Annual Meeting of the American Radium Society (ARS)

Preoperative chemoradiation is a standard treatment for esophageal cancer. However, significant treatment-related toxicities are common in this group of patients. We wished to understand the clinical predictors for high-grade (≥ 3) acute toxicities from chemoradiation.

Recent data suggest that metformin is a potent radiosensitizer in vitro and in vivo. Additionally, metformin use is associated with improved response to chemoradiotherapy in multiple tumor types. Based on these data, clinical trials incorporating metformin and radiotherapy are currently in development.

The purpose of this study was to determine the standard practice patterns of the use of PET/CT imaging in non–small-cell lung cancer treatment planning by radiation oncologists nationwide.

This study examined circulating tumor cell (CTC) counts as measured by a novel EpCAM-independent assay and compared CTC counts with multiple known patient and tumor prognostic factors to determine the utility of pretreatment CTC levels as a preliminary prognostic biomarker for patients undergoing definitive radiation therapy (RT) for NSCLC.

Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) has become the treatment of choice for early-stage non–small-cell lung cancers (NSCLCs) in nonoperative candidates. The purpose of this study was to examine the efficacy and toxicity of SBRT for stage T2 NSCLC.

Radiographic lung density changes are observed in most patients after stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) for lung cancer. In this study, we assessed the relationship between SBRT dose and our treatment technique. Follow-up CT density changes were used as a surrogate for lung injury from SBRT.

Early experiences with stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) for treatment of intrathoracic lesions have demonstrated excellent local control rates, upwards of 90% for primary and metastatic lesions in the lung parenchyma. We describe our institutional experience with SBRT treatment of central lung lesions and patient outcomes.

Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) is gaining prominence as an effective treatment for early-stage inoperable non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). To date, little attention has been paid to the radiation dose delivered to the breast tissue in female patients.

Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) has been established as the standard of care in medically inoperable patients with peripherally located early-stage non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Our objective is to report outcomes, toxicity, and dose-volume histogram (DVH) data for patients receiving helical tomotherapy–based SBRT.

Findings suggest that triapine radiochemotherapy provides improved cancer-related survival in women with stage IIIB cervical cancer.

Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) has excellent control rates for low- and intermediate-risk prostate carcinoma. The role of SBRT for high-risk disease remains less studied. We present long-term results on a cohort of patients with National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN)-defined high-risk disease treated with SBRT.

We report an update of our previously published experience for primary treatment of prostate cancer with CyberKnife SBRT, assessing efficacy and toxicity.

We sought to develop a model for predicting prostate cancer recurrence by evaluating post-treatment PSA kinetics in patients with clinical failures.

To determine if a deformable bladder planning contour (DBPC) can help minimize repeat cone beam computed tomographies (CBCTs) during a course of prostate image-guided volumetric arc radiation therapy (IG-VMAT).

To retrospectively analyze the efficacy and toxicity of image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT) in the management of prostate cancer (PCA) recurrence after primary cryotherapy.

Transperineal ultrasound allows clinicians to both detect the anatomy of the pelvis in comparable detail with MRI and appreciate intrafraction motion of the prostate and nearby critical structures in order to deliver more precise radiotherapy.

Photoacoustic imaging is a promising complement to ultrasound imaging for intraoperative brachytherapy seed visualization. Work is ongoing for eventual translation into human clinical trials.

To evaluate the feasibility and toxicity of hypofractionated stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) with volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) and flattening filter-free (FFF) beams.

The American Brachytherapy Society consensus guidelines state that prostate volume > 50 mL is a relative contraindication to high-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy. We reviewed our experience with HDR brachytherapy to determine if prostate volume affected prostate target coverage or the risk of acute urinary toxicity.

We provide evidence that irradiating tumors at a time point when formation of androgen-induced double-strand breaks is ongoing provides superior control when compared with radiation that is delivered when tumors are fully deprived of androgens. These results may have significant implications for altering current clinical management of intermediate-and high-risk prostate cancer treated with definitive radiotherapy.

TraceIT hydrogel, injected endoscopically under local anesthesia in an office setting, can be considered a feasible option to precisely map tumor location with margins to facilitate targeted RT. The precise delineation of tumor margins on cone beam CT (CBCT) obtained with TraceIT could significantly improve an oncological outcome with minimal side effects.

We report the short-term pain evolution, side effects, and hematologic profile of patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) undergoing Ra-223 treatment.

The objective of this ongoing phase I/II trial is to determine the safety, feasibility, and efficacy of postprostatectomy 3D conformal radiation therapy (CRT), hormone therapy, and concurrent docetaxel in patients with high-risk pathologic T2–3N0M0 prostate cancer.

Long-term salvage rates for men who undergo standard fraction radiation therapy (SFRT) due to biochemical failure after prostatectomy remain suboptimal. There is a poor understanding as to which patients are curable with standard salvage doses of radiation.

Our prostate brachytherapy technique at the Medical University of South Carolina evolved from implanting free seeds using a Mick Applicator (MA) (Mick Radio-Nuclear Instruments, Inc) to using intraoperatively built custom-linked (IBCL) seeds constructed with the QuickLink device (C.R. Bard, Inc). In this work, we compare dosimetric and early clinical outcomes using free seeds and IBCL seeds.

While biochemical progression-free survival (BPFS) for prostate cancer treated with brachytherapy is excellent, reported outcomes differ between groups. One hypothesis that has been proposed for improved biochemical outcomes is prescribing to a planning target volume (PTV) that extends substantially beyond the prostate. We tested this hypothesis by analyzing the effect of overlap vs underlap between prescription isodose lines and prostate contours on BPFS. We also assessed whether these spatial differences are correlated with increased acute toxicity.

The use of neoadjuvant radiotherapy is the standard of care in the treatment of locally advanced rectal cancer. The aim of our study was to identify if patients underwent radiation first vs surgery and if the treatment patterns changed with time.

To review our local control (LC), survival, and swallowing outcomes using an innovative endoesophageal brachytherapy technique. Further, we conducted a dose-volume comparison for clinical target volume (CTV) using the standard 1-tube vs our novel 3-tube technique.

Standard treatment of patients with stage II and III rectal cancer consists of a multimodality approach, including the use of chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery.

The proximity of the pancreas to the bowel presents a unique challenge for pancreatic cancer stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT). This study explores the safety and effectiveness of a novel approach optimizing pancreatic tumor coverage and duodenal sparing.