Radiation treatment for newly diagnosed esophageal cancer with prior radiation to the thoracic cavity.

The purpose of this report is to communicate the use of single-positron emission computed tomography scan in planning radiation treatments for patients with a history of radiation to the thoracic cavity. A patient presented with obstructive esophageal cancer, having previously received chemotherapy and radiation therapy to the mediastinum for non-Hodgkin lymphoma 11 years earlier. Owing to a number of comorbidities, the patient was not a surgical candidate and was referred to the University of Washington Medical Center for radiation therapy. Prior dose to the spinal cord and lung were taken into account before designing the radiation treatment plan.