CT-based dosiomics and radiomics model predicts radiation-induced lymphopenia in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients.

Purpose: This study aims to develop and validate a model predictive for the incidence of grade 4 radiation-induced lymphopenia (G4RIL), based on dosiomics features and radiomics features from the planning CT of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) treated by radiation therapy.

Methods: The dataset of 125 NPC patients treated with radiotherapy from August 2018 to March 2019 was randomly divided into two sets-an 85-sample training set and a 40-sample test set. Dosiomics features and radiomics features of the CT image within the skull bone and cervical vertebrae were extracted.

Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio trend: A novel prognostic predictor in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma receiving radiotherapy.

Background: Peripheral neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), reflecting immune-inflammation status, shows great potential for tumor progression and outcome. Pre-treatment NLR does not fully reflect the immune-inflammatory response to treatment. This study aimed to introduce the NLR trend as a new indicator and to investigate its prognostic value in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma receiving radiotherapy.

Radiation-induced lymphopenia during chemoradiation therapy for non-small cell lung cancer is linked with age, lung V5, and XRCC1 rs25487 genotypes in lymphocytes.

Background & Purpose: We investigated clinical and genetic factors associated with severe radiation-induced lymphopenia (RIL) in a randomized clinical trial of photon vs. proton radiation, with chemotherapy, for non-small cell lung cancer.

Methods: XRCC1 rs25487 was genotyped in lymphocytes from serial peripheral blood samples.

Radiomics features of ascending and descending nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Objectives: To evaluate the application value of CT-based radiomics features for the ascending and descending types of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).

Methods: A total of 217 NPC patients (48 ascending type and 169 descending type), who obtained CT images before radiotherapy in Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University from February 2015 to October 2017, were analyzed retrospectively. All patients were randomly divided into a training set (=153) and a test set (=64).

Radiation-induced lymphopenia correlates with survival in nasopharyngeal carcinoma: impact of treatment modality and the baseline lymphocyte count.

Background And Purpose: We evaluated the relationship between patient-, tumor-, and treatment-related features and radiation-induced lymphopenia (RIL) and evaluated the correlation between RIL and survival outcome in NPC patients to help improve the treatment strategy.

Methods: This retrospective study included 374 patients with stage II-IVa NPC who had been treated with definitive RT and were enrolled from 2004 to 2015; The associations between the G3-4 RIL (absolute lymphocyte count, ALC <  0.5 × 10 cells/L) during RT and patient-, tumor-, and treatment-related factors were assessed using Cox regression analyses.

Patterns of Local-Regional Failure After Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy or Passive Scattering Proton Therapy With Concurrent Chemotherapy for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Purpose: We compared differences in patterns of locoregional failure, and the influence of adaptive planning on those patterns, in patients who received passive scattering proton therapy (PSPT) versus intensity modulated photon therapy (IMRT) for non-small cell lung cancer.

Methods And Materials: Treatment simulation computed tomography scans and dose distributions were registered with images depicting the recurrence. Local failure (LF) was defined as failure within the internal target volume (ITV); marginal failure (MF) as failure between the ITV and planning target volume (PTV) plus a 10-mm margin (PTV); and regional failure (RF) as outside the PTV.

A large-scale retrospective study of the overall survival outcome in nasopharyngeal carcinoma with hypertension in Chinese population.

Background: It is known that hypertension is associated with high levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression which is, in turn, highly connected to the prognosis of a wide array of cancers. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between hypertension and prognosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) with definitive radiotherapy in a Chinese population.

Patients And Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 4493 patients with NPC who received definitive radiotherapy from 1995 to 2006, with a minimum follow-up of 5 years.

Analysis of the correlation among hypertension, the intake of β-blockers, and overall survival outcome in patients undergoing chemoradiotherapy with inoperable stage III non-small cell lung cancer.

It is known that hypertension could increase the plasma levels of VEGF and that β-blockers propranolol could counteract the effect. Our aim was to explore the possibility of improving survival outcomes for patients with and patients without hypertension. In addition, we also compared the efficacy of the usage of β-blockers in inoperable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients.

The Long Non-Coding RNA TP73-AS1 Interacted With miR-142 to Modulate Brain Glioma Growth Through HMGB1/RAGE Pathway.

