Trigger-based adaptive proton therapy improves coverage and cardiac sparing in esophageal cancer
Adaptive IMPT improved cumulative target coverage and reduced heart dose without increasing lung dose in a 192-patient retrospective cohort.
The Weekly Five
Five studies.
One clear weekly briefing.
Stay current in radiation oncology with a free weekly selection of research, key findings and honest limitations.
Curated by Alexey Cherchik, MDRadiation oncologist | Founder and editor
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Latest research
Search the archiveGlioblastoma target volumes change substantially during MR-guided radiotherapy, often within the first week
Serial MR-linac imaging showed frequent glioblastoma target changes, with some extending beyond the planned CTV and 95% isodose.
Head and neck radiotherapy worsens long-term oral health despite structured dental follow-up
After head and neck RT, 43% of patients lost teeth and higher oral cavity dose was associated with tooth loss.
The Weekly Five | ASTRO 2026 Special
Five randomized trials from ASTRO 2026, covering SCLC, prostate cancer, liver tumors and brain metastases—with key findings and limitations.
Anal cancer targets changed substantially during chemoradiotherapy despite standard PTV margins
Across 212 CBCTs, 36.8% showed target extensions >10 mm beyond the planning PTV despite progressive overall CTV shrinkage.
Automated Oncentra QA combined integrity checks with independent HDR dose verification
An automated cervical brachytherapy QA system detected preset planning errors and achieved 98.7% mean gamma agreement with Oncentra.
New reconstruction algorithm substantially reduced stack artifacts in breathing-adaptive 4DCT
ZeeFree improved 4DCT image quality and anatomical correctness during irregular breathing without degrading already artifact-free scans.
Short- and long-course rectal RT produced similar patient-reported outcomes by two years
Long-course chemoradiation caused greater preoperative symptom burden, but patient-reported bowel, urinary and overall outcomes converged after surgery.
Feature selection strongly affected radiomics prediction of xerostomia after head-and-neck RT
T1 MRI with R-MRmr reached AUC 0.96 for early xerostomia, while late sticky-saliva prediction remained substantially weaker.
GammaTile produced reproducible SFRT-like dose heterogeneity after brain metastasis resection
Across 18 postoperative brain metastasis cavities, GammaTile generated consistent peak–valley heterogeneity, with the nominal 60 Gy prescription approximating D90.
Six-fraction RT produced rapid symptom relief in tumors involving the brachial plexus
A 33 Gy/6-fraction boost regimen improved plexus-related symptoms in 84% of evaluable patients and achieved 74% freedom from local progression at one year.
CBCT adaptive RT is increasingly automated, but clinical decision-making still needs human oversight
AI can automate major components of CBCT-guided adaptation, but validated triggers, end-to-end QA and patient-outcome evidence remain limited.
DW-MRI-guided parotid sparing showed exploratory acute toxicity and quality-of-life signals
Lower dose to diffusion-defined contralateral parotid subvolumes showed early associations with xerostomia-related outcomes, but most dose–toxicity relationships were not significant.
Deep-learning nomogram reproduced 3D treated volume for prostate HDR brachytherapy QA
A 3D deep-learning nomogram predicted the clinical prescription isodose with high spatial agreement, adding geometry-aware verification to post-plan QA.
ALLSTAR confirmed durable Durvalumab benefit while high-dose RT showed a thoracic-control signal
Durvalumab after CRT improved long-term outcomes in stage III NSCLC, while dose escalation above 66 Gy showed only exploratory intrathoracic benefit.
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What you get in The Weekly Five
Five papers selected for their clinical or technical importance. Each summary explains the finding, the context and the caveats.
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Five studies worth your attention, selected from the week's research.
Meaning and limitations
Understand what the results add and what they cannot establish.
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Follow links to the summaries and original publications when you need more detail.