Impact of Biopsy Compliance on Outcomes for Patients on Active Surveillance for Prostate Cancer.

Purpose: Active surveillance for prostate cancer relies on regular prostate specific antigen tests and surveillance biopsies. Compliance rates with biopsies vary but the subsequent impact on oncologic outcomes is not known. The objective of this study was to determine whether noncompliance with the confirmatory biopsy negatively impacts prostate cancer specific outcomes.

Inter-fraction robustness of intensity-modulated proton therapy in the post-operative treatment of oropharyngeal and oral cavity squamous cell carcinomas.

Objective: To evaluate dosimetric consequences of inter-fraction setup variation and anatomical changes in patients receiving multifield optimised (MFO) intensity modulated proton therapy for post-operative oropharyngeal (OPC) and oral cavity (OCC) cancers.

Methods: Six patients receiving MFO for post-operative OPC and OCC were evaluated. Plans were robustly optimised to clinical target volumes (CTVs) using 3 mm setup and 3.

A Phase 2 Trial of Alternative Volumes of Oropharyngeal Irradiation for De-intensification (AVOID): Omission of the Resected Primary Tumor Bed After Transoral Robotic Surgery for Human Papilloma Virus-Related Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Oropharynx.

Purpose: This trial tested the safety and efficacy of a novel, deintensified radiation therapy (RT) approach after initial surgical resection for patients with human papilloma virus (HPV)-associated oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC).

Methods And Materials: This single-arm phase 2 prospective clinical trial enrolled 60 patients with stage pT1-pT2 N1-3 HPV-associated OPSCC treated with transoral robotic surgery (TORS) and selective neck dissection at a single institution between May 2014 and September 2017. Patients had favorable features at the primary site (negative surgical margins ≥2 mm, no perineural invasion, and no lymphovascular invasion) but required adjuvant therapy based on lymph node involvement.

Palliative Radiotherapy: Inpatients, Outpatients, and the Changing Role of Supportive Care in Radiation Oncology.

Palliative radiotherapy is an effective treatment in alleviating many symptoms of advanced cancer. Short courses of radiotherapy provide rapid symptom relief and minimize impact on patients. Patients referred for palliative radiotherapy have many concerns beyond radiotherapy; often, these concerns are not fully addressed in traditional radiotherapy clinics.

Spine SBRT With Halcyon™: Plan Quality, Modulation Complexity, Delivery Accuracy, and Speed.

Spine SBRT requires treatment plans with steep dose gradients and tight limits to the cord maximal dose. A new dual-layer staggered 1-cm MLC in Halcyon™ treatment platform has improved leakage, speed, and DLG compared to 120-Millennium (0.5-cm) and High-Definition (0.

Impact of Multi-leaf Collimator Parameters on Head and Neck Plan Quality and Delivery: A Comparison between Halcyon™ and Truebeam® Treatment Delivery Systems.

Purpose A new dual-layer multi-leaf collimator (MLC) system with several improved characteristics was introduced with the Varian Halcyon™ treatment platform. This study evaluated this new MLC's impact on head and neck plan quality and delivery efficiency. Methods Nine patients were retrospectively studied with Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval.

Long non-coding RNAs: new frontiers for advancing personalized cancer medicine in prostate cancer.

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a group of non-coding transcripts of more than 200 nucleotides that play important biological and clinical roles in prostate cancer (PCa) tumorigenesis, progression and metastasis. They have also shown potential as a biomarker in the diagnosis and prognosis of this disease. LncRNA prostate cancer associated transcript-14 (PCAT-14) was recently identified as a novel prognostic biomarker in PCa, whose low expression was associated with poor outcomes.

Long non-coding RNA urothelial carcinoma associated 1 (UCA1) mediates radiation response in prostate cancer.

Radioresistance remains a significant obstacle in the treatment of Prostate Cancer (PCa). To simulate the clinical scenario of irradiation resistance (IRR), we created DU145-IRR PCa cell lines by treatment with 2 Gy daily IR for 59 fractions. DU145-IRR cells acquired an aggressive phenotype as evidenced by increased clonogenic survival, tumorigenic potential and invasiveness.