P73 antisense RNA 1T (non-protein coding), also known as TP73-AS1 or PDAM, is a long non-coding RNA which may regulate apoptosis via regulation of p53-dependent anti-apoptotic genes. An abnormal change of TP73-AS1 expression was noticed in cancers. The effects of TP73-AS1 in brain glioma growth and the underlying mechanism remain unclear so far.

MICA Gene Deletion in 3411 DNA Samples from Five Distinct Populations in Mainland China and Lack of Association with Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma (NPC) in a Southern Chinese Han population.

Deletion of major histocompatibility complex class I chain-related genes A (MICA*Del) was investigated in 3,411 DNA samples from two southern Chinese Han populations (Hunan Han, HNH; Guangdong Han, GDH), two northern Chinese populations (Inner Mongolia Han, IMH; Inner Mongolia Mongol, IMM) and one southeastern Chinese Han population (Fujian Han, FJH) using an in-house polymerase chain reaction-sequence specific priming (PCR-SSP) assay, which enables direct discrimination between heterozygote and homozygote for MICA*Del. MICA*Del showed a frequency ranging from 0.8% in FJH to 5.

NKG2C copy number variations in five distinct populations in mainland China and susceptibility to nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).

In this study, copy number variation (CNV) of NKG2C gene was investigated in 1129 normal, unrelated individuals representing two southern Chinese Han populations (Hunan Han and Guangdong Han), two northern Chinese populations (Inner Mongolia Han and Inner Mongolia Mongol) and one southeastern Chinese Han population (Fujian Han) using polymerase chain reaction-sequence-specific priming (PCR-SSP) method. CNV of NKG2C gene did not vary significantly among the five Chinese populations, with NKG2C gene deletion showing a frequency ranging from 0.2031 to 0.

ERCC1 Cys8092Ala and XRCC1 Arg399Gln polymorphisms predict progression-free survival after curative radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Background: Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in DNA repair genes can alter gene expression and activity and affect response to cancer treatment and, correspondingly, survival. The present study was designed to evaluate the utility of the XRCC1 Arg399Gln and ERCC1 Cys8092Ala SNPs, measured in pretreatment biopsy samples, as predictors of response to radiotherapy in patients with non-metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).

Materials And Methods: The study included 75 consecutive patients with stage II-IVA-B NPC.

Dosimetric comparison of left-sided whole breast irradiation with 3D-CRT, IP-IMRT and hybrid IMRT.

The aim of this study was to compare the dosimetric characteristics of left-sided whole breast irradiation among 3-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT), 4-field inverse-planned intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IP-IMRT) and hybrid IMRT technique (combining 3D-CRT beams and IP-IMRT beams) with respect to target coverage and irradiation of organs at risk. The 3 different planning techniques were analyzed for 8 patients with left-sided breast conserving surgery. Plans were compared on the basis of planning target volume (PTV) dose conformity, homogeneity and the volumes of normal tissues treated based on dose-volume histograms (DVHs).

Association between single nucleotide polymorphisms in the p53 pathway and response to radiotherapy in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the p53, MDM2 and p21 genes of the p53 pathway have been extensively studied. The main aim of the current retrospective study was to evaluate the possible predictive value of SNPs in the p53 pathway in locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) in response to radiotherapy. In total, 75 consecutive patients with locoregionally advanced NPC were enrolled.

Expression of pAkt affects p53 codon 72 polymorphism-based prediction of response to radiotherapy in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Background: Codon 72 (Arg/Pro), the most frequently studied single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of p53 to date, is associated with the ability of the gene to induce cell apoptosis. The PI3K/Akt pathway plays an essential role in the transcriptional activation function of p53, and is an important factor in radiotherapy resistance. The present study was designed to evaluate the prediction of response to radiotherapy based on p53 codon 72 SNP and pAkt expression in biopsy specimens of locoregional nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) before treatment.

Hyperthermia inhibits the proliferation and invasive ability of mouse malignant melanoma through TGF-β(1).

The degradation of basement membranes by tumor cells involves secretion and activation of proteinases, such as the matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), and results from an imbalance between their inhibitors and activators that are controlled by various growth factors or cytokines, among which TGF-β(1) may be the most intriguing. In order to study the therapeutic effect and molecular mechanism of hyperthermia on aggressive malignant melanoma, the expression levels of TGF-β(1) and Smad4 in B16F10 cells were dynamically analyzed by RT-PCR and western blotting for 24 h after heat treatment, from which time-dependent changes were determined. As expected, the proliferation and invasive ability of B16F10 cells were suppressed strongly by heat treatment.

