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Review
. 2015 Mar;88(1047):20140720.
doi: 10.1259/bjr.20140720. Epub 2015 Jan 9.

Time to demand dosimetry for molecular radiotherapy?

D R McGowan  1 , M J Guy
Affiliations
Review

Time to demand dosimetry for molecular radiotherapy?

D R McGowan et al. Br J Radiol. 2015 Mar.

Abstract

Molecular radiotherapy (MRT) has been used clinically for around 75 years. Despite this long history of clinical use, there is no established dosimetry practice for calculating the absorbed dose delivered to tumour targets or to organs at risk. As a result, treatment protocols have often evolved based on experience with relatively small numbers of patients, each receiving a similar administered activity but, potentially, widely varying doses. This is in stark contrast to modern external-beam radiotherapy practice. This commentary describes some of the barriers to MRT dosimetry and gives some opinions on the way forward.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Bell curve showing that treating “as high as safely administered” means that the majority of the patients will be undertreated. Max, maximum.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine levels of evidence scale.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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