Automated, Real-Time Integration of Biometric Data From Wearable Devices With Electronic Medical Records: A Feasibility Study.

Purpose: A major barrier to the incorporation of biometric data into clinical practice is the lack of device integration with electronic medical records (EMRs). We developed infrastructure to transmit biometric data from an Apple Watch into the EMR for physician review. The study objective was to test feasibility of using this infrastructure for patients undergoing radiotherapy.

ACR-ARS Practice Parameter on Informed Consent Radiation Oncology.

Objectives: Consent is a communication process between the patient and a health care provider, in which both parties have the opportunity to ask questions and exchange information relevant to the patient's diagnosis and treatment. The process of informed consent is designed to protect a patient's autonomy in their medical decision-making in the context of an asymmetric relationship with the health care system. A proper consent process assures a patient's individual autonomy, reduces the opportunity for abusive conduct or conflicts of interest, and raises trust levels among participants.

Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography scans in patients with alcohol use disorder.

Background: Diminished uptake of fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) has been observed in patients with alcohol use disorder (AUD) but little statistical contrast of the regional brain deficits has been undertaken. This study examined prefrontal cortex inter-regional Brodmann area differences to delineate patterns associated with behavioral, neurotransmitter, and general toxicity hypotheses of cerebral involvement in AUD.

Methods: We obtained data from FDG positron emission tomography (PET) and anatomical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for 87 patients with AUD and 41 age- and sex-matched healthy volunteers.

Implications of Medical Board Certification Practices on Family Planning and Professional Trajectory for Early Career Female Radiation Oncologists.

Purpose: Our purpose was to evaluate the effect of the current structure and schedule of the American Board of Radiology (ABR) radiation oncology initial certification (RO-IC) examinations, with a primary focus on implications for family planning and early professional barriers among female radiation oncologists.

Methods And Materials: A survey was conducted of crowdsourced ABR candidates and diplomates for radiation oncology between June and July of 2020. The primary study cohort was early career female radiation oncologists of the 2016 through 2021 graduating classes.

No Longer a Match: Trends in Radiation Oncology National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) Data from 2010-2020 and Comparison Across Specialties.

Purpose: To report trends in the number and types of applicants and matched trainees to radiation oncology in comparison to other specialties participating in the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) between 2010 and 2020.

Methods And Materials: Data from the NRMP and Electronic Residency Application System (ERAS) were obtained for 18 medical specialties between 2010 and 2020. We assessed the numbers and types of applicants and matched trainees relative to available positions in the NRMP and Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program (SOAP).

Mentorship Initiatives in Radiation Oncology: A Scoping Review of the Literature.

Purpose: Although mentorship is described extensively in academic medical literature, there are few descriptions of mentorship specific to radiation oncology. The goal of the current study was to investigate the state of mentorship in radiation oncology through a scoping review of the literature.

Methods And Materials: A search protocol was defined according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta Analyses extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines.

The Geography of Employment Outcomes for Radiation Oncology Graduates in 2019.

Purpose: The geographic distribution of practicing radiation oncologists is of concern for multiple stakeholders within the field. Employment outcomes of graduating residents can affect that distribution, and they are of major concern to current residents. Data investigating employment outcomes of recent graduates are sparse.

The Role of Circulating Tumor Cells in Breast Cancer and Implications for Radiation Treatment Decisions.

Tumor biomarkers are used routinely in oncology to assign risk categorization, screen and assist in diagnosis of malignancy, allow for prognostication and prediction of outcomes and treatment response, and allow for monitoring of patients after treatment completion. Although tissue-based biomarkers have a long history of use, the emergence of liquid-based biomarkers, including circulating tumor cells (CTCs), may soon revolutionize the management of patients with cancer. Here, we review the discovery of CTCs and their role as prognostic and predictive biomarkers, with an emphasis on breast cancer.

Radiation Oncology Initial Certification Qualification Examinations: The Resident Experience in 2019.

Purpose: To characterize the resident experience preparing for the 2019 American Board of Radiology initial certification (IC) qualifying examinations in radiation oncology.

Methods And Materials: The Association of Residents in Radiation Oncology distributed a survey to 360 radiation oncology residents from the 2019 and 2020 graduating classes covering topics pertinent to preparation for the medical physics (MP), radiation and cancer biology (RCB), and clinical radiation oncology (CRO) qualifying examinations.

Results: The response rate was 58% (n = 210).

Quantification of global lung inflammation using volumetric 18F-FDG PET/CT parameters in locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer patients treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy: a comparison of photon and proton radiation therapy.

Introduction: Radiation pneumonitis is a major dose-limiting complication in thoracic radiation therapy (RT) and presents clinically in the first few months after RT. We evaluated the feasibility of quantifying pulmonary parenchymal glycolysis (PG) as a surrogate of global lung inflammation and radiation-induced pulmonary toxicity using a novel semiautomatic lung segmentation technique in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients and compared PG in patients treated with photon or proton RT.

Patients And Methods: We evaluated 18 consecutive locally advanced NSCLC patients who underwent pretreatment and post-treatment F-FDG PET/CT treated with definitive (median: 66.

#WomenWhoCurie: Leveraging Social Media to Promote Women in Radiation Oncology.

The proportion of female trainees in radiation oncology has generally declined despite increasing numbers of female medical students; as a result, radiation oncology is among the bottom 5 specialties in terms of the percentage of female applicants. Recently, social media has been harnessed as a tool to bring recognition to underrepresented groups within medicine and other fields. Inspired by the wide-reaching social media campaign of #ILookLikeASurgeon to promote female physicians, members of the Society for Women in Radiation Oncology penned a new hashtag and launched the #WomenWhoCurie social media campaign on Marie Curie's birthday November 7th, as part of their strategy to raise public awareness.

Association of chemotherapy and radiotherapy sequence with overall survival in locoregionally advanced endometrial cancer.

Objective: The optimal adjuvant management of women with FIGO Stage III-IVA endometrial cancer (EC) is unclear. While recent prospective data suggest that treatment with pelvic radiotherapy (RT) prior to chemotherapy (CT) is not associated with a survival benefit compared to CT alone, no prospective randomized trial has included a treatment arm in which CT is given before RT.

Methods: An observational cohort study was performed on women with FIGO Stage III-IVA Type 1 (grade 1-2, endometrioid) EC who underwent hysterectomy and received multi-agent CT and/or RT from 2004 to 2014 at Commission on Cancer-accredited hospitals.

Association of Circulating Tumor Cell Status With Benefit of Radiotherapy and Survival in Early-Stage Breast Cancer.

Importance: Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) represent the liquid component of solid tumors and are a surrogate marker for residual cancer burden. Although CTC status is prognostic of recurrence and death in breast cancer, its role in guiding clinical management remains unknown.

Objective: To determine whether CTC status is predictive of radiotherapeutic benefit in early-stage breast cancer.

21-Gene Recurrence Score Assay Predicts Benefit of Post-Mastectomy Radiotherapy in T1-2 N1 Breast Cancer.

Post-mastectomy radiotherapy (PMRT) yields improvements in both locoregional control and overall survival (OS) for women with T1-2 N1 breast cancer. The value of PMRT in this population has been questioned given advances in systemic therapy. The 21-gene recurrence score (RS) assay was evaluated as a predictor of OS among women with T1-2 N1 breast cancer who received or did not receive PMRT.