[Evidence based medicine and high performance irradiation techniques: endometrial cancer]

Abstract

Radiation oncology is a field in which many technologic improvements have been made over the past decades. External beam radiotherapy has evolved from treatment fields planned on X-rays to 3-dimensional planning with fusion with MRI's and PET images. Recently, intensity-modulated radiotherapy has been tested for many cancer localizations, and its role in the treatment of gynecologic cancers is still under evaluation. Potential benefits are well known: decrease of treatment toxicity, improvement of efficacy through better dose delivery. But the implementation of this technique requires a careful target and organs at risk delineation. The goal of this review is to evaluate the use of intensity-modulated radiotherapy in endometrial cancers with respect of dosimetric and clinical studies to date. In addition, challenges and perspectives of intensity-modulated radiotherapy integration are discussed.

Keywords: Cancer de l’endomètre; Curiethérapie; Endometrial cancer; Image-guided brachytherapy; Intensity-modulated; Modulation d’intensité; Radiation therapy; Radiothérapie.