included brachytherapy, 362 (85%) had LDR brachytherapy, 45 (11%) had high dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy, 3 had a combination of HDR and LDR, and 15 had incomplete information about the brachytherapy dose-rate. Forty-six (23%) of 197 patients with Stages I-IIA disease were treated with radiation followed by extrafascial hysterectomy. Of 111 patients treated with curative intent for Stage III-IV disease, 72 (65%) had a combination of external beam and intracavitary radiation therapy, 22 (20%) had external beam plus interstitial brachytherapy, and 17 (15%) were treated with external beam irradiation only. For patients who completed treatment with curative intent and did not have adjuvant hysterectomy or HDR brachytherapy, the median total dose at point A was 82.5 Gy. For all patients who completed treatment with radiation alone, the median total duration of treatment was 63 days; more than 70 days were taken to complete treatment in 33% of cases. Twenty-nine percent of patients received chemotherapy, usually concurrent with their radiation therapy. Only 27% of these patients were on investigational protocols. Conclusions: Greater participation in well-designed prospective trials might help clinicians address important clinical questions and reduce current inconsistencies in the use of adjuvant treatments. Radiation oncologists should take steps to avoid unnecessary treatment protraction and to improve patient compliance. Future studies will be needed to determine whether the small number of cases being treated in most nonacademic facilities will influence the outcome for patients with invasive cervical carcinoma

[en] Purpose: The United States and Japan have very different backgrounds in their medical care systems. In the field of radiation oncology, national surveys on structure have been conducted for both countries and compared to illustrate any similarities and differences present from 1989-1990. Methods and Materials: The Patterns of Care Study Facility Survey conducted in 1989 in the United States and the National Survey of Structure in Japan in 1990 were compared to evaluate the equipment pattern, staffing pattern, compliance rate with the 'blue book' (3) guideline, and the geographic distribution of institutions. Results: In the United States, a total of 598,184 (49% of the total of newly diagnosed) patients were treated with radiation therapy. In Japan, 62,829 (approximately 15% of the total of newly diagnosed) patients were treated. The numbers of external megavoltage treatment machines were 2,397 in the United States and 494 in Japan. The numbers of full time equivalent (FTE) radiation oncologists were 2,335 in the United States and 366 in Japan. Only 15% of United States facilities and 11% of Japan facilities complied with the narrow blue book guideline for the patients per FTE radiation oncologist (200-250), while the most common ratio was 151-200 patients/FTE in the United States and 51-100 in Japan. In Japan, more than 60% of institutions were staffed by a part-time radiation oncologist (FTE < 1.0). Between geographic regions, there was variation in the percentage of cancer patients treated with radiation therapy for both the United States (42-56%) and Japan (6-25%). Conclusion: There is a major difference in the usage of radiation therapy for treating cancer between the United States and Japan with 49% of all new cancer patients treated in the United States and approximately 15% treated in Japan. Equipment structure in the United States is more complete than in Japan with important differences in treatment simulators, treatment planning computers, and support personnel. High dose rate intracavitary radiation is commonly available in Japan and there are geographic differences in radiation oncology utilization in both countries

