Publications by authors named "Agas R"

Aims: While systemic management of high risk colon cancer is well addressed, advances in local management remain incremental. This study aims to identify a group of colon cancer patients where local management remains a challenge, and where intensifying local treatment with radiotherapy is potentially beneficial to minimise the risk of an R1 resection.

Materials And Methods: The patients with select cT4 locally advanced primary colon (LAPC) (n = 40) and locally recurrent colon (LRC) (n = 48) adenocarcinomas who received neoadjuvant radiotherapy from 2005 to 2020 were studied.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: Radiation oncology in the Philippines, a large lower- and middle-income country in Southeast Asia, is facing a critical shortage in manpower, with only 113 radiation oncologists (ROs) over 55 radiotherapy (RT) centers serving 100 million population. Paramount to workforce expansion is ensuring that training programs can produce adequately trained specialists. In this study, we describe the current state of radiation oncology training programs in the Philippines.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The burden of cancer in Asia Pacific, a region home to over four billion people, is growing. Because of sheer demographics alone, the Asia Pacific region arguably has the highest number of patients who can benefit from protons over conventional x-rays. However, only 39 out of 113 proton facilities globally are in Asia Pacific, and 11 of them are in low- and middle-income countries where 95% of the regional population reside.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: The study reports on the current perception of medical and radiation oncologists regarding teleconsultation in the Philippines. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the adoption of telemedicine was not widespread. With movement restrictions imposed during the pandemic, physicians were compelled to use telemedicine.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: This study aims to review the current evidence on the utility of stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), with or without transarterial chemoembolization (TACE), for early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (ESHCC) patients not amenable to standard curative treatment options.

Methods: Literature search was conducted using PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar. Comparative studies reporting oncologic outcomes were included in the review.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: We report our long-term experience with high dose rate intraoperative radiotherapy (HDR-IORT) in a single, quaternary institution.

Patients/methods: From 2004 to 2020, 60 HDR-IORT procedures for locally advanced colorectal cancer (LACC) and 81 for locally recurrent colorectal cancer (LRCC) were done in our institution. Preoperative radiotherapy was done prior to majority of the resections (89%, 125/141).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: To analyze the long-term outcomes and prognostic value of hematological parameters in anal cancer patients receiving intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT).

Materials: Hospital records of consecutive patients with anal squamous cell carcinoma who received curative-intent IMRT according to a standardized contouring protocol between 2010 and 2020 were reviewed. Locoregional failure-free survival (LRFS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The indications for external beam radiotherapy (RT) in differentiated thyroid carcinomas (DTC) are still undefined. The objective of this study was to synthesize current evidence defining the role of postoperative RT in patients with DTC. A systematic review and meta-analysis were done.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: This study aims to review the contemporary evidence investigating radiotherapy (RT) in addition to surgery for colon adenocarcinomas.

Methods: We searched the following databases: PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, ASCOpubs, the Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar. Studies (since January 2005) comparing outcomes of high-risk colon adenocarcinomas who underwent RT in addition to surgery versus no RT were eligible.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: The objectives of this study were to report the oncologic outcomes and the treatment-related toxicities after reirradiation (re-RT) for recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma (rNPC) at our institution and to apply a recently published prognostic model for survival in rNPC in our cohort.

Patients And Methods: Thirty-two patients with rNPC treated at the authors' institution with re-RT were retrospectively reviewed. Treatment modalities for re-RT were intensity-modulated radiotherapy (n = 14), three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (n = 9), single-fraction stereotactic radiosurgery (n = 6), fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (n = 2), and high dose rate intracavitary brachytherapy (n = 1).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: The aim of this study is to review the contemporary evidence comparing neoadjuvant radiotherapy (NRT) versus no radiotherapy (no RT) in patients with stage IV rectal cancer.

Methods: Literature was searched for studies using the following databases: Pubmed, EMBASE, Science Direct, Scopus, ASCOpubs, the Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar. Studies reporting outcomes for stage IV rectal cancer patients who underwent NRT or no RT were selected.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: In nasopharyngeal cancer, brachytherapy is given as boost in primary treatment or as salvage for recurrent or persistent disease. The Rotterdam nasopharyngeal applicator (RNA) allows for suboptimal reduction of soft palate radiation dose, based on image-guided brachytherapy plans. Building on the RNA, we propose a novel design, the Benavides nasopharyngeal applicator (BNA).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

A PHP Error was encountered

Severity: Warning

Message: fopen(/var/lib/php/sessions/ci_sessionk5fe764kcv1t51g6fq6c99p3df5cc7j4): Failed to open stream: No space left on device

Filename: drivers/Session_files_driver.php

Line Number: 177

Backtrace:

File: /var/www/html/index.php
Line: 316
Function: require_once

A PHP Error was encountered

Severity: Warning

Message: session_start(): Failed to read session data: user (path: /var/lib/php/sessions)

Filename: Session/Session.php

Line Number: 137

Backtrace:

File: /var/www/html/index.php
Line: 316
Function: require_once