Effect of Supine vs Prone Breast Radiotherapy on Acute Toxic Effects of the Skin Among Women With Large Breast Size: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Women with large breast size treated with adjuvant breast radiotherapy (RT) have a high rate of acute toxic effects of the skin. Breast RT in the prone position is one strategy that may decrease these toxic effects.

Objective: To determine if breast RT in the prone position reduces acute toxic effects of the skin when compared with treatment in the supine position.

Introduction of moderate deep inspiration breath hold for radiation therapy of left breast: Initial experience of a regional cancer center.

Purpose: Practical aspects of introducing moderate deep inspiration breath hold (mDIBH) for treatment of left breast cancer in a regional cancer program in terms of workflow and treatment delivery requirements are described. Differences in heart and lung doses between free breathing (FB) and mDIBH plans are presented as well as heart position reproducibility and resulting dosimetric impact using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT).

Methods And Materials: A mDIBH process was established.

Evaluation of variability in seroma delineation between clinical specialist radiation therapist and radiation oncologist for adjuvant breast irradiation.

Purpose: Breast cancer is managed by a multidisciplinary team with a goal for the timely provision of high quality care. Given radiation oncologist (RO) time constraints, an opportunity arises for task delegation of breast seroma target delineation to an advanced practice clinical specialist radiation therapist (CSRT) with clinical and technical expertise to facilitate treatment planning. To explore this further, we quantitatively evaluated the variability in post-surgical seroma delineation between the CSRT and ROs.

Parametrial boost using midline shielding results in an unpredictable dose to tumor and organs at risk in combined external beam radiotherapy and brachytherapy for locally advanced cervical cancer.

Purpose: Midline-blocked boost (MBB) fields are frequently used in the treatment of locally advanced cervical cancer. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the dose contribution from MBBs to tumor and organs at risk.

Methods And Materials: Six patients with locally advanced cervical cancer (IIB-IIIB) treated with definitive chemoradiotherapy and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-guided brachytherapy were analyzed.

Dosimetric comparison of IMRT vs. 3D conformal radiotherapy in the treatment of cancer of the cervical esophagus.

Background And Purpose: Radiotherapy planning for cervical esophageal cancer is challenging. We compared IMRT and 3D conformal radiotherapy (CRT) with respect to conformality of target coverage and normal tissue sparing.

Materials And Methods: We selected five patients with cervical esophagus cancer, who represented the heterogeneity of clinical cases, treated to radical dose and planned with Pinnacle v6.

Microarray-based identification of differentially expressed growth- and metastasis-associated genes in pancreatic cancer.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) has an extremely poor prognosis. To improve diagnosis and treatment, key mechanisms of deregulated molecular functions have to be identified. Using microarray analysis, the expression patterns of 5600 human genes were assessed in PDAC by comparison with the normal pancreas and chronic pancreatitis (CP).

Arterial repair after stenting and the effects of GM6001, a matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor.

Objectives: This study compared the extracellular matrix (ECM) and cellular responses after stenting to balloon angioplasty (BA) and to determine the late effects of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) inhibition on arterial repair after stenting.

Background: Although stenting is the predominant form of coronary intervention, there is limited understanding of the early and late arterial response.

Methods: In a double-injury rabbit model, adjacent iliac arteries in 87 animals received BA (3.

Plasma urokinase antigen and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 antigen levels predict angiographic coronary restenosis.

Background: The fibrinolytic system is intimately involved in several processes that contribute to restenosis, including clot dissolution, cell migration, and tissue remodeling. However, the role of the individual activators (urokinase [uPA] and tissue plasminogen [tPA] activators) and inhibitors (plasminogen activator inhibitor [PAI-1]) of the fibrinolytic system in maintaining patency after coronary artery angioplasty and stenting is unclear.

Methods And Results: We prospectively studied 159 patients with stable angina who underwent successful elective angioplasty (n=110) or stenting (n=49) of de novo native coronary artery lesions.