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. 2017 Dec 13;7(1):17533.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-17893-y.

The efficacy of intensity modulated radiation therapy in treating thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy and predictive factors for treatment response

Yong-Jiang Li  1 , Yong Luo  1 , Xiao-Qi Xie  2 , Wei-Min He  3 , Cheng Yi  1 , Ping Li  1 , Feng Wang  4
Affiliations

The efficacy of intensity modulated radiation therapy in treating thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy and predictive factors for treatment response

Yong-Jiang Li et al. Sci Rep. .

Abstract

The study evaluated clinical efficacy of intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) in treating patients with thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO) and defined predictive factors that associated with treatment response. A total of 178 TAO patients were treated with retro-orbital IMRT with radiation dose of 20 Gy in 10 fractions. The immediate and long-term treatment response and complications were evaluated. Besides, logistic-regression analysis was conducted to identify possible predictive factors. TAO symptom score significantly fell from the initiation to 6-month post-treatment (P < 0.001). 134 patients (73.2%) had mild to significant response to IMRT, and 172 patients (96.6%) achieved stabilization of TAO without future progression. Current smoker (OR 2.88, 95% CI 1.32-6.29; P = 0.008) and symptom duration longer than 18 months (OR 3.33, 95% CI 1.24-8.93; P = 0.017) were identified as independent predictive factors for non-response of TAO to retro-orbital IMRT. Immediate complications were slight and self-limited, and long-term complications mainly included chronic xerophthalmias in12 patients (6.74%) and cataract formation in 4 patients (2.25%). The study suggested that IMRT was a viable option for treating TAO patients, with a satisfactory symptom control ability and acceptable post-treatment complications.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Target volume delineation (A,B) of IMRT in treating TAO.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Planned dose distribution of IMRT in treating TAO.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Treatment response to IMRT in the initial 6 months. (A) The changes in TAO symptom score; (B) The percentage of patients in different response degrees.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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