Quantifying the Interfractional motion of Esophagus Using Daily Cone Beam Computed Tomography with Oral Contrast During Radiation Therapy for Locally Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Purpose: To quantify the interfractional motion of the esophagus during fractionated radiation therapy for locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

Methods And Materials: We registered simulation 4-dimensional computed tomography (CT) and daily cone beam CT (CBCT) and documented the motion of the esophagus centroid at 5-mm interval slices in right-left (RL) and anterior-posterior (AP) directions. Oral barium sulfate was administrated during CBCT to help localize the esophagus.

Locoregional Control and Mild Late Toxicity After Reducing Target Volumes and Radiation Doses in Patients With Locoregionally Advanced Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Treated With Induction Chemotherapy (IC) Followed by Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy: 10-Year Results of a Phase 2 Study.

Purpose: To evaluate the long-term locoregional control, failure patterns, and late toxicity after reducing the target volume and radiation dose in patients with locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients treated with induction chemotherapy (IC) plus concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT).

Methods And Materials: Previously untreated patients with locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma were recruited into this prospective study. All patients received 2 cycles of IC followed by CCRT.

Long-term outcome and pattern of failure for patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma treated with intensity-modulated radiotherapy.

Purpose: To analyze the long-term outcome and pattern of failure for patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) after intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT).

Methods And Materials: Patients with NPC after IMRT from 2001 to 2008 were recruited (n = 865). Clinical features, laboratory data, and treatments were collected.

Comparison of set up accuracy among three common immobilisation systems for intensity modulated radiotherapy of nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients.

Introduction: In intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients, an effective immobilisation system is important to minimise set up deviation. This study evaluated the effectiveness of three immobilisation systems by assessing their set up deviations.

Methods: Patients were randomly assigned to one of the three immobilisation systems: (1) supine on head rest and base plate (HB); (2) supine with alpha cradle supporting the head and shoulder (AC); (3) supine with vacuum bag supporting the head and shoulder (VB).

Distant metastasis risk and patterns of nasopharyngeal carcinoma in the era of IMRT: long-term results and benefits of chemotherapy.

Purpose: To report the distant metastasis (DM) risk and patterns for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) treated with intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and to analyze the benefits of chemotherapy based on DM risk.

Materials And Methods: 576 NPC patients were analyzed. The DM rates were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method, and the log-rank test was used to compare differences.

Risk factors and prediction-score model for distant metastasis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma treated with intensity-modulated radiotherapy.

The objective of this study is to identify the risk factors and construct a prediction-score model for distant metastasis (DM) in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients treated with intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). A total of 520 nonmetastatic NPC patients were analysed retrospectively. The independent risk factors for DM were tested by multivariate Cox regression analysis.

Prognostic significance of tumor volume in locally recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma treated with salvage intensity-modulated radiotherapy.

Introduction: To evaluate the prognostic value of gross tumor volume (TV) in patients with locally recurrent, nonmetastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Methods: Between 2001 and 2012, 291 consecutive patients with locally recurrent, nonmetastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma underwent salvage IMRT were retrospectively reviewed. The correlations between TV and recurrent T classification were analyzed.

Effect of total dose and fraction size on survival of patients with locally recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma treated with intensity-modulated radiotherapy: a phase 2, single-center, randomized controlled trial.

Background: The optimal model of total dose and fraction size for patients with locally recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma treated with intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) remains unclear. The authors designed a randomized phase 2 clinical trial to investigate the efficacy of 2 different models, with the objective of determining an optimal model.

Methods: Between January 2003 and December 2007, a total of 117 patients with locally recurrent nonmetastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma were randomized to 2 different models of total dose and fraction size: group A (59 patients) received 60 gray in 27 fractions and group B (58 patients) received 68 gray in 34 fractions.

Results of a phase 2 study examining the effects of omitting elective neck irradiation to nodal levels IV and Vb in patients with N(0-1) nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Purpose: To evaluate the patterns of nodal failure and toxicity in clinically negative necks of N0-1 nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients who were treated with intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) but did not receive elective neck irradiation (ENI) to level IV and Vb nodes.

Methods And Materials: We conducted a phase 2 prospective study in N0-1 NPC patients treated with IMRT. ENI included the retropharyngeal nodes and levels II to Va but omitted levels IV and Vb in clinically negative necks.

