#20462 05-14-2006 09:33 AM | Joined: Mar 2006 Posts: 11 Member | OP  Member
Joined: Mar 2006 Posts: 11 | Hello,
My husband is on his last 10 radiaition treatments. At his last appointment the tech said something to him that his last week are boost treatments. Any one have any idea what that means? Thanks
Cindy,cg to Chuck,SCC unknown primary,modified neck dissection 3/06,IMRT x33 started 4/12/06,finished 5/26/06
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#20463 05-14-2006 09:48 AM | Joined: May 2006 Posts: 20 Member | | Member
Joined: May 2006 Posts: 20 | I am finishing my boost treatments now. The dr. and tech told me that the boost is more localized radiation. They focus more on the tumor location itself (therefore smaller are is being radiated) vs. the wider area of radiation they do the first 5 weeks of treatment (what they did for me). They also told me that the boost is not an additional amount of radiation.
Female, 36 yrs. old. Stage 1 tongue cancer; no lymph nodes; surgery & radiation
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#20464 05-27-2006 05:26 PM | Joined: Nov 2002 Posts: 3,552 Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts) | | Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Joined: Nov 2002 Posts: 3,552 | I was under the impression that the "boost" was additional radiation. The standard dose is between 60 and 72 cGy and with "boost" it can be as high as 81 cGy. I'm seeing my RO next week so I will be sure to ask her again in case I misunderstood. Maybe it's a little of both.
Gary Allsebrook
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Dx 11/22/02, SCC, 6 x 3 cm Polypoid tumor, rt tonsil, Stage III/IVA, T3N0M0 G1/2
Tx 1/28/03 - 3/19/03, Cisplatin ct x2, IMRT, bilateral, with boost, x35(69.96Gy)
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"You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes" (James 4:14 NIV)
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#20465 05-28-2006 03:42 AM | Joined: Jul 2005 Posts: 624 "Above & Beyond" Member (500+ posts) | | "Above & Beyond" Member (500+ posts)
Joined: Jul 2005 Posts: 624 | The "boost" that my husband received was, per his ROs, three days of radiation focussed specifically on the primary tumor area (right tonsillar fossa and base of tongue) and was not additional radiation -- that is, he received a total of 66 cGy in 33 treatments, the last three being the boost -- but the daily dose (2 cGy) for those three days was more focussed, so would assume that it was also more concentrated.
Gail
CG to husband Barry, dx. 7/21/05, age 66, SCC rgt. tonsil, BOT, 2 nodes (stg. IV), HPV+, tonsillectomy, 7x carboplatin, 35x tomoTherapy IMRT w/ Ethyol @ Johns Hopkins, thru treatment 9/28/05, HPV vaccine trial 12/06-present. Looking good!
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#20466 05-28-2006 04:06 AM | Joined: Feb 2005 Posts: 2,019 Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts) | | Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Joined: Feb 2005 Posts: 2,019 | Gail's understanding is also my understanding of what a "boost" is. I didn't have one for my head and neck radiation--it was the same radiation plan every day-- but I did have a boost for radiation for the breast cancer and it wasn't additional radiation but 5 days (in that case) of more focused radiation.
Nelie
SCC(T2N0M0) part.glossectomy & neck dissect 2/9/05 & 2/25/05.33 IMRT(66 Gy),2 Cisplatin ended 06/03/05.Stage I breast cancer treated 2/05-11/05.Surgery to remove esophageal stricture 07/06, still having dilatations to keep esophagus open.Dysphagia. "When you're going through hell, keep going"
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#20467 05-28-2006 02:05 PM | Joined: Nov 2002 Posts: 3,552 Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts) | | Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Joined: Nov 2002 Posts: 3,552 | I guess my confusion is that because my tumor had completely melted and vanished by the 3rd week of radiation in the CT scan so there wasn't anything left to irradiate?!?!? My RO informed me that there were many other places they were irradiating , the left tonsil and the "other" cast of characters, different nodal areas, etc.
Gary Allsebrook
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Dx 11/22/02, SCC, 6 x 3 cm Polypoid tumor, rt tonsil, Stage III/IVA, T3N0M0 G1/2
Tx 1/28/03 - 3/19/03, Cisplatin ct x2, IMRT, bilateral, with boost, x35(69.96Gy)
________________________________________________________
"You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes" (James 4:14 NIV)
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#20468 05-29-2006 04:48 AM | Joined: Feb 2005 Posts: 2,019 Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts) | | Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Joined: Feb 2005 Posts: 2,019 | That makes sense and that's also why I didn't have a boost, I think, was that I had already had the tumor removed surgically so the entire radiation plan I had was to take care of those other suspicious "cast of characters".
SCC(T2N0M0) part.glossectomy & neck dissect 2/9/05 & 2/25/05.33 IMRT(66 Gy),2 Cisplatin ended 06/03/05.Stage I breast cancer treated 2/05-11/05.Surgery to remove esophageal stricture 07/06, still having dilatations to keep esophagus open.Dysphagia. "When you're going through hell, keep going"
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#20469 05-29-2006 05:33 AM | Joined: Aug 2003 Posts: 1,627 Patient Advocate (1000+ posts) | | Patient Advocate (1000+ posts)
Joined: Aug 2003 Posts: 1,627 | I also had a boost the last few days of radiation. I had no radiation at all on my "good" right side, and the radiation given to the left side where I had surgery was directed full force at where the tumor had been.
SCC Left Mandible. Jaw replaced with bone from leg. Neck disection, 37 radiation treatments. Recurrence 8-28-07, stage 2, tongue. One third of tongue removed 10-4-07. 5-23-08 chemo started for tumor behind swallowing passage, Our good friend and much loved OCF member Minnie has been lost to the disease (RIP 10-29-08). We will all miss her greatly.
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