An investigation of the mantle technique

Abstract

After the introduction of the ‘Mantle Technique’ to Glasgow in 1965 for treating Hodgkin's disease, occasional recurrences of tumour growth were found to occur in treated areas. In the investigation which followed, the evidence suggests that these recurrences might be due to technical failure rather than to ‘radio resistance’. Direct measurements have shown that eye dosage can be higher than generally realised, reaching 25% of the prescribed dose in certain set ups; and an axillary dose −6% to −10% of mediastinal dose was found to be an inherent characteristic of the Mantle Technique. These findings, together with the evidence of upper limb lymphograms, indicate the need for a rigid definition of the technique. The product of the investigation has thus been a definition of the technique which takes account both of variation in the patient and in the treatment units at present in use in this country.