Unanticipated Negative Consequences of New Techniques
Editor-in-Chief, Robert Amdur, MD, discusses two Morbidity and Mortality Conference papers from the March issue of PRO: "Regional Recurrence after Carotid Sparing IMRT for Early Stage Glottic Cancer" (2023 Issue 2, PMID 36089251) and "Pneumothorax Associated with Deep Inspiration Breath Holding During Radiation Therapy for Breast Cancer" (2023 Issue 2, PMID 36494031). Both these papers describe unanticipated negative consequences associated with innovative treatment techniques. It is never possible to be absolutely sure of a cause-and-effect relationship in a given situation, but these reports remind us that innovation often comes with risks that are not fully appreciated when they are initially evaluated.