Evaluation of a Clinic-Based Exercise Program in Patients with Pancreatic Cancer Undergoing Nonsurgical Treatment.

Introduction: Evidence regarding the role of exercise in pancreatic cancer (PanCa) is limited and is derived exclusively under tightly controlled research conditions. This study aimed to quantify adherence, adverse events, and changes in physical and psychological outcomes in any patients with PanCa referred to undertake exercise during nonsurgical treatment.

Methods: The study involved 22 patients with localized or metastatic PanCa undertaking a clinic-based exercise program during chemotherapy or chemoradiotherapy.

Weight loss for overweight and obese patients with prostate cancer: a study protocol of a randomised trial comparing clinic-based versus Telehealth delivered EXercise and nutrition intervention (the TelEX trial).

Introduction: Obese men with prostate cancer have an increased risk of biochemical recurrence, metastatic disease and mortality. For those undergoing androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), substantial increases in fat mass are observed in the first year of treatment. Recently, we showed that a targeted supervised clinic-based exercise and nutrition intervention can result in a substantial reduction in fat mass with muscle mass preserved in ADT-treated patients.

Adjuvant radiotherapy versus early salvage radiotherapy following radical prostatectomy (TROG 08.03/ANZUP RAVES): a randomised, controlled, phase 3, non-inferiority trial.

Background: Adjuvant radiotherapy has been shown to halve the risk of biochemical progression for patients with high-risk disease after radical prostatectomy. Early salvage radiotherapy could result in similar biochemical control with lower treatment toxicity. We aimed to compare biochemical progression between patients given adjuvant radiotherapy and those given salvage radiotherapy.

Examining the effects of creatine supplementation in augmenting adaptations to resistance training in patients with prostate cancer undergoing androgen deprivation therapy: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Introduction: Creatine supplementation has consistently been demonstrated to augment adaptations in body composition, muscle strength and physical function in a variety of apparently healthy older adults and clinical populations. The effects of creatine supplementation and resistance training in individuals with cancer have yet to be investigated. This study aims to examine the effects of creatine supplementation in conjunction with resistance training on body composition, muscle strength and physical function in prostate cancer patients undergoing androgen deprivation therapy.

TROG 18.01 phase III randomised clinical trial of the Novel Integration of New prostate radiation schedules with adJuvant Androgen deprivation: NINJA study protocol.

Introduction: Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) is a non-invasive alternative to surgery for the treatment of non-metastatic prostate cancer (PC). The objectives of the Novel Integration of ew prostate radiation schedules with adJuvant Androgen deprivation (NINJA) clinical trial are to compare two emerging SBRT regimens for efficacy with technical substudies focussing on MRI only planning and the use of knowledge-based planning (KBP) to assess radiotherapy plan quality.

Methods And Analysis: Eligible patients must have biopsy-proven unfavourable intermediate or favourable high-risk PC, have an Eastern Collaborative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status 0-1 and provide written informed consent.

Does exercise impact gut microbiota composition in men receiving androgen deprivation therapy for prostate cancer? A single-blinded, two-armed, randomised controlled trial.

Introduction: A potential link exists between prostate cancer (PCa) disease and treatment and increased inflammatory levels from gut dysbiosis. This study aims to examine if exercise favourably alters gut microbiota in men receiving androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) for PCa. Specifically, this study will explore whether: (1) exercise improves the composition of gut microbiota and increases the abundance of bacteria associated with health promotion and (2) whether gut health correlates with favourable inflammatory status, bowel function, continence and nausea among patients participating in the exercise intervention.

Spatial features of dose-surface maps from deformably-registered plans correlate with late gastrointestinal complications.

This study investigates the associations between spatial distribution of dose to the rectal surface and observed gastrointestinal toxicities after deformably registering each phase of a combined external beam radiotherapy (EBRT)/high-dose-rate brachytherapy (HDRBT) prostate cancer treatment. The study contains data for 118 patients where the HDRBT CT was deformably-registered to the EBRT CT. The EBRT and registered HDRBT TG43 dose distributions in a reference 2 Gy/fraction were 3D-summed.

Accumulation of rectum dose-volume metrics for prostate external beam radiotherapy combined with brachytherapy: Evaluating deformably registered dose distribution addition using parameter-based addition.

Introduction: To investigate the accuracy of deriving dose-volume histogram (DVH) parameters from deformably registered data by comparing values with the simple addition of DVHs from each phase of a combined external beam radiotherapy (EBRT)/high-dose-rate (HDR-BT) brachytherapy prostate treatment.

Methods: Eighty-two patients received EBRT in 23 fractions of 2 Gy and HDR-BT TG43 in three fractions of 6.5 Gy.

Prostate external beam radiotherapy combined with high-dose-rate brachytherapy: dose-volume parameters from deformably-registered plans correlate with late gastrointestinal complications.