Role of palliative radiotherapy in the management of mural cardiac metastases: who, when and how to treat? A case series of 10 patients.

Cardiac metastases (CM), although a rare manifestation of metastatic cancer, are increasing in incidence with the improved prognosis and increased longevity of many patients with cancer. This condition may be life-threatening, especially for bulky rapidly growing tumors. Such cancer presentations may be amenable to palliative radiotherapy to improve symptoms and to prevent further cardiac function decline.

Current challenges and future perspectives of radiotherapy for locally advanced breast cancer.

Purpose Of Review: To discuss current issues in the field of radiation oncology for locally advanced breast cancer (LABC).

Recent Findings: Large randomized studies involving nodal irradiation have recently been completed. The incremental benefit of treating the internal mammary nodes (IMNs) remains controversial.

Seroprevalence of human herpes simplex, hepatitis B and epstein-barr viruses in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in southern iran.

To investigate the seroprevalence of Herpes Simplex Viruses (HSV1 and HSV2), Ebstein-Barr Virus (EBV) and Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in southern Iran. 90 patients with ALL and 90 age-sex matched healthy participants were enrolled in this study. Antibodies (IgG) against HBsAg, HSV1, HSV2, EBV different antigens including Epstein-Barr nuclear antigen-1 (EBNA-1), viral capsid antigen (VCA) and early antigen (EA) were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

Factors influencing serum concentration of CA125 and CA15-3 in Iranian healthy postmenopausal women.

Screening for breast and ovarian cancers are required due to the late stage at diagnosis and poor survival. Serum CA125 and CA15-3 are important cancerdetecting agents in patients with ovarian and breast cancers, respectively. Elevation of CA125 and CA15-3 level correlates with malignant and non-malignant conditions.

Lineage-specific transcription factors in multipotent hematopoietic progenitors: a little bit goes a long way.

Basal expression of lineage-specific transcription factors (TFs) in multipotent hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs) plays a pivotal role in normal hematopoiesis. Indeed, the interplay between lineage-specific TFs and chromatin modifying or remodeling complexes allows chromatin modifications at specific hematopoietic loci and promotes transcriptionally prone conformations. During hematopoiesis, the expression of various lineage-specific genes can be preceded by their potentiation i.

Bone mineral density in beta-thalassemia major and intermedia.

Objective: This study was conducted to assess bone mineral density (BMD) and bone mineral content (BMC) in patients with thalassemia major and intermedia, and to correlate them with biochemical and hematological profile.

Design: 106 thalassemic patients (49 major and 57 intermedia) were scanned by dual energy xray absorptiometry technique for BMD and BMC at lumbar spine and femoral neck. The effects of sex, transfusion/chelation program as well as hemoglobin, calcium, phosphorus, alkaline phosphatase and serum ferritin level were also evaluated on BMD and BMC.

Substance dependency in Iranian patients with hemophilia.

Aims: The prevalence and predisposing factors of substance dependency in 100 Iranian hemophilic patients were investigated.

Measurements: A confidential questionnaire and DSM-IV criteria were used. Data were gathered from 100 randomly selected hemophilic patients.

Interleukin-18 gene promoter polymorphisms and recurrent spontaneous abortion.

Background: IL-18 is a multifunctional cytokine capable of inducing either Th1 or Th2 polarization depending on the immunologic milieu. IL-18 is detected at the materno-fetal interface very soon in early pregnancy. Two polymorphisms in the promoter region of the IL-18 gene at positions of -607 and -137 appear to have functional impacts.

Investigation of Helicobacter pylori infection in beta-thalassaemia major patients with recurrent abdominal pain.

Background: Recurrent abdominal pain (RAP) affects many children, especially those affected by beta-thalassaemia major. The role of Helicobacter pylori is still unclear in children with RAP.

Objectives: The aim of the present study was the comparison of beta-thalassaemia major patients and normal controls with RAP in H.