Defense Mechanisms and Utilization in Cancer Patients Undergoing Radiation Therapy: A Pilot Study.

A group of 49 patients who had been diagnosed with cancer during the preceding year and who were receiving radiation therapy were assessed for their use of defense mechanisms, as well as for their level of psychological distress. In addition, their utilization of medical services was determined. It was predicted that the use of services that were under the patients' control-namely, requesting extra outpatient visits and making trips to the emergency department-would be related to the patients' use of defense mechanisms, whereas a treatment option not under the patients' control-overnight hospitalization based on physicians' assessment of condition-would not be related to defense use.

The complex role of personality in cancer treatment: impact of dependency-detachment on health status, distress, and physician-patient relationship.

Personality traits have been associated with positive and negative adjustment to a cancer diagnosis. No studies have assessed trait dependency and detachment and their relationship to health, distress, and the doctor-patient relationship in patients undergoing radiation treatment for cancer. Fifty adults (32 women; mean [SD], 60.

An electronic brachytherapy technique for treating squamous cell carcinoma in situ of the digit: a case report.

Background: Squamous cell carcinoma in situ of the digit presents a complex management problem, which is usually treated with surgery or radiation or topical agents. The outcome of the surgical treatment can be an undesirable cosmetic result and loss of function. We report a unique Electronic Brachytherapy technique to treat the digit, which uses a 50 Kv miniaturized X-ray source with specialized applicators.

ACR Appropriateness Criteria® external-beam radiation therapy treatment planning for clinically localized prostate cancer.

Image-based radiation treatment planning and localization have contributed to better targeting of the prostate and sparing of normal tissues. Guidelines are needed to address radiation dose delivery, including patient setup and immobilization, target volume definition, treatment planning, treatment delivery methods, and target localization. Guidelines for external-beam radiation treatment planning have been updated and are presented here.

ACR Appropriateness Criteria® definitive external beam irradiation in stage T1 and T2 prostate cancer.

Purpose: : External beam radiation therapy is a standard of care treatment for men who present with clinically localized (T1-T2) prostate cancer. The purpose of this review was to provide clarification on the appropriateness criteria and management considerations for the treatment of prostate cancer with external beam radiation therapy.

Methods: : A panel consisting of physicians with expertise on prostate cancer was assembled and provided with a number of clinical scenarios for consensus treatment and management guidelines.

American College of Radiology Appropriateness Criteria(®)--locally advanced (high-risk) prostate cancer.

The American College of Radiology Appropriateness Criteria are evidence-based guidelines for specific clinical conditions that are reviewed every 2 years by a multidisciplinary expert panel. The guideline development and review include an extensive analysis of current medical literature from peer-reviewed journals and the application of a well-established consensus methodology (modified Delphi) to rate the appropriateness of imaging and treatment procedures by the panel. In those instances where evidence is lacking or not definitive, expert opinion may be used to recommend imaging or treatment.

American College of Radiology Appropriateness Criteria permanent source brachytherapy for prostate cancer.

Purpose: Permanent prostate brachytherapy has emerged as a standard of care treatment for approximately 50,000 men annually who present with clinically localized prostate cancer. The purpose of this review was to provide clarification on the appropriateness criteria and management considerations for the treatment of prostate cancer with permanent prostate brachytherapy.

Methods: Panel members with expertise on prostate cancer were assembled and provided several clinical scenarios for consensus treatment and management guidelines.

ACR appropriateness criteria postradical prostatectomy irradiation in prostate cancer.

The role of postradical prostatectomy radiation therapy continues to evolve under the influence of new clinical data. In particular, 2 recently published or updated randomized trials have prompted a reevaluation of its utility in the adjuvant and salvage setting. The Southwest Oncology Group 8794 trial randomized 473 patients with stage T3a-T3b disease to adjuvant radiotherapy versus observation.

Radiation medicine innovations for the new millenium.

Purpose Of The Study: To review technological advances in the field of radiation oncology in the management of benign and malignant diseases.