Background: Derivation of dose-volume correlated with toxicity for multi-modal treatments can be difficult due to the perceived need for voxel-by-voxel dose accumulation. With data available for a single-institution cohort with long follow-up, an investigation was undertaken into rectal dose-volume effects for gastrointestinal toxicities after deformably-registering each phase of a combined external beam radiotherapy (EBRT)/high-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy prostate treatment.

Methods: One hundred and eighteen patients received EBRT in 23 fractions of 2 Gy and HDR (TG43 algorithm) in 3 fractions of 6.

Registering prostate external beam radiotherapy with a boost from high-dose-rate brachytherapy: a comparative evaluation of deformable registration algorithms.

Background: Registering CTs for patients receiving external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) with a boost dose from high-dose-rate brachytherapy (HDR) can be challenging due to considerable image discrepancies (e.g. rectal fillings, HDR needles, HDR artefacts and HDR rectal packing materials).

A Phase III trial to investigate the timing of radiotherapy for prostate cancer with high-risk features: background and rationale of the Radiotherapy -- Adjuvant Versus Early Salvage (RAVES) trial.

Objectives: To test the hypothesis that observation with early salvage radiotherapy (SRT) is not inferior to 'standard' treatment with adjuvant RT (ART) with respect to biochemical failure in patients with pT3 disease and/or positive surgical margins (SMs) after radical prostatectomy (RP). To compare the following secondary endpoints between the two arms: patient-reported outcomes, adverse events, biochemical failure-free survival, overall survival, disease-specific survival, time to distant failure, time to local failure, cost utility analysis, quality adjusted life years and time to androgen deprivation.

Patients And Methods: The Radiotherapy - Adjuvant Versus Early Salvage (RAVES) trial is a phase III multicentre randomised controlled trial led by the Trans Tasman Radiation Oncology Group (TROG), in collaboration with the Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand (USANZ), and the Australian and New Zealand Urogenital and Prostate Cancer Trials Group (ANZUP).

The outcome of a multi-centre feasibility study of online adaptive radiotherapy for muscle-invasive bladder cancer TROG 10.01 BOLART.

Purpose: To assess whether online adaptive radiotherapy for bladder cancer is feasible across multiple Radiation Oncology departments using different imaging, delivery and recording technology.

Materials And Methods: A multi-centre feasibility study of online adaptive radiotherapy, using a choice of three "plan of the day", was conducted at 12 departments. Patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer were included.

Phase 3 trial of domiciliary humidification to mitigate acute mucosal toxicity during radiation therapy for head-and-neck cancer: first report of Trans Tasman Radiation Oncology Group (TROG) 07.03 RadioHUM study.

Purpose: To assess the impact of domicile-based humidification on symptom burden during radiation therapy (RT) for head-and-neck (H&N) cancer.

Methods And Materials: From June 2007 through June 2011, 210 patients with H&N cancer receiving RT were randomized to either a control arm or to receive humidification using the Fisher & Paykel Healthcare MR880 humidifier. Humidification commenced on day 1 of RT and continued until Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE), version 3.

Radiotherapy and technetium-99m-labeled red blood cell scintigraphy for hemoptysis from chronic MRSA infection.

Aim: To discuss the application of external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) and technetium-99m-labeled red blood cell scintigraphy (LRBCS) in life-threatening hemoptysis from a non-malignant condition.

Materials And Methods: This case report presents a patient with persistent hemoptysis secondary to chronic Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection in whom conventional management failed to localize the site of pulmonary bleeding or to provide effective therapy.

Results: EBRT was successfully given for life-threatening hemoptysis with improvement in quality of life for nearly 1 year.

A prospective study on pain score with transperineal prostatic gold seed fiducial implantation under local anesthetic alone.

Background: The purpose of this study was to monitor patient pain score with transperineal prostatic gold seed implantation in the absence of conscious sedation.

Methods: All patients who were scheduled for image-guided external beam radiation (IGRT) and referred for gold seed fiducials were eligible to participate. Gold seed implants were performed by two radiation oncologists between December 2007 and April 2008.

Treatment-related morbidity in prostate cancer: a comparison of 3-dimensional conformal radiation therapy with and without image guidance using implanted fiducial markers.

Purpose: To estimate the prevalence of rectal and urinary dysfunctional symptoms using image guided radiation therapy (IGRT) with fiducials and magnetic resonance planning for prostate cancer.

Methods And Materials: During the implementation stages of IGRT between September 2008 and March 2010, 367 consecutive patients were treated with prostatic irradiation using 3-dimensional conformal radiation therapy with and without IGRT (non-IGRT). In November 2010, these men were asked to report their bowel and bladder symptoms using a postal questionnaire.

Patient costs associated with external beam radiotherapy treatment for localized prostate cancer: the benefits of hypofractionated over conventionally fractionated radiotherapy.

Introduction: To estimate the out-of-pocket costs for patients undergoing external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) for prostate cancer and calculate the patient-related savings of being treated with a 5-fraction versus a standard 39-fraction approach.

Materials And Methods: Seventy patients accrued to the pHART3 (n = 84) study were analyzed for out-of-pocket patient costs as a result of undergoing treatment. All costs are in Canadian dollars.