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) .