[Rare cancers and new radiotherapy techniques]

Abstract

Rare cancers represent about a quarter of all cancers diagnosed in Europe, and their incidence is increasing. Meanwhile, scientific advances provide techniques, which become more and more sophisticated in the domain of radiotherapy. Treatment options for radiotherapy rare cancers are increasing, but are not yet evaluated. The question of the appropriateness of treatment by modern radiotherapy techniques in rare cancers remains. There are a lot of cases reported in the literature for treating rare cancers by modern technology. These techniques are often used when anatomical and dosimetric constraints do not achieve optimal treatment by surgery or standard radiotherapy. In contrast, standard radiotherapy techniques also provide good results in terms of overall survival and tolerance. They are also less expensive and less complex in terms of dosimetry. The establishment of specialized centers in rare cancers seems essential to evaluate the appropriateness of the use of modern techniques in these cases. Currently, data from the literature does not provide an answer to this question.

Keywords: Cancers rares; IGRT; IMRT; Modern radiation therapy; RCMI; Radiothérapie moderne; Rare cancers; Stereotactic; Stéréotaxie; Tomotherapy; Tomothérapie; VMAT.