Introduction
The American Brachytherapy Association is attempting to develop standards for delivering brachytherapy, although differences in practice have been reported in the literature. This study evaluated vaginal cuff brachytherapy (VBT) practice and quality of life-related recommendations among Turkish radiation oncologists.

Material and methods
A nationwide web-based 17-item survey was distributed to the members of the Turkish Society for Radiation Oncology. These members received e-mail notifications, and a link was posted on the Turkish Society for Radiation Oncology internet site to solicit voluntary responses The survey addressed the simulation processes, target volume, prescribed dose, delivery schedules, and recommendations related to vaginal side effects.

Results
Fifty-seven radiation oncologists responded to the survey. The most used dose fraction schemes for adjuvant VBT were 7 Gy × 3 fractions (30%), 5.5 Gy × 5 fractions (26%), and 6 Gy × 5 fractions (28%). The preferred VBT scheme was 5 Gy × 3 fractions (50%) when the external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) dose was 45 Gy external radiotherapy, while the preferred schemes were 6 Gy × 3 fractions (30%) or 5 Gy × 3 fractions (32%) when the external radiotherapy dose was increased to 50.4 Gy. One-half of the respondents delivered VBT twice a week, and the dose was prescribed to 0.5 cm from vaginal mucosa by 86% of the respondents. There was no common definition for the dose prescription length, which was defined as 3 cm from the vaginal cuff in 33% of responses and as 4 cm in 35% of responses. For serous and clear cell histological types, 38% of the respondents targeted “full cylinder length”. To prevent vaginal side effects, 78% of the respondents recommended using a vaginal dilator and/or sexual intercourse after VBT.

Conclusions
This survey revealed variations in the clinical practice of VBT among Turkish radiation oncologists, which suggests that standardization is necessary.



中文翻译：

---

子宫内膜癌患者的阴道袖带近距离放射治疗实践：土耳其肿瘤学组的报告

简介
美国近距离放射治疗协会正试图制定实施近距离放射治疗的标准，尽管文献中报道了实践中的差异。本研究评估了土耳其放射肿瘤学家的阴道袖带近距离放射治疗 (VBT) 实践和生活质量相关建议。

材料和方法
一项全国性的基于网络的 17 项调查已分发给土耳其放射肿瘤学会的成员。这些成员收到了电子邮件通知，并在土耳其放射肿瘤学会网站上发布了一个链接，以征求自愿响应。调查涉及模拟过程、目标体积、处方剂量、交付时间表以及与阴道副作用相关的建议。

结果
57 名放射肿瘤学家对调查做出了回应。辅助 VBT 最常用的剂量分数方案是 7 Gy × 3 次 (30%)、5.5 Gy × 5 次 (26%) 和 6 Gy × 5 次 (28%)。当外照射放疗 (EBRT) 剂量为 45 Gy 外照射时，首选的 VBT 方案是 5 Gy × 3 次 (50%)，而首选方案是 6 Gy × 3 次 (30%) 或 5 Gy × 3 次 ( 32%) 当外部放疗剂量增加到 50.4 Gy 时。一半的受访者每周进行两次 VBT，86% 的受访者将剂量规定在距离阴道黏膜 0.5 厘米处。剂量处方长度没有统一的定义，在 33% 的反应中定义为距阴道袖带 3 厘米，在 35% 的反应中定义为 4 厘米。对于浆液性和透明细胞组织学类型，38% 的受访者以“全缸长”为目标。为了防止阴道副作用，78% 的受访者建议在 VBT 后使用阴道扩张器和/或性交。

结论
该调查揭示了土耳其放射肿瘤学家 VBT 临床实践的差异，这表明标准化是必要的。