Keeping your best options open with AI-based treatment planning in prostate and cervix brachytherapy.

Purpose: Without a clear definition of an optimal treatment plan, no optimization model can be perfect. Therefore, instead of automatically finding a single "optimal" plan, finding multiple, yet different near-optimal plans, can be an insightful approach to support radiation oncologists in finding the plan they are looking for.

Methods And Materials: BRIGHT is a flexible AI-based optimization method for brachytherapy treatment planning that has already been shown capable of finding high-quality plans that trade-off target volume coverage and healthy tissue sparing.

Clinical Validation of Computer-Aided Diagnosis Software for Preventing Retained Surgical Sponges.

Background: We previously reported the successful development of a computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) system for preventing retained surgical sponges with deep learning using training data, including composite and simulated radiographs. In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of the CAD system in a clinical setting.

Study Design: A total of 1,053 postoperative radiographs obtained from patients 20 years of age or older who underwent surgery were evaluated.

Multi-hallmark long noncoding RNA maps reveal non-small cell lung cancer vulnerabilities.

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are widely dysregulated in cancer, yet their functional roles in cancer hallmarks remain unclear. We employ pooled CRISPR deletion to perturb 831 lncRNAs detected in KRAS-mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and measure their contribution to proliferation, chemoresistance, and migration across two cell backgrounds. Integrative analysis of these data outperforms conventional "dropout" screens in identifying cancer genes while prioritizing disease-relevant lncRNAs with pleiotropic and background-independent roles.

PROTECT: Prospective Phase-II-Trial Evaluating Adaptive Proton Therapy for Cervical Cancer to Reduce the Impact on Morbidity and the Immune System.

External beam radiation therapy (EBRT) with concurrent chemotherapy followed by brachytherapy is a very effective treatment for locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC). However, treatment-related toxicity is common and reduces the patient's quality of life (QoL) and ability to complete treatment or undergo adjuvant therapies. Intensity modulated proton therapy (IMPT) enables a significant dose reduction in organs at risk (OAR), when compared to that of standard intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) or volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT).

Pharmacotherapy for the Prevention of Chronic Pain after Surgery in Adults: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Background: Chronic postsurgical pain can severely impair patient health and quality of life. This systematic review update evaluated the effectiveness of systemic drugs to prevent chronic postsurgical pain.

Methods: The authors included double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized controlled trials including adults that evaluated perioperative systemic drugs.