Italian gastrointestinal tumor radiotherapy guidelines

A multidisciplinary panel of twenty Italian experts, including radiation oncologists, medical physicists, and radiotherapy technicians, has established new national clinical guidelines for Image-Guided Radiotherapy (IGRT). Published in the scientific journal Oncologie, these recommendations aim to standardize high-precision radiation treatments for gastrointestinal tumors in the upper abdomen, specifically targeting the pancreas, stomach, liver, and bile ducts.

The initiative was a collaborative effort involving the Italian Society of Radiotherapy and Clinical Oncology (AIRO), the Italian Society of Oncology Radiotherapy Technicians (AITRO), and the Italian Society of Health Physicists dedicated to Radiotherapy (AIFM). The working group identified 16 fundamental points for clinical implementation to ensure uniform quality standards across Italian treatment centers. These techniques focus on maximizing tumor targeting and minimizing damage to healthy tissue through methods such as personalized respiratory monitoring and integrated daily CT scans on modern linear accelerators.