Hyperbaric oxygen treatment for late radiation-induced tissue toxicity in treated gynaecological cancer patients: a systematic review.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the result of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) in women with treated gynaecological malignancies who suffer from late radiation-induced tissue toxicity (LRITT). Moreover, which symptoms of LRITT benefit most from HBOT was evaluated as well.

Material And Methods: An online literature search was conducted using PubMed; Embase and the Cochrane Library.

Effect of hyperbaric oxygen treatment on skin elasticity in irradiated patients.

Background: Hyperbaric oxygen treatment (HBOT) is often used in an attempt to reverse/treat late radiation-induced tissue fibrosis (LRITF). This study aimed to quantify the effects on skin elasticity.

Methods: Skin retraction time was used as a marker of skin elasticity in 13 irradiated breast cancer patients.

The impact of hyperbaric oxygen therapy on late irradiation injury in oral microcirculation.

Background: Late side effects of radiotherapy in patients with head and neck cancer (HNCPs) result in decreased tissue vascularity, a compromised healing capacity and spontaneous breakdown of tissue. The aim of this study was to examine the in vivo effect of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) on the microcirculation in irradiated oral tissue.

Methods: Using a handheld microscope, the effect of HBOT on oral mucosal microcirculation parameters was measured in 34 previously irradiated HNCPs prior to HBOT and at 4 weeks and 6 months posttreatment.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for nonhealing wounds: Treatment results of a single center.

The present article evaluates the results of the treatment with adjuvant hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) of patients with nonhealing, chronic wounds. In the period 2013 to 2016, 248 patients were referred from various hospitals because of chronic wounds that were recalcitrant in healing despite standard wound care as described in national and international guidelines. After inclusion, all patients were treated with HBOT and subjected to a weekly standard wound care treatment.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy in patients suffering from wounds in calciphylaxis: a narrative review.

Background: Calcific uremic arteriolopathy (calciphylaxis) is a rare and highly lethal vascular disease. Vascular calcification with calcium depositions lead to ischemic ulcers associated with gangrene, severe pain and poor healing. Although hyperbaric oxygen (HBO2) therapy has been used in the treatment of calciphylaxis, evidence of its effectiveness is limited.

Patient-Side Appraisal of Late Radiation-Induced Oral Microvascular Changes.

Purpose: To determine the clinical feasibility of examining and measuring late irradiation changes in the oral microcirculation of head and neck (HN) cancer patients using the novel CytoCam video microscope system.

Methods And Materials: In 30 HN cancer patients and 30 age-matched controls, bilateral video images were recorded noninvasively of the oral microcirculation of the buccal mucosa and mandibular gingiva. Tissue perfusion parameters, such as functional capillary density (FCD), buccal blood vessel diameter, and microcirculatory flow index, were analyzed.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for late radiation-induced tissue toxicity: prospectively patient-reported outcome measures in breast cancer patients.

Introduction: This study examines patient reported outcome measures of women undergoing hyperbaric oxygen treatment (HBOT) after breast-conserving therapy.

Method: Included were 57 women treated with HBOT for late radiation-induced tissue toxicity (LRITT) referred in the period January 2014-December 2015. HBOT consisted of (on average) 47 sessions.

Dose uncertainties in IMPT for oropharyngeal cancer in the presence of anatomical, range, and setup errors.

Purpose: Setup, range, and anatomical uncertainties influence the dose delivered with intensity modulated proton therapy (IMPT), but clinical quantification of these errors for oropharyngeal cancer is lacking. We quantified these factors and investigated treatment fidelity, that is, robustness, as influenced by adaptive planning and by applying more beam directions.

Methods And Materials: We used an in-house treatment planning system with multicriteria optimization of pencil beam energies, directions, and weights to create treatment plans for 3-, 5-, and 7-beam directions for 10 oropharyngeal cancer patients.

Intensity-modulated radiotherapy followed by a brachytherapy boost for oropharyngeal cancer.