An experimental study on acute brain radiation injury: dynamic changes in proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy and the correlation with histopathology.

Purpose: To investigate the correlation between the alterations of single-voxel (1)H MRS and the histopathological characteristics of radiation brain injury following radiation.

Materials And Methods: Twenty-seven rabbits were randomized into nine groups to receive radiation with a single dose of 25 Gy. The observation time points included a pre-radiation and 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 wk following radiation.

Neurotrophin-3 gene modified mesenchymal stem cells promote remyelination and functional recovery in the demyelinated spinal cord of rats.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a debilitating neurodegenerative disease characterized by axonal/neuronal damage that may be caused by defective remyelination. Current therapies aim to slow the rate of degeneration, however there are no treatment options that can stop or reverse the myelin sheath damage. Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are a potential candidate for the cell implantation-targeted therapeutic strategies, but the pro-remyelination effects of MSCs when directly injected into a demyelinated cord lesion have been questioned.

Local control, survival, and late toxicities of locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma treated by simultaneous modulated accelerated radiotherapy combined with cisplatin concurrent chemotherapy: long-term results of a phase 2 study.

Background: The aim of this phase 2 study was to determine the long-term local control, survival, and late toxicities among patients with locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) treated with intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) with the simultaneous modulated accelerated radiation therapy (SMART) boost technique and concurrent chemotherapy.

Methods: Eighty-one patients with pathologically diagnosed locally advanced NPC were enrolled in this study. IMRT was delivered with the SMART boost technique at prescribed doses of 68 grays (Gy)/30 fraction to the nasopharynx gross target volume.

[Influence of patient setup error on planning risk volumes for nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients receiving intensity-modulated radiation therapy].

Background & Objective: Determination of planning risk volumes (PRVs) for an organ at risk greatly affects dose optimization in designing the intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) regimen. Patient setup errors have been found to closely correlate to the definition of PRVs. This study was to investigate the safety margin for the organ at risk during IMRT planning for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients.

[Design planning target volumes (PTVs) in intensity-modulated radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma].

Background & Objective: Intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) may help to diminish radiation-induced normal tissue damage and improve quality of life of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients. However, highly conformal treatment techniques commonly establish steep dose gradients between tumor and normal tissues, therefore, daily setup variations can significantly compromise the ultimate precision of idealized IMRT delivery. This study was to investigate the setup accuracy of thermoplastic masks used for immobilizing NPC patients treated by simultaneous integrated boost IMRT, and to determine adequate margins to account for those uncertainties.

[Intensity modulated radiotherapy for local-regional advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma].

Background & Objective: Local-regional uncontrolled is an important reason of treatment failure for advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) after radiotherapy. Local-regional control rate increased with dose to tumor target volumes. Because of the complex anatomy features, dose escalation using conventional two-dimensional radiotherapy planning is limited by the tolerance of adjacent critical organs.

Initial experience using intensity-modulated radiotherapy for recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Purpose: To report our initial experience on the feasibility, toxicity, and tumor control using intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) for retreatment of recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).

Methods And Materials: A total of 49 patients with locoregional recurrent carcinoma in the nasopharynx were treated with IMRT between January 2001 and February 2002 at the Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China. The average time to the nasopharyngeal recurrence was 30.

[Hemodynamic effects of aminophylline and nifedipine in patients with high altitude pulmonary edema].

Aim: To evaluate the hemodynamic effects of aminophylline and nifedipine in patients with HAPE.

Methods: 10 patients with HAPE undergone Swan-Ganz catheter. The parameters of hemodynamics and arterial blood gases in HAPE were measured before and after administration of nifedipine 20 mg sublingually and aminophylline 0.

[Intensity modulated radiation therapy for 49 patients with recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma].

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility, toxicity and tumor control of intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) for recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Methods: Fourty-nine patients (Karnofsky performance status (KPS) >or= 80) with local-regional recurrence in the nasopharynx were treated with full course IMRT. Three patients with cervical lymph node metastasis (N1 2 and N3 1) were further supplemented with 5 to 6 courses of chemotherapy (Cisplatin + 5-Fu) after IMRT.