A prospective phase II study of magnetic resonance imaging guided hematopoietical bone marrow-sparing intensity-modulated radiotherapy with concurrent chemotherapy for rectal cancer

To reduce acute hematologic toxicity (HT) in rectal cancer patients treated with neoadjuvant concurrent chemoradiotherapy by sparing the hematopoietical bone marrow (BM) indentified by magnetic resonance (MR). A total of 35 staged II/III rectal cancer patients were prospectively enrolled. MR images of pelvis were fused with the simulating CT images. Active BM indentified by MR was contoured as an organ at risk in the treatment plan. The...