Comparison of HDR-brachytherapy and tomotherapy for the treatment of non-melanoma skin cancers of the head and neck.

Purpose: This study aims to investigate and compare High Dose Rate Brachytherapy (HDR-BT) with Helical Tomotherapy (HT) treatment plans. The focus is on small target volumes near radiation-sensitive organs in the ocular region, to evaluate the advantages of these techniques in treating skin cancer.

Methods: This retrospective observational analysis included patients who underwent skin cancer HDR-BT Freiburg flap treatment between 2019 and 2023.

Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma: Preliminary Toxicity Results of Adjuvant Radiotherapy Hypofractionation in a Prospective Trial (MESO-RT).

Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare malignancy with an overall poor prognosis. The standard therapeutic strategy in early-stage disease is trimodality therapy. In this publication, we report the preliminary toxicity results of the first 20 patients treated with accelerated hypofractionated radiotherapy.

Diagnostic and Prognostic Potential of F-FET PET in the Differential Diagnosis of Glioma Recurrence and Treatment-Induced Changes After Chemoradiation Therapy.

Background: MRI-based differential diagnosis of glioma recurrence (GR) and treatment-induced changes (TICs) remain elusive in up to 30% of treated glioma patients. We aimed to determine F-FET PET diagnostic performance in this clinical scenario, its outcome dependency on established prognostic factors, optimal F-FET semi-quantitative thresholds, and whether F-FET parameters may instantly predict progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS).

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 45 glioma patients treated with chemoradiation therapy (32 males; mean age: 51 years, glioma grade: n=26 WHO4; n=15 WHO3; n=4 WHO2) who underwent F-FET PET to resolve differential diagnosis of GR and TICs raised by MRI performed in the preceding 2 weeks and depicting any of the following changes in their radiation field: volumetric increase of contrast-enhancing lesions; new contrast-enhancing lesion; significant increase in T2/FLAIR non-enhancing lesion without reducing corticosteroids.

Multimodal Treatment with GEMOX Plus Helical Tomotherapy in Unresectable Locally Advanced Pancreatic Cancer: A Pooled Analysis of Two Phase 2 Studies.

In locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC), the combination of chemotherapy and radiotherapy is a widely used treatment option. We performed a pooled analysis, including an exploratory analysis for prognostic and predictive factors, of two phase 2 trials including 73 patients with LAPC, treated with gemcitabine and oxaliplatin (GEMOX) and hypofractionated tomotherapy. With a median follow-up of 36 months (range 1-65), median progression-free (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were 10.

The role of radiotherapy in adult soft tissues sarcoma of the extremities.

Local management of adult soft tissue sarcoma of the extremities has evolved over the past decades. Until the 1970s, radical surgery (amputations) was the standard therapeutic procedure resulting in significant physical and psychological morbidity for the patients. In the present era, limb sparing surgery combined with radiotherapy represents the current standard of care for high grade and > 5 cm STSs.

Role of Hyperbaric Oxygenation Plus Hypofractionated Stereotactic Radiotherapy in Recurrent High-Grade Glioma.

Background: The presence of hypoxic cells in high-grade glioma (HGG) is one of major reasons for failure of local tumour control with radiotherapy (RT). The use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO) could help to overcome the problem of oxygen deficiency in poorly oxygenated regions of the tumour. We propose an innovative approach to improve the efficacy of hypofractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (HSRT) after HBO (HBO-RT) for the treatment of recurrent HGG (rHGG) and herein report the results of an analysis.

Neoadjuvant treatment (FOLFOX4 plus hypofractionated tomotherapy) for patients with locally advanced rectal cancer: a multicenter phase II trial.

Aims: This study aims to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a new neoadjuvant regimen (FOLFOX4 plus hypofractionated tomotherapy) in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer.