Basic Procedures: We reviewed major advances in the field of radiation oncology in the past decade with special emphasis on reduction of treatment related toxicities, and technological improvements in planning and delivery of radiation. Modalities reviewed include computerized three-dimensional conformal treatment planning, stereotactic radiosurgery, intensity-modulated radiation therapy, ultrasound-guided transperineal permanent brachytherapy of the prostate, and high-dose rate brachytherapy.

Calculated dosimetric parameters of the IoGold 125I source model 3631-A.

Basic dosimetric parameters as recommended by the AAPM Task Group No. 43 (TG-43) have been determined for recently available IoGold 125I brachytherapy seeds. Monte Carlo methods (MCNP) were used in the calculation of these parameters in water, and results compared with soon to be published experimental parameters also for 125I IoGold seeds as well with parameters for model 6702 and 6711 125I seeds.

Quality of life after permanent prostate implant.

Quality of life is one of several endpoints commonly studied in prostate cancer treatment. It refers to how well an individual is functioning in life and his total sense of well being. There is increasing recognition that cancer therapy impacts significantly on the patient's ability to pursue relational, occupational and social interests.

Breath ethane generation during clinical total body irradiation as a marker of oxygen-free-radical-mediated lipid peroxidation: a case study.

Total body irradiation (TBI) is used therapeutically for treatment of leukemias and other malignancies of the hemopoietic system. Ionizing radiation produces oxygen free radicals that contribute to cytotoxicity. Breath collected from one patient undergoing therapeutic TBI showed measurable changes in levels of ethane during treatment.

Treatment-related symptoms during the first year following transperineal 125I prostate implantation.

Purpose: To summarize the urinary, rectal, and sexual symptoms occurring during the first 12 months following 125I prostatic implantation.

Methods And Materials: Thirty-one patients with Stage T1 or T2 prostatic carcinoma were evaluated for morbidity following computed tomography-guided transperineal 125I implants from 1988 to 1991. The median total activity used was 47 mCi (range 35-73 mCi).

High-dose rate brachytherapy for carcinoma of the cervix.

Increasingly popular in Europe and Asia as the intracavitary component for cervical cancer radiotherapy, high-dose rate brachytherapy demonstrates certain advantages over historical low-dose rate treatments. High-dose rate intracavitary treatment improves radiation safety, lessens treatment times, allows for outpatient treatment regimens, and has improved packing and retraction techniques, which can decrease rectal and bladder doses. Although retrospective studies of high-dose rate treatment show survival rates comparable with those of historical low-dose rate intracavitary treatment, there have been few randomized, prospective studies to support the use of high-dose rate techniques.

Short-term morbidity from CT-planned transperineal I-125 prostate implants.

Purpose: To summarize short-term morbidity and tumor response following transperineal CT-guided I-125 prostate implantation.

Methods And Materials: Twenty-one patients were treated with CT-based transperineal I-125 prostate implantation between June, 1988 and May, 1990. An average of 75 I-125 seeds were placed, with an average activity of .

An improved method for computerized tomography-planned transperineal 125iodine prostate implants.

Transperineal 125iodine implants of the prostate can be performed with ultrasound guidance, a simple technique that has met with widespread acceptance. However, ultrasound does not allow good visualization of the pubic bones in relation to the pelvic outlet, and the pubic bones may interfere with needle placement in the anterior peripheral aspect of the prostate. Adequate irradiation of the entire periphery of the prostate is important to assure tumor control, since most tumors are multicentric and may involve the anterior aspect of the prostate.

Peritoneal dialysis-associated tuberculous peritonitis in an intravenous drug user with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.

A rare case of tuberculous peritonitis in a continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) patient who has multiple risk factors for extrapulmonary disease due to Mycobacterium tuberculosis is presented. This patient' acute course was atypical with a predominance of neutrophils and low levels of protein in the peritoneal fluid. Obtaining the diagnosis of tuberculous peritonitis by acid-fast smear was also unusual, probably facilitated by centrifugation of large amounts of fluid.