Newly Synthesized Melphalan Analogs Induce DNA Damage and Mitotic Catastrophe in Hematological Malignant Cancer Cells.

Myeloablative therapy with highdoses of the cytostatic drug melphalan (MEL) in preparation for hematopoietic cell transplantation is the standard of care for multiple myeloma (MM) patients. Melphalan is a bifunctional alkylating agent that covalently binds to nucleophilic sites in the DNA and effective in the treatment, but unfortunately has limited therapeutic benefit. Therefore, new approaches are urgently needed for patients who are resistant to existing standard treatment with MEL.

Permanent LDR prostate brachytherapy: Comprehensive characterization of seed-dynamics within the prostate on a seed-only level.

Purpose: Seed brachytherapy is a well-established treatment modality for prostate cancer. However, there is still a lack of profound characterizations of seed motions within the prostate. We assessed these dynamics between day 0 and day 30 of brachytherapy.

12 × 6 Gy stereotactic radiotherapy for lung tumors. Is there a difference in response between lung metastases and primary bronchial carcinoma?

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and long-term tumor control after stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT) with 12 × 6 Gy of patients with primary bronchial carcinoma (BC) or with pulmonary metastases (MET) of various solid tumors. Local progression-free survival (LPFS), progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and prognostic factors were compared.

Methods: Between May 2012 and January 2020, 168 patients with 206 pulmonary lesions (170 MET and 36 primary BC) were treated with 12 × 6 Gy (BED 116 Gy).

Targeted Natural Killer Cell-Based Adoptive Immunotherapy for the Treatment of Patients with NSCLC after Radiochemotherapy: A Randomized Phase II Clinical Trial.

Purpose: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a fatal disease with poor prognosis. A membrane-bound form of Hsp70 (mHsp70) which is selectively expressed on high-risk tumors serves as a target for mHsp70-targeting natural killer (NK) cells. Patients with advanced mHsp70-positive NSCLC may therefore benefit from a therapeutic intervention involving mHsp70-targeting NK cells.

Randomized phase-III-trial of concurrent chemoradiation for locally advanced head and neck cancer comparing dose reduced radiotherapy with paclitaxel/cisplatin to standard radiotherapy with fluorouracil/cisplatin: The PacCis-trial.

Background And Purpose: This multicenter, phase 3 trial investigates whether the incorporation of concurrent paclitaxel and cisplatin together with a reduced total dose of radiotherapy is superior to standard fluorouracil-cisplatin based CRT.

Materials And Methods: Patients with SCCHN, stage III-IVB, were randomized to receive paclitaxel/cisplatin (PacCis)-CRT (arm A; paclitaxel 20 mg/m on days 2, 5, 8, 11 and 25, 30, 33, 36; cisplatin 20 mg/m, days 1-4 and 29-32; RT to a total dose of 63.6 Gy) or fluorouracil/cisplatin (CisFU)-CRT (arm B; fluorouracil 600 mg/m; cisplatin 20 mg/m, days 1-5 and 29-33; RT: 70.

Noncurated Data Lead to Misinterpretation of Treatment Outcomes in Patients With Prostate Cancer After Salvage or Palliative Radiotherapy.

Purpose: Clinical data warehouses (cDWHs) and cancer registry databases have enabled researchers to conduct clinical analytics with structured electronic health record data. However, these secondary electronic health record sources are often limited in scope because they do not capture the clinical information needed to understand complex clinical questions. Thus, we evaluated the effect of additional curation of data.

Single-cycle induction chemotherapy before chemoradiotherapy or surgery in functionally inoperable head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: 10-year results.

Introduction: The response to induction chemotherapy (IC) predicts local control after conservative treatment of laryngeal, meso- and hypopharyngeal head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and can thus help to avoid surgery. Single-cycle induction chemotherapy may help to maintain a low local recurrence rate while keeping the overall toxicity manageable. However, long-term data on single-cycle IC response by tumor location is lacking.

Time course of pain response and toxicity after whole-nerve-encompassing LINAC-based stereotactic radiosurgery for trigeminal neuralgia-a prospective observational study.

Purpose: To prospectively evaluate the time course of pain response and toxicity after linear accelerator-based whole-nerve-encompassing radiosurgery (LINAC-SRS) using a uniform treatment schedule for dosing and target volume definition in patients with refractory trigeminal neuralgia.

Methods: From December 2012 to December 2016, 21 patients were treated using a standardized protocol. Patients received LINAC-SRS with 70 Gy to the cisternal portion while aiming for the 90% isodose to fully envelope the nerve in one cross-sectional plane.

