Patient Satisfaction with Fentanyl Pectin Nasal Spray in Breakthrough Cancer Pain Management During Radiotherapy for Head and Neck Cancer.

Objective: The severity of breakthrough cancer pain (BTcP) impacts patients' quality of life, increases the risk of anxiety and depression, lowers functional capacities, and may lead to poor compliance with cancer treatments. The aim of the current study was to assess, in a real-life setting, patient satisfaction with a fentanyl-pectin-nasal-spray (FPNS) for BTcP management in head and neck (H&N) cancer patients treated by radiotherapy.

Materials And Methods: This non-interventional, prospective study was conducted in 92 adult H&N-cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy and who started FPNS treatment for BTcP.

Early detection of subclinical left ventricular dysfunction after breast cancer radiation therapy using speckle-tracking echocardiography: association between cardiac exposure and longitudinal strain reduction (BACCARAT study).

Background: Breast cancer (BC) radiotherapy (RT) can induce cardiotoxicity, with adverse events often observed many years after BC RT. Subclinical left ventricular (LV) dysfunction can be detected early after BC RT with global longitudinal strain (GLS) measurement based on 2D speckle-tracking echocardiography. This 6-month follow-up analysis from the BACCARAT prospective study aimed to investigate the association between cardiac radiation doses and subclinical LV dysfunction based on GLS reduction.

Is mean heart dose a relevant surrogate parameter of left ventricle and coronary arteries exposure during breast cancer radiotherapy: a dosimetric evaluation based on individually-determined radiation dose (BACCARAT study).

Background: Intra-individual heterogeneity of cardiac exposure is an issue in breast cancer (BC) radiotherapy that was poorly considered in previous cardiotoxicity studies mainly based on mean heart dose (MHD). This dosimetric study analyzes the distribution of individually-determined radiation doses to the heart and its substructures including coronary arteries and evaluate whether MHD is a relevant surrogate parameter of dose for these substructures.

Methods: Data were collected from the BACCARAT prospective study that included left or right unilateral BC patients treated with 3D-Conformal Radiotherapy (RT) between 2015 and 2017 and followed-up for 2 years with repeated cardiac imaging examinations.

Impact of STAT3 phosphorylation in glioblastoma stem cells radiosensitization and patient outcome.

Glioblastoma (GBM) represents the most common and lethal primary malignant brain tumor. The standard treatment for glioblastoma patients involves surgical resection with concomitant radio and chemotherapy. Despite today's clinical protocol, the prognosis for patients remains very poor with a median survival of 15 months.

Mesenchymal subtype of glioblastomas with high DNA-PKcs expression is associated with better response to radiotherapy and temozolomide.

A better understanding of the relationship between glioblastomas molecular subtypes and radio-chemotherapy is needed for the development of individualized strategies. In this study, we aimed to assess whether non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ) protein expression is associated and could predict responses to treatment of mesenchymal (MES) and proneural (PN) subtypes. Tumors from 122 patients with a glioblastoma treated at the University Hospital of Poitiers between 2002-2013 by an association of radiotherapy and temozolomide were collected.

A radiosensitizing effect of RAD51 inhibition in glioblastoma stem-like cells.

Background: Radioresistant glioblastoma stem cells (GSCs) contribute to tumor recurrence and identification of the molecular targets involved in radioresistance mechanisms is likely to enhance therapeutic efficacy. This study analyzed the DNA damage response following ionizing radiation (IR) in 10 GSC lines derived from patients.

Methods: DNA damage was quantified by Comet assay and DNA repair effectors were assessed by Low Density Array.