[en] PURPOSE: To determine the U.S. national practice for the treatment of adenocarcinoma of the rectum. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From a national survey sample of 49 institutions (15: academic, 14: research participating, 20: non-research participating) 460 patients who received radiation therapy (RT) as a component of their treatment for rectal cancer were sampled. A stratified two-stage cluster sampling with simple random sampling at each stage for each stratum was used and on-site surveys were performed by 2 Research Associates. RESULTS: Of the 460 pts, 347 (75%) received post-operative therapy, 97 (21%) had pre-operative therapy, 14 (3%) had pre + post-operative therapy, and 2 had intraoperative RT alone. A local excision was performed in 12% of pts. compared with 3% in the 1988-1989 PCS process survey. Overall, 84% of pts. had a medical oncology consultation and a total of 80% received chemotherapy compared with 44% in the 1988-1989 PCS process survey. In order to assess the penetration of modern RT techniques as well as recommendations of Intergroup clinical trials into current practice this analysis is limited to the 101 patients (22%) who underwent conventional surgery (low anterior resection or abdominoperineal resection [APR]) with negative margins and had T3 and/or N1-3M0 disease. Since 1991, the standard of care for this group of pts. has been post-operative combined modality therapy consisting of pelvic RT + 6 months of chemotherapy. Although only 7% of the 101 pts. were treated on a clinical trial (6%: NCI Intergroup and 1%: institutional), 92% received chemotherapy for a median of 6 months (range: 0.5-28.5 months). Likewise, most were treated with modern RT treatment techniques (68%: prescribed to an isodose line, 80%: ≥10 MV photons, 92%: 3-4 field technique, 84% prone, 82%: all fields treated each day, and 93%: APR scar treated in all fields. Median doses included 1.8 Gy/fraction, 45 Gy to the pelvis (range: 16.2-54 Gy), plus a 8.5 Gy boost (range: 3.6-16.0 Gy), delivered over a total median elapsed time of 42 days (range: 16-85 days). However, other standard procedures were not routinely used either at the time of surgery (53%: no clips placed, and 54%: no attempt to exclude small bowel) or during the RT simulation (46%: no small bowel contrast, and in patients who did not undergo an APR, 32% had no rectal contrast). CONCLUSIONS: Despite that only 7% of eligible patients were placed on a clinical trial, these trials have had a positive influence on the standard of practice within the oncology community. Although there are still some deficiencies, the majority of patients with stage T3 and/or N1-3M0 disease receive combined modality therapy and are treated with modern RT techniques. Educational efforts need to be continued in the areas of small bowel identification and exclusion

[en] Purpose: To determine the patterns of evaluation and treatment in the U.S. of women with early breast cancer treated with breast-conserving surgery and irradiation in 1993-94, and to compare these with a similar survey in 1983 and with the 1992 Standard for Breast Conservation Treatment. Methods and Materials: In 1995-96, 727 randomly selected records of eligible patients treated from 1993-94 at 62 facilities representative of 3 practice types were reviewed. Results: Compared with the Process Survey (PS) in 1983, patients in the 1993-94 study had an older age distribution. In the current study, 70% of patients were ≥ 50 years of age, and 69% were post-menopausal, compared with 59% ≥ 50 years of age and 49% post-menopausal in 1983 (p = 0.0087 and < 0.001, respectively). Work-up and evaluation in the 1993-94 PS were closely aligned with the standard and were considerably improved compared with 1983. In the 1983 study, 77% of patients underwent mammography, as compared to 97% in the 1993-94 study. In 1983, pathological size documentation was performed in 83% of patients; in 1993-94, this was performed in 95% of patients. An estrogen receptor evaluation was performed in 36% of patients in 1983; in 1993-94, that increased to 76%. In 1983, 28% of patients underwent progesterone receptor evaluation; in 1993-94, this increased to 72%. Only 3% of patients in 1993-94 were enrolled in a clinical trial. Radiation treatment parameters closely adhered to standard recommendations, improving substantially from 1983. In 1983, wedge or compensator use was recommended for 64% of patients; in 1993-94, for 95% of patients. In 1983, 4-8 MV photons were recommended for breast treatment in 67% of patients; in 1993-94, 90%. In 1983, bolus was avoided in 75% of patients; in 1993-94, in 94%. In 1983, the recommended breast dose for 89% of patients was 45-50 Gy (44-51 Gy in PS); in 1993-94 this had increased to 99% of patients. In 1983, electrons were recommended for primary site boost in 70% of patients; in 1993-94, for 94% of patients. Conclusion: There was an extensive shift to adherence to the 1992 standard in 1993-94, compared with the 1983 PS, although there is room for improvement in some areas.