Background: The purpose of this study was to reduce the incidence of radiation-induced toxicity in patients with early-stage oropharyngeal cancer, using highly conformal radiation techniques.

Methods: Between 2000 and 2011, 167 patients with T1-3N0-3 oropharyngeal cancer were treated with 46-Gy intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) followed by 22-Gy brachytherapy boost. In patients with node-positive disease, neck dissection was performed.

Risk model and nomogram for dysphagia and xerostomia prediction in head and neck cancer patients treated by radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy.

In our randomized trial on hyperbaric oxygen (HBO), it was shown that HBO could reduce dysphagia and xerostomia, which are frequently encountered after (chemo-) radiotherapy (RT) and/or surgery for head and neck cancer (HNC). A risk model and nomogram are developed to select those patients who most likely will respond to HBO treatment. A total of 434 HNC patients treated from 2000 to 2008 were analyzed and filled out the EORTC QLQC-30 and H&N35 questionnaires.

Local control in advanced cancer of the nasopharynx: is a boost dose by endocavitary brachytherapy of prognostic significance?

Purpose: To analyze whether local tumor control in advanced nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) can be optimized by boosting the primary dose by endocavitary brachytherapy (EBT).

Methods And Materials: To study the role of EBT, three data sets on NPC, that is, the "Vienna", "Rotterdam," and "Amsterdam" series, with a total number of 411 advanced NPC patients, were available. The Rotterdam series consisted of 72 patients (34 T1,2N+ and 38 T3,4N0,+) and were treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by external beam radiotherapy (dose 70/2Gy).

Toxicity and outcome of intensity-modulated radiotherapy versus 3-dimensional conformal radiotherapy for oropharyngeal cancer: a matched-pair analysis.

Because of the scarcity of randomized trials comparing toxicity and outcomes of intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) for oropharyngeal cancer (OPC) with 3D-conformal radiotherapy (3DCRT), we performed a matched-pair analysis from prospectively collected data from the Head and Neck Tumor Registry of our institution. In the absence of phase III trials, we believe this approach provides the highest quality data possible. Ninety-two patients treated with 3DCRT were matched (1:1) to 92 patients treated with IMRT for 9 potential predictive factors for toxicity and outcome: gender, age, T-stage, N-stage, tumor subsite, unilateral neck irradiation, chemotherapy, neck dissection and boost technique.

Stereotactic body radiotherapy: a promising treatment option for the boost of oropharyngeal cancers not suitable for brachytherapy: a single-institutional experience.

Purpose: To prospectively assess the outcome and toxicity of frameless stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) as a treatment option for boosting primary oropharyngeal cancers (OPC) in patients who not suitable for the standard brachytherapy boost (BTB).

Methods And Materials: Between 2005 and 2010, 51 patients with Stage I to IV biopsy-proven OPC who were not suitable for BTB received boosts by means of SBRT (3 times 5.5 Gy, prescribed to the 80% isodose line), after 46 Gy of IMRT to the primary tumor and neck (when indicated).

Single vocal cord irradiation: a competitive treatment strategy in early glottic cancer.

Introduction: The treatment of choice for early glottic cancer is still being debated; ultimately it relies on the functional outcome. This paper reports on a novel sparing 4D conformal technique for single vocal cord irradiation (SVCI).

Material And Methods: The records of 164 T1a patients with SCC of the vocal cord, irradiated in the Erasmus MC between 2000 and 2008, were analyzed for local control and overall survival.

Does atlas-based autosegmentation of neck levels require subsequent manual contour editing to avoid risk of severe target underdosage? A dosimetric analysis.

Background And Purpose: To investigate the dosimetric impact of not editing auto-contours of the elective neck and organs at risk (OAR), generated with atlas-based autosegmentation (ABAS) (Elekta software) for head and neck cancer patients.

Materials And Methods: For nine patients ABAS auto-contours and auto-contours edited by two observers were available. Based on the non-edited auto-contours clinically acceptable IMRT plans were constructed (designated 'ABAS plans').