Effects of whole-body electromyostimulation combined with individualized nutritional support on body composition in patients with advanced cancer: a controlled pilot trial.

Background: Physical exercise and nutritional treatment are promising measures to prevent muscle wasting that is frequently observed in advanced-stage cancer patients. However, conventional exercise is not always suitable for these patients due to physical weakness and therapeutic side effects. In this pilot study, we examined the effect of a combined approach of the novel training method whole-body electromyostimulation (WB-EMS) and individualized nutritional support on body composition with primary focus on skeletal muscle mass in advanced cancer patients under oncological treatment.

Stereotactic radiotherapy as primary definitive or postoperative treatment of intracranial meningioma of WHO grade II and III leads to better disease control than stereotactic radiotherapy of recurrent meningioma.

The aim of this study was to evaluate long-term clinical outcome, prognostic factors and quality of life after adjuvant or definitive fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT) of meningioma WHO grade II and III or at recurrence. 131 patients with 138 meningioma (64 WHO grade II, 16 WHO grade III, 58 without histology) of the skull base, falx and convexity were treated between 01/2002 and 01/2015 at the Erlangen University Hospital by fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT) as primary treatment (adjuvant or definitive) and at recurrence. 53% (n = 53) lesions of patients with primary tumour received postoperative SRT and 47% (n = 47) as definitive treatment (without surgery).

Electronic Support for Retrospective Analysis in the Field of Radiation Oncology: Proof of Principle Using an Example of Fractionated Stereotactic Radiotherapy of 251 Meningioma Patients.

Introduction: The purpose of this study is to verify the possible benefit of a clinical data warehouse (DWH) for retrospective analysis in the field of radiation oncology.

Material And Methods: We manually and electronically (using DWH) evaluated demographic, radiotherapy, and outcome data from 251 meningioma patients, who were irradiated from January 2002 to January 2015 at the Department of Radiation Oncology of the Erlangen University Hospital. Furthermore, we linked the Oncology Information System (OIS) MOSAIQ to the DWH in order to gain access to irradiation data.

Effective local control of vertebral metastases by simultaneous integrated boost radiotherapy: preliminary results.

Background: The primary endpoint was to improve local tumour control of patients with metastatic spinal tumours by stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) and dose escalation by simultaneous, integrated boost (PTV-boost). We used a whole vertebral body (PTV-elective) contouring approach. Secondary endpoints were severity of acute and chronic adverse effects and overall survival.

Evaluating predictive modeling algorithms to assess patient eligibility for clinical trials from routine data.

Background: The necessity to translate eligibility criteria from free text into decision rules that are compatible with data from the electronic health record (EHR) constitutes the main challenge when developing and deploying clinical trial recruitment support systems. Recruitment decisions based on case-based reasoning, i.e.

A disease-specific enteral nutrition formula improves nutritional status and functional performance in patients with head and neck and esophageal cancer undergoing chemoradiotherapy: results of a randomized, controlled, multicenter trial.

Background: In patients with head and neck and esophageal tumors, nutritional status may deteriorate during concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CRT). The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of enteral nutrition enriched with eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) on body composition and nutritional and functional status.

Methods: In a controlled, randomized, prospective, double-blind, multicenter study, 111 patients with head and neck and esophageal cancer undergoing concurrent CRT received either an enteral standard nutrition (control group) or disease-specific enteral nutrition Supportan®-containing EPA+DHA (experimental group) via percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy.

Doxorubicin-transferrin conjugate selectively overcomes multidrug resistance in leukaemia cells.

Neoplastic cells frequently have an increased number of transferrin receptors. Coupling transferrin to an anti-neoplastic drug has the potential to overcome multidrug resistance (MDR). The purpose of this study was to examine the distribution and action of doxorubicin-transferrin conjugate (DOXTRF) in a leukaemia cell line (HL60), a multidrug-resistant leukaemia cell line (HL60ADR) and a normal tissue cell line (human fibroblasts).

[Pharmacological mechanisms of Doxorubicin activity (DOX) - current state of knowledge].

Doxorubicin (DOX) belongs to the anthracycline antibiotics, widely used in the treatment of various types of malignancies. This review presents recent data about mechanisms of the drug action.

[Transferrin conjugates in the anticancer therapy].

To enhance the therapeutic efficiacy of anticancer drugs and reducing its systemic side-effects carriers are used. Transferrin is one of the very promising protein which can be used to transport drugs, DNA and ions into the cancer cells. Because of the fact that neoplastic cells have increased number of transferrin receptors, the transferrin can deliver the drugs directly to the neoplastic cells without injury of normal cells.