Advances in the treatment of prostate cancer with radiotherapy.

Introduction: Prognosis of prostate cancer has improved as a result of the combination with androgen deprivation therapy and the increase of radiation dose. However, a high number of prostate cancer patients will develop biochemical recurrence; therefore a research effort to increase the control of the tumour in these patients is necessary.

Methods: To increase the therapeutic ratio (the index between cytotoxic effects and normal tissue complications with a certain dose of radiation), different new strategies described in the literature have been reviewed.

[Thyroid orbitopathy, an overview with special attention to the role of radiotherapy].

Thyroid orbitopathy is the most prevalent non-thyroid symptom in Graves' syndrome. It has a high incidence and particularly affects young women. Smoking is clearly involved in its development and progress, and in its response to different treatments.

Potential advantages of volumetric arc therapy in head and neck cancer.

Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) uses solid compensators or multileaf collimators to modulate the intensity of radiation in each field, delivering highly conformal dose distributions. This technique allows treating volumes with concave shapes when the target is close to a critical structure. The movement of multileaf collimator under computer control can modulate the dose in 3 main ways: IMRT with static field with segments, IMRT with dynamic delivery, and IMRT rotational therapy.

[Spinal cord compression: a multidisciplinary approach to a real neuro-oncological emergency].

Spinal cord compression must be considered a top-priority neuro-oncological emergency. Hence, a multi-disciplinary approach and swiftness in establishing appropriate therapeutic measures are crucial to optimise the functional (and perhaps vital) prognosis of these patients. The nihilistic attitudes that have prevailed up until now in some professional sectors, possibly stemming from the perception of a poor short-term prognosis, must be completely eradicated.

Mechanism of hot flashes.

Hot flashes are a common and disturbing adverse effect of hormonal therapy for cancer. Their pathophysiology is poorly understood. At present, the leading mechanistic hypothesis rests on the assumption that abrupt hormone deprivation will result in loss of negative feedback over hypothalamic noradrenaline synthesis.