Three-dimensional dose addition of external beam radiotherapy and brachytherapy for oropharyngeal patients using nonrigid registration.

Purpose: To develop and evaluate a method for adding dose distributions of combined external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) and brachytherapy (BT) for oropharyngeal patients.

Methods And Materials: Two computed tomography (CT) scans were used for 5 patients: the EBRT CT, used for EBRT planning, and the BT CT, acquired after catheter implantation. For each scan, the salivary glands and the chewing and swallowing muscles were contoured, and a dose distribution was calculated.

Clinical validation of atlas-based auto-segmentation of multiple target volumes and normal tissue (swallowing/mastication) structures in the head and neck.

Purpose: To validate and clinically evaluate autocontouring using atlas-based autosegmentation (ABAS) of computed tomography images.

Methods And Materials: The data from 10 head-and-neck patients were selected as input for ABAS, and neck levels I-V and 20 organs at risk were manually contoured according to published guidelines. The total contouring times were recorded.

Early hyperbaric oxygen therapy for reducing radiotherapy side effects: early results of a randomized trial in oropharyngeal and nasopharyngeal cancer.

Purpose: Comparison of quality of life (QoL) and side effects in a randomized trial for early hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) after radiotherapy (RT).

Methods And Materials: From 2006, 19 patients with tumor originating from the tonsillar fossa and/or soft palate (15), base of tongue (1), and nasopharynx (3) were randomized to receive HBOT or not. HBOT consisted of 30 sessions at 2.

Quality of life of oropharyngeal cancer patients treated with brachytherapy.

Brachytherapy (BT) is a highly conformal (accurate clinical target volume delineation, no planning target volume margin) radiotherapy technique; the radioactive source, guided by afterloading catheters, is implanted into the heart of the tumor. The localized high dose of radiation enables high tumor control rates and, because of rapid dose fall-off, sparing of the adjacent normal tissues. At the Erasmus Medical Center, excellent results were observed: 5-year local regional control of 84%, 5-year disease-free survival of 59%, and 5-year overall survival of 64%.

Atlas-based auto-segmentation of head and neck CT images.

Treatment planning for high precision radiotherapy of head and neck (H&N) cancer patients requires accurate delineation of many structures and lymph node regions. Manual contouring is tedious and suffers from large inter- and intra-rater variability. To reduce manual labor, we have developed a fully automated, atlas-based method for H&N CT image segmentation that employs a novel hierarchical atlas registration approach.

Results of fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing vs. radiation dose in the swallowing muscles after radiotherapy of cancer in the oropharynx.

Background And Purpose: Dysphagia is a serious complaint but frequently underreported. This paper assesses for oropharyngeal cancer (OPC) the relationship between the dose received by the swallowing structures, and the findings of a fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of the swallowing process (FEES).

Materials And Methods: Between 2000 and 2005, 60 of 67 OPC patients local-regionally NED for at least one year following treatment responded to three types of QoL questionnaires; i.

Treatment techniques and site considerations regarding dysphagia-related quality of life in cancer of the oropharynx and nasopharynx.

Purpose: To assess the relationship for oropharyngeal (OP) cancer and nasopharyngeal (NP) cancer between the dose received by the swallowing structures and the dysphagia related quality of life (QoL).

Methods And Materials: Between 2000 and 2005, 85 OP and 47 NP cancer patients were treated by radiation therapy. After 46 Gy, OP cancer is boosted by intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), brachytherapy (BT), or frameless stereotactic radiation/cyberknife (CBK).

Local anatomic changes in parotid and submandibular glands during radiotherapy for oropharynx cancer and correlation with dose, studied in detail with nonrigid registration.

Purpose: To quantify the anatomic changes caused by external beam radiotherapy in head-and-neck cancer patients in full three dimensions and to relate the local anatomic changes to the planned mean dose.

Methods And Materials: A nonrigid registration method was adapted for RT image registration. The method was applied in 10 head-and-neck cancer patients, who each underwent a planning and a repeat computed tomography scan.