Abstract
At the time of writing, radiotherapy is of only minor use in the management of adenocarcinoma of the gastrointestinal tract, for a number of reasons. First, an exploratory laparotomy is generally needed for diagnosis, and if possible the tumour is resected or by-passed. Second, radiotherapy planning in the upper abdomen is complicated by the proximity of small bowel, kidneys, and spinal cord. Third, it has been assumed that these tumours cause death largely as a result of distant metastases, so that local radiotherapy, even if effective, would contribute little to survival.
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© 1985 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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James, R.D., Pointon, R.C.S. (1985). Gastrointestinal Tract. In: Easson, E.C., Pointon, R.C.S. (eds) The Radiotherapy of Malignant Disease. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-3322-3_17
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-3322-3_17
Publisher Name: Springer, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-4471-3324-7
Online ISBN: 978-1-4471-3322-3
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