Does kV Image Guidance for Bone Metastases Improve Pain Control?

Purpose/objectives: Despite its widespread availability, the use of kilovoltage (kV) image guidance is often related to factors such as perceived adequacy of clinical patient setup and individual practice patterns. We sought to determine whether kV image guidance in the treatment of painful bone metastases would improve therapeutic efficacy.

Materials/methods: Under an Institutional Review Board approved protocol, hospital records of 164 patients having received radiation therapy to 257 individual painful osseous metastases were retrospectively reviewed.

Overall survival advantage of chemotherapy and radiotherapy in the perioperative management of large extremity and trunk soft tissue sarcoma; a large database analysis.

Purpose: Intergroup 9514 reported promising outcomes with neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy for large extremity/trunk soft tissue sarcoma (ESTS). One decade later, optimum integration of chemotherapy and radiotherapy into the perioperative management of ESTS remains to be defined.

Methods: The National Cancer Data Base was used to identify 3422 patients who underwent resection for large (>8cm) high-grade STS between 2004 and 2013.

Dose-painted intensity modulated radiation therapy improves local control for locally advanced pancreas cancer.

Background. To evaluate the outcomes, adverse events, and therapeutic role of Dose-Painted Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (DP-IMRT) for locally advanced pancreas cancer (LAPC). Methods.

Intensity-modulated radiation therapy for rectal carcinoma can reduce treatment breaks and emergency department visits.

Purpose. To compare the acute toxicities of IMRT to 3D-conformal radiation therapy (3DCRT) in the treatment of rectal cancer. Methods and Materials.

Phosphorylation of Crk on tyrosine 251 in the RT loop of the SH3C domain promotes Abl kinase transactivation.

Here, we report the identification and characterization of a novel tyrosine phosphorylation site in the carboxy-terminal Src Homology 3 (SH3) (SH3C) domain of the Crk adaptor protein. Y251 is located in the highly conserved RT loop structure of the SH3C, a region of Crk involved in the allosteric regulation of the Abl kinase. Exploiting kinase assays to show that Y251 is phosphorylated by Abl in vitro, we generated affinity-purified antisera against phosphorylated Y251 in Crk and showed that Abl induces phosphorylation at Y251 in vivo, and that the kinetics of phosphorylation at Y251 and the negative regulatory Y221 site in vitro are similar.