DEGRO guidelines for the radiotherapy of non-malignant disorders. Part II: Painful degenerative skeletal disorders.

Background And Purpose: The purpose of this article is to summarize the updated DEGRO consensus S2e guideline recommendations for the treatment of benign painful degenerative skeletal disorders with low-dose radiotherapy.

Materials And Methods: This overview reports on the role of low-dose radiotherapy in the treatment of enthesiopathies (shoulder syndrome, trochanteric bursitis, plantar fasciitis, and elbow syndrome) and painful arthrosis (knee, hip, hand, and finger joints). The most relevant aspects of the DEGRO S2e Consensus Guideline Radiation Therapy of Benign Diseases 2014 regarding diagnostics, treatment decision, dose prescription as well as performance of radiotherapy and results are summarized.

Intensified local treatment and systemic therapy significantly increase survival in patients with brain metastases from advanced breast cancer - a retrospective analysis.

Background: Brain metastases have evolved from a rare to a frequently encountered event in advanced breast cancer due to advances in palliative systemic treatment.

Patients And Methods: All Patients treated at our centre from 1994 to 2004 with WBRT for brain metastases from breast cancer were included. We performed a multivariate analysis (Cox regression) to explore which factors are able to influence significantly cerebral time to progression (TTP) and overall survival (metastatic sites [visceral versus non-visceral], Karnofsky performance score [KPS], age, intensified local treatment [boost irradiation, neuro-surgical resection] further systemic treatment).

Ultrasound-guided interstitial brachytherapy in the treatment of advanced vaginal recurrences from cervical and endometrial carcinoma.

Background: In advanced vaginal recurrences of cervical and endometrial carcinomas therapeutic options are rare because of preceding therapy.

Patients And Methods: 23 patients developing advanced vaginal recurrences of cervical and endometrial carcinomas were included. 15 patients started with external-beam therapy to the pelvis and eight patients after preceding radiotherapy underwent brachytherapy alone.

Retrospective analysis of re-irradiation in malignant glioma: a single-center experience.

Introduction: Malignant gliomas are brain tumors deriving from the brain's glia cells. Primary treatment comprises resection, irradiation and chemotherapy, but these tumors almost always recur. In this situation, palliative chemotherapy is relatively well established, but a second local treatment is sometimes possible.

Pilot study in the treatment of endometrial carcinoma with 3D image-based high-dose-rate brachytherapy using modified Heyman packing: clinical experience and dose-volume histogram analysis.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate dose distribution within uterus (clinical target volume [CTV]) and tumor (gross tumor volume [GTV]) and the resulting clinical outcome based on systematic three-dimensional treatment planning with dose-volume adaptation. Dose-volume assessment and adaptation in organs at risk and its impact on side effects were investigated in parallel.

Methods And Materials: Sixteen patients with either locally confined endometrial carcinoma (n = 15) or adenocarcinoma of uterus and ovaries after bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (n = 1) were included.

Oxygenation status of cervical carcinomas before and during spinal anesthesia for application of brachytherapy.

Background And Purpose: To date, no information is available concerning the impact of spinal anesthesia on the oxygenation status of carcinomas of the uterine cervix. The aim of this study was therefore to determine the influence of spinal anesthesia on the oxygenation status of cervical carcinomas.

Patients And Methods: In ten patients with cervical carcinoma who received spinal anesthesia for a first application of brachytherapy, intratumoral pO2 measurements (pO2 histography system, Eppendorf-Netheler-Hinz, Hamburg, Germany) were performed.

Surgery and adjuvant radiation therapy of endometrial stromal sarcoma.

Objective: In the treatment of endometrial stromal sarcoma, it is still not clear whether adjuvant radiation therapy improves the outcome. We wish to summarize the experiences we gathered from treating 15 patients over a period of 18 years, and to compare these to results from literature.

Patients And Methods: According to the 1989 FIGO classification for endometrial carcinoma, 11 (73%) of the 15 patients analyzed presented stage I, 1 presented stage II, and 3 presented stage III sarcoma.