1.4.4 Follow up
Follow-up examinations were scheduled for patients according the
following arrangements: every 3 months in first year, every 4 months in
second and third year, every 6 months in fourth and fifth years and then
yearly until recurrence or death. Endpoints for this clinical trial were
similar to those in our previous study [7]. Acute and late
toxicities were graded according to the National Cancer
Institute—Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE),
version 5.0, and the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) Late
Radiation Morbidity Scoring Criteria [8], respectively.
1.5 Ethical considerations
This research abides by international and national regulations in
accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. The studies involving human
participants were reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of our
Hospital. All patients provided written informed consent before being
included in this study (patients under 16 years old were obtained from a
parent or guardian for participants) .