Publications by authors named "Helou J"
Background: Exposure to Ultraviolet radiation (UVR) is a major risk factor for skin cancer. Data about UVR risk knowledge and exposure behaviors in the Lebanese population are scarce.
Aim: To evaluate the association between UVR risks knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors among Lebanese university students in the aim of promoting primary prevention of skin cancer.
Introduction: Recent advances in image-guided brachytherapy have allowed for treatment volume reduction in the treatment of prostate cancer, with the aim to optimize disease control and reduce toxicities. This systematic review reports on the efficacy and safety of focal brachytherapy for treatment of patients with localized prostate cancer.
Methods: Medline, Embase, Web of Science and Cochrane were searched from inception to July 2023.
Purpose: In oligoprogressive (OP) cancer, there are a limited number of metastatic areas progressing on a background of stable or responding to widespread cancer. Although the standard of care for OP is changing systemic therapy (ST), stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) is being explored as an alternative local therapy targeting the sites of progression.
Methods And Materials: RADIANT (NCT04122469) was a single-center phase 2 study of patients with metastatic genitourinary (GU), breast, and gastrointestinal (GI) cancers, receiving ST for ≥3 months, with radiographic OP disease in ≤5 sites.
Article Synopsis
- - The SABR-SYNC trial aims to evaluate the effectiveness of stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) in patients with oligometastatic cancers that have a synchronous primary tumor, addressing a gap in phase III data currently available.
- - One hundred and eighty patients will be randomly assigned to receive either standard care treatment or standard care plus SABR, with various dosing and treatment modalities used depending on the physician's clinical judgement.
- - The trial will focus on overall survival as the main goal, while also examining factors like progression-free survival, quality of life, and potential biomarkers from circulating tumor DNA to improve future treatment decisions.
Introduction: The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to review evidence and pool outcomes to assess the effectiveness of stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) in patients treated for oligoprogressive metastases.
Methods And Materials: A search was conducted January 2010 to January 2023 in five bibliographic databases for studies of patients with oligoprogressive disease treated with SABR to all lesions. Clinical outcomes included PFS (progression-free survival), OS (overall survival) and CST (change in systemic therapy).
Background And Purpose: High dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy as a monotherapy is an accepted treatment for localized prostate cancer, but the optimal dose and fractionation schedule remain unknown. We report on the efficacy of a randomized Phase II trial comparing HDR monotherapy delivered as 27 Gy in 2 fractions vs. 19 Gy in 1 fraction with a median follow-up of 9 years.
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- Telogen effluvium (TE) is a common cause of hair loss in women, and effective treatment should target its causes, often using various topical and oral medications.
- This study evaluated how iron supplementation affects women's satisfaction levels with TE treatment, involving 200 women aged 18 to 65 who were diagnosed with TE and not undergoing other specific treatments.
- Results showed that women with higher initial ferritin levels were more satisfied with the treatment, particularly when given higher doses of iron for a longer period, suggesting positive outcomes even for those without low ferritin.
Background: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the gold standard for delineating cancerous lesions in soft tissue. Catheter-based interventions require the accurate placement of multiple long, flexible catheters at the target site. The manual segmentation of catheters in MR images is a challenging and time-consuming task.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAim: The aim of this present study was to compare the dislodgement resistance of calcium silicate-based sealer, zinc oxide sealer, and a new sealer combining both zinc oxide and calcium silicate-based sealer .
Materials And Methods: 60 single-rooted human teeth were instrumented with F3 Protaper Gold. All endodontic canals were filled using gutta percha cones using the cold lateral condensation technique in combination using one of the mentioned sealers ( = 20 per group).
Purpose: To study the effect of the enzymatic mixture: Lipase, Collagenase and Hyaluronidase in the treatment of submental fat.
Methods: A monocentric prospective cohort study including 10 female patients, aged between 18 and 65 years old, who received treatment for submental fat with a mixture of Lipase, Collagenase, and Hyaluronidase. The treatment protocol consisted of one treatment session every 21 days for a total of 3 sessions.
Immunotherapy and Radiation Therapy Sequencing in Breast Cancer: A Systematic Review.
Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys
April 2024
Purpose: In the past decade, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have emerged as a treatment option for metastatic breast cancer (BC). More recently, ICIs have been approved in the perioperative setting. This has led to clinical scenarios where radiation therapy (RT) is given concurrently with ICIs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Accurate segmentation of the clinical target volume (CTV) corresponding to the prostate with or without proximal seminal vesicles is required on transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) images during prostate brachytherapy procedures. Implanted needles cause artifacts that may make this task difficult and time-consuming. Thus, previous studies have focused on the simpler problem of segmentation in the absence of needles at the cost of reduced clinical utility.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Melasma is a widespread condition that affects people of many ethnicities and is prevalent in the Middle East. To date, the therapeutic arsenal is still not effective, especially in countries with high ultraviolet light index. New treatment options are needed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: To retrospectively review the clinical outcomes of patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBCa) following liver directed ablative intent radiotherapy (RT).
Methods: Demographics, disease and treatment characteristics of patients with MBCa who received liver metastasis (LM) directed ablative RT between 2004-2020 were analysed. The primary outcome was local control (LC), secondary outcomes included overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) analyzed by univariate (UVA) and multi-variable analysis (MVA).
Article Synopsis
- Light-assisted hair removal is increasingly popular, leading to a rise in reported side effects, including ocular and skin complications.
- A systematic review of literature found 104 relevant studies detailing issues like eye problems, burns, pigment changes, and other skin conditions linked to the procedure.
- Key recommendations for improving safety include better operator training and a deeper understanding of laser physics to reduce risks associated with these hair removal techniques.*
Background: Isolated local failure (ILF) can occur in patients who initially receive definitive radiation therapy for prostate cancer. Salvage therapy for ILF includes high dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy. Prostate Specific Membrane Antigen (PSMA) Positron Emission Tomography (PET) can accurately detect ILF and can exclude extraprostatic disease.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAims: To report long-term oncological outcomes of men treated prospectively as part of the American College of Surgeons Oncology Group phase III Surgical Prostatectomy Versus Interstitial Radiation Intervention Trial (SPIRIT) at our institution.
Materials And Methods: In 2003-2004, patients eligible for SPRIT attended a multidisciplinary educational session, following which they could choose radical prostatectomy, low dose rate brachytherapy (LDR-BT) or randomisation to SPIRIT. Biochemical failure was determined by the accepted definitions of a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level ≥0.
Article Synopsis
- Oral isotretinoin is identified as the most effective treatment for acne, and this study aimed to assess the side effects related to different brands of the medication used at a single center from 2015 to 2020.
- A total of 468 patients were evaluated, predominantly female (68.6%), with an average age of 21 years; various isotretinoin brands were used with Roaccutane being the most common.
- The study found xerosis to be the most common side effect, while distinct side effects were linked to specific brands, such as hypercholesterolemia with Roaccutane and abnormal liver tests with Acnotren, suggesting that both the drug brand and patient characteristics influence side effect prevalence.
Purpose: To compare the long-term oncologic outcomes of intermediate risk (IR) prostate cancer (PCa) patients treated with low dose-rate brachytherapy (LDR-BT) or moderate hypofractionated external beam radiotherapy (HF-EBRT).
Methods And Materials: Patients diagnosed with IR PCa and treated with LDR-BT or HF-EBRT between January 2005 and December 2013 were included. Brachytherapy treatment involved a transperineal implant of iodine-125 to a dose of 145 Gy to the PTV, while HF-EBRT was delivered using intensity modulated radiotherapy with 60 Gy in 20 fractions.
Article Synopsis
- The study evaluates the safety and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) outcomes of a phase II trial combining MRI-guided high-dose-rate brachytherapy (HDR-BT) with external beam radiotherapy in patients with prostate cancer.
- Out of 61 patients, 30% experienced acute grade 2 urinary toxicity, while 2% had grade 3 toxicity; urinary HRQoL declined at 1 month but improved by 3 months.
- Although bowel and sexual domain scores significantly decreased over the follow-up period, the treatment was found to be safe and well tolerated for the patient population requiring further investigation with longer follow-up.
Purpose: To validate an Arabic version of the short form of the Cambridge-Hopkins diagnostic questionnaire for restless legs syndrome (CH-RLSq13).
Methods: The Arabic version was created using a standard forward-backward translation method. A pre-final Arabic version was administered with the original English version to a group of bilingual subjects as a pretest.
Objectives: To explore the short- and long-term effects of UVB phototherapy preceding a fractional CO laser-UVB protocol in patients with resistant nonsegmental vitiligo.
Materials And Methods: This single-center, prospective, split-face/body, evaluator-blinded study included adult patients with stable vitiligo refractory to conventional treatments. Two symmetrical lesions were selected.