Methods: Patients with stage II-III rectal cancer were treated with the pre-operative chemoradiotherapy regimen comprising FOLFOX4 (two cycles), TomoTherapy (25 Gy in five consecutive fractions, one fraction per day in 5 days on the clinical target volume at the isodose of 95% of the total dose), FOLFOX4 (two cycles), followed by surgery with total mesorectal excision and adjuvant chemotherapy with FOLFOX4 (eight cycles). The primary endpoint was pathological complete response (pCR).

Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT-Guided Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy Retreatment in Prostate Cancer Patients with PSA Failure after Salvage Radiotherapy.

(1) Purpose: To investigate the role of Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT in guiding retreatment stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) in prostate cancer (PCa) patients in biochemical recurrence (BCR) after salvage radiotherapy (S-RT). (2) Methods: We retrospectively evaluated PCa patients previously treated with S-RT on the prostate bed and with proven serum prostate antigen (PSA) failure after S-RT. In all patients (pts), Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT was positive in the prostate bed only and guided retreatment SBRT.

Re-irradiation of recurrent glioblastoma using helical TomoTherapy with simultaneous integrated boost: preliminary considerations of treatment efficacy.

Although there is still no standard treatment for recurrent glioblastoma multiforme (rGBM), re-irradiation could be a therapeutic option. We retrospectively evaluated the efficacy and safety of re-irradiation using helical TomoTherapy (HT) with a simultaneous integrated boost (SIB) technique in patients with rGBM. 24 patients with rGBM underwent HT-SIB.

Erratum: Passardi, A. et al Chemoradiotherapy (Gemox Plus Helical Tomotherapy) for Unresectable Locally Advanced Pancreatic Cancer: A Phase II Study. 2019, , 663.

The authors wish to make the following corrections to this paper [...

Accelerated hypofractionated radiotherapy plus chemotherapy for inoperable locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer: final results of a prospective phase-II trial with a long-term follow-up.

Background: Concurrent chemotherapy and radiation using conventional fractionation is the standard treatment for inoperable, locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We tested accelerated hypofractionated radiotherapy (AHR) and chemotherapy for the treatment of locally advanced NSCLC.

Methods: Eligible patients with locally advanced NSCLC were treated with induction chemotherapy (cisplatin and docetaxel), followed by AHR using tomotherapy and consolidation chemotherapy.

Chemoradiotherapy (Gemox Plus Helical Tomotherapy) for Unresectable Locally Advanced Pancreatic Cancer: A Phase II Study.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a new chemo-radiotherapy regimen for patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC). Patients were treated as follows: gemcitabine 1000 mg/m on day 1, and oxaliplatin 100 mg/m on day 2, every two weeks (GEMOX regimen) for 4 cycles, 15 days off, hypofractionated radiotherapy (35 Gy in 7 fractions in 9 consecutive days), 15 days off, 4 additional cycles of GEMOX, restaging. From April 2011 to August 2016, a total of 42 patients with non resectable LAPC were enrolled.

SLUG silencing increases radiosensitivity of melanoma cells in vitro.

Background: Melanoma radioresistance has been attributed to the presence of tumor cells with highly efficient DNA damage repair mechanisms. We examined the expression of genes involved in DNA damage repair and DNA damage sensing, and assessed their modulation by SLUG silencing, which is potentially capable of increasing radiosensitivity.

Methods: Two melanoma cell lines (M14 and M79) were used to evaluate in vitro radiation-induced cytotoxicity before and after SLUG silencing.

11C-methionine vs. 18F-FDG PET in soft tissue sarcoma patients treated with neoadjuvant therapy: preliminary results.

Objective: In patients with soft tissue sarcoma (STS) the histological response (tumour grade regression: TGR) to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) may influence the outcome. The main aim of the study was to evaluate the predictive value of 11C-methionine (MET) and 18F-FDG PET/CT in patients with STS treated with neoadjuvant CRT, correlating TGR with SUVmax (standardized uptake value) percentage variation before and after CRT.

Patients And Methods: Nine patients with STS already scheduled for a neoadjuvant CRT and surgery were enrolled.