Oncology Vol 28 No 1S

Today’s health care system is evolving in its approach to the management of an ethnically diverse population, as it continues to struggle with the imperative of providing cost-effective care. This study attempts to assess the level of knowledge and interest current residents have in CAM teachings, with the goal of eventually incorporating such evidence-based study into training curriculum.

Radiation pneumonitis (RP) is a significant toxicity following thoracic radiotherapy, with no method to predict individual risk. Our lab had previously shown that pulmonary metabolic response rate (PMRR) is highly predictive of RP in lung cancer. In this prospective study, we used PMRR as a surrogate marker to predict radiation-induced lung toxicity in lung cancer patients receiving thoracic radiotherapy.

We report the initial prostate-specific antigen (PSA) control and toxicity profile of patients treated using IBCL seeds with the QuickLink device for permanent prostate brachytherapy.

The clinical effect of perfusion single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) image-guided planning in patients treated for locally advanced and metastatic lung cancers is assessed.

To evaluate outcomes and toxicity of concurrent full-dose gemcitabine and intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) for patients with borderline resectable and locally advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma following induction chemotherapy.

A retrospective study was performed to investigate potential prognostic indicators and evaluate treatment outcomes in patients diagnosed with locally advanced unresectable pancreatic cancer (LAUPC), treated with chemotherapy alone (C), concurrent chemoradiation therapy (CRT), induction C followed by concurrent chemoradiation (C-CRT), CRT followed by chemotherapy (CRT-C), or C-CRT followed by C (C-CRT-C).

To compare toxicity and treatment outcomes in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive vs HIV-negative patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the anal canal who underwent definitive concurrent chemoradiation at a single institution.

Cerebral arteriovenous malformation (AVM) is defined as an abnormal collection of vessels with multiple enlarged feeder arteries and dilated venous outflow, associated with risks of blood shunting and hemorrhage. Treatment options include surgery, embolization, or stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS).

In this study, we perform a single-institution retrospective analysis of outcomes of patients treated with high-dose-rate interstitial brachytherapy (HDR-ISBT) for gynecologic malignancies. Locoregional control (LRC), disease-free survival (DFS), overall survival (OS), and long-term toxicity were evaluated.

We sought to explore a potential dose-response relationship with tumor downstaging after neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy for rectal cancer. To this end, we conducted a case-control analysis of 152 patients treated preoperatively, with and without a concomitant boost.

Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) is increasingly utilized for the treatment of inoperable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) alone or in combination with other local treatment modalities. However, proximity to bowel often precludes the ability to deliver the full prescription dose to the planning target volume (PTV). In this study, we evaluate our experience using the technique of radiation therapy (RT)–dose-painting (DPRT) to decrease the dose received to critical structures with the PTV.

We updated our evidence-based dosimetric guidelines for treatment of men with clinically localized prostate cancer and introduced independent dose-volume histogram (DVH) analysis using MatLab. In doing so, we sought to evaluate whether the interventions above would translate into improvement in dosimetric endpoints for organs at risk (OARs).

This retrospective study presents the results of a multidisciplinary approach adopted in two cancer centers where patients diagnosed with stage IV SCC of the anal canal (liver-predominant disease) and a good performance status (ECOG 0–2) were offered a full course of concomitant chemoradiation followed by cisplatin-based palliative chemotherapy.

Small-animal irradiation is a critical part of translational studies in radiation oncology. The ability to deliver a small, highly focused radiation field allows for evaluation of radiation effects, as well as quantification of acute and late toxicities, in an assortment of tissues.

For the current study, we evaluated the effect of adjuvant RT on survival as well as treatment-related toxicity in patients with localized pancreatic cancer who underwent Whipple procedure (pancreaticoduodenectomy).

Herein, we report the 6-year update from the Johns Hopkins Pancreas Multidisciplinary Clinic (PMDC) and evaluate the impact of an MDC on the clinical care recommendations of patients with pancreatic cancer.

Several reports over the last few decades have documented treatment-related toxicity or acceleration of demyelination in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) treated with external beam radiotherapy. We propose to conduct a study investigating the acute and late toxicities of radiosurgery in MS patients in order to determine the risks associated with this modality in MS patients.

Here, we report findings from a series of 82 Y-90 microsphere brachytherapy treatments.

Long-term effects of neoadjuvant androgen deprivation therapy (NADT) with radiotherapy (RT) on patient-reported health-related quality of life (HRQOL) have not been characterized in prospective multicenter studies. We evaluated the effects of NADT on HRQOL for 2 years among patients undergoing RT for newly diagnosed prostate cancer.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a leading cause of cancer death worldwide, the incidence of which is increasing in the United States. In this report, we analyze predictors of overall survival (OS) for a large cohort of patients diagnosed with HCC at an urban academic cancer center.

Advances in radiotherapy technology have led to an increase in stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) treatments.

Our purpose is to review a series of hypofractionated plans to report our ipsilateral lung dose-volumes and corresponding lung included in the field at the central plane.

Risk factors for radiation-induced skin toxicity (ST) are poorly understood, and there are limited data examining the relationship between race/ethnicity and the development of ST. We evaluated risk factors for radiation-induced ST in a racially and ethnically diverse cohort of patients receiving postmastectomy radiation therapy (PMRT) for breast cancer.

The therapeutic index of treating cancer with ionizing radiation (IR) can be increased by minimizing normal tissue toxicity. Unfortunately, the therapies that have been developed to date have had limited efficacy. Therefore, identifying novel targets to protect normal tissue is essential during treatment.

Oral squamous cell carcinoma encompasses 90% of all oral malignancies. It is considered the sixth most common malignancy and is a major cause of cancer morbidity and mortality worldwide. Early detection of premalignant lesions or cancerous oral lesions would improve the survival to a greater extent.

Fractionated stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) may offer several benefits in the treatment of symptomatic or growing meningioma but has not been examined extensively in the literature. Our primary aim was to describe the rates of tumor control and side effects in patients treated with CyberKnife SRS for meningioma.

A typical patient with a brain metastasis (BM) dies within an average of 8 months following the initial treatment of his or her brain tumor(s). Cause-specific mortality is rarely assessed or recorded, and the BM is often assumed to be the culprit.

Lymphoepithelioma is a rare tumor of the head and neck region, the optimal management of which remains to be defined. We evaluated and report on management outcomes from a large cohort of patients with modern management for this diagnosis.

Oral tongue cancers have been classically managed with upfront surgical resection, whereas radiation therapy (RT) and chemotherapy (CT) have been generally reserved in the adjuvant setting for patients who possess high-risk features and those with unresectable disease. We wanted to determine the role of RT, surgery, and CT for patients with oral tongue cancer.

Midline and central lesions of the brain requiring conventional radiation therapy (RT) present complex difficulties in dose avoidance to organs at risk (OAR). In either the definitive or adjuvant setting, proper RT coverage of these lesions involves unnecessary treatment of large volumes of normal brain. We propose a class solution for these lesions using proton therapy (PrT).