Magnetic fluid hyperthermia induced by radiofrequency capacitive field for the treatment of transplanted subcutaneous tumors in rats.

Magnetic fluid hyperthermia (MFH) induced by a magnetic field has become a new heating technology for the treatment of malignant tumors due to its ability to heat the tumor tissue precisely and properly, and due to its significant therapeutic effects. In this study, MFH induced by radiofrequency capacitive field (RCF) for the treatment of transplanted subcutaneous tumors in rats, was investigated. A total of 50 rats bearing subcutaneous tumors were randomly divided into five groups, including i) a pseudo-treatment (PT) control group, ii) magnetic fluid (MF) group, iii) pure hyperthermia (PH) group, iv) magnetic fluid hyperthermia 1 (MFH1) group, and v) magnetic fluid hyperthermia 2 (MFH2) group.

Predictive value of Xrcc1 gene polymorphisms for side effects in patients undergoing whole breast radiotherapy: a meta-analysis.

Radiation-induced side effects on normal tissue are determined largely by the capacity of cells to repair radiation-induced DNA damage. X-ray repair cross-complementing group 1 (XRCC1) plays an important role in the repair of DNA single-strand breaks. Studies have shown conflicting results regarding the association between XRCC1 gene polymorphisms (Arg399Gln, Arg194Trp, -77T>C and Arg280His) and radiation-induced side effects in patients undergoing whole breast radiotherapy.

Effect of hyperthermia on invasion ability and TGF-β1 expression of breast carcinoma MCF-7 cells.

The present study aimed to investigate heating-induced alterations of breast cancer cell invasion abilities and the potential mechanisms associated with TGF-β1 expression. MCF-7 cells were heated at 43, 45, 47 and 37 °C for 30 min. In vitro cell invasion ability was evaluated by matrigel invasion assay.

Impact of toxicity grade and scoring system on the relationship between mean lung dose and risk of radiation pneumonitis in a large cohort of patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

Purpose: To compute the risk of radiation pneumonitis (RP) as a function of mean lung dose (MLD), with RP scored using three grading systems and analyzed at four threshold levels of toxicity in a large cohort of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with definitive radiotherapy (RT).

Methods And Materials: On the basis of medical records and radiographic images, RP was scored retrospectively in 442 patients with NSCLC who had >or=6 months of follow-up after the end of RT. The severity of RP was scored for each patient using the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Common Toxicity Criteria, version 2.

Dose-volume thresholds and smoking status for the risk of treatment-related pneumonitis in inoperable non-small cell lung cancer treated with definitive radiotherapy.

Purpose: To identify clinical risk factors and dose-volume thresholds for treatment-related pneumonitis (TRP) in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Methods And Materials: Data were retrospectively collected from patients with inoperable NSCLC treated with radiotherapy with or without chemotherapy. TRP was graded according to Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events, version 3.

Analysis of radiation pneumonitis risk using a generalized Lyman model.

Purpose: To introduce a version of the Lyman normal-tissue complication probability (NTCP) model adapted to incorporate censored time-to-toxicity data and clinical risk factors and to apply the generalized model to analysis of radiation pneumonitis (RP) risk.

Methods And Materials: Medical records and radiation treatment plans were reviewed retrospectively for 576 patients with non-small cell lung cancer treated with radiotherapy. The time to severe (Grade >/=3) RP was computed, with event times censored at last follow-up for patients not experiencing this endpoint.

[Polymorphism of short tandem repeat of exon 5 of MHC class-I chain related gene A and association with nasopharyngeal carcinoma in a southern Chinese population].

Objective: To explore the association between the short tandem repeat polymorphism of exon 5 of MICA gene (MICA-STR) and nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) in a southern Chinese population.

Methods: One hundred and twenty-seven consecutive NPC patients and 112 randomly selected normal controls residing in southern China mainland were analyzed for MICA-STR allelic variation and MICA gene deletion by fluorescent polymerase chain reaction-gene scanning and polymerase chain reaction-sequence specific priming.

Results: MICA*A9 was observed at significantly higher frequency in the NPC patient group than in the control group (relative risk = 2.