Indications and treatment schedules for irradiation of benign diseases: a survey

Background: The interest in the treatment of benign diseases with radiother apy has grown particularly in the Western part of the world. Questions abou t the effectiveness and risks of radiotherapy for these disorders have to b e answered in the light of new information from clinical research, dose cal culations and risk estimates. New indications for irradiation of non-malign ant diseases, e.g. vascular disorders, such as macular degeneration and pre vention of stent restenosis, are appearing. As a starting point for further discussions and publications in this area, the authors, with the help of t he European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ESTRO), perform ed a survey of current practice and of opinion amongst ESTRO members. Methods: A questionnaire was circulated in 1996 to 1348 institutes listed i n the 1995 ESTRO directory asking whether the respondents considered a list of the 28 most common benign disorders as being a good indication for radi otherapy. Details of the frequency of such treatments and of treatment sche dules used were requested. Results and conclusions: A large variation in indications and treatment sch edules was detected throughout the world. This variation confirms the inade quate information on which such treatments are based and stresses the impor tance of careful clinical studies and trials as well as clear understanding of any risks involved. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science ireland Ltd. All rights r eserved.