ASPRONET: A facilitated online education project for radiation therapists in the Asia-Pacific region.

In 2019, the International Atomic Energy Agency approved a technical co-operation project, aimed at supporting clinical decision making and continuing professional education of radiation oncologists, medical physicists and radiation therapists (RTs) in Low-and-Middle Income Countries (LMICs) in the Asia Pacific region. From this, the Asia-Pacific Radiation Oncology Network (ASPRONET) was formed in 2020. An RT co-ordination group administered 16 online, one-hour seminars between December 2021 and November 2023 for an RT audience.

What is the association of preoperative biopsy with recurrence and survival in retroperitoneal sarcoma? A systematic review by the Australia and New Zealand Sarcoma Association clinical practice guidelines working party.

Preoperative biopsy for retroperitoneal sarcoma (RPS) enables appropriate multidisciplinary treatment planning. A systematic review of literature from 1990 to June 2022 was conducted using the population, intervention, comparison and outcome model to evaluate the local recurrence and overall survival of preoperative biopsy compared to those that had not. Of 3192 studies screened, five retrospective cohort studies were identified.

The role of radiation therapy in the management of primary retroperitoneal sarcoma: A systematic review and clinical practice guidelines from the Australia and New Zealand Sarcoma Association.

While surgery is the mainstay of treatment for localised retroperitoneal sarcoma, the use of radiotherapy (RT) remains controversial. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the role of RT for retroperitoneal sarcoma. A systematic review using the population, intervention, comparison, and outcome model from 1990 to 2022 identified 66 studies (a mixture of preoperative and postoperative RT); one randomised controlled trial (RCT) with two publications, 18 registry studies, and 46 retrospective studies.

The Feasibility of Quality Assurance in the TOPGEAR International Phase 3 Clinical Trial of Neoadjuvant Chemoradiation Therapy for Gastric Cancer (an Intergroup Trial of the AGITG/TROG/NHMRC CTC/EORTC/CCTG).

Purpose: The TOPGEAR phase 3 trial hypothesized that adding preoperative chemoradiation therapy (CRT) to perioperative chemotherapy will improve survival in patients with gastric cancer. Owing to the complexity of gastric irradiation, a comprehensive radiation therapy quality assurance (RTQA) program was implemented. Our objective is to describe the RTQA methods and outcomes.

Heritable defects in telomere and mitotic function selectively predispose to sarcomas.

Cancer genetics has to date focused on epithelial malignancies, identifying multiple histotype-specific pathways underlying cancer susceptibility. Sarcomas are rare malignancies predominantly derived from embryonic mesoderm. To identify pathways specific to mesenchymal cancers, we performed whole-genome germline sequencing on 1644 sporadic cases and 3205 matched healthy elderly controls.

Incident review in radiation oncology.

By its very nature, radiation oncology is a complex, multi-profession dynamic modality of cancer treatment. There are multiple steps with many handovers of work and many opportunities for patient safety to be compromised. Patient safety events can manifest as either actual incidents or near miss/close call events.

The Modernization of Radiation Therapy Services in Cambodia: A Model of International Collaboration.

Purpose: Cambodia is a Southeast Asian low-middle-income country with a population of >15 million. In 2020, Cambodia was estimated to have 18,375 new diagnoses of cancer and 12,638 deaths attributable to cancer. Cambodia was estimated to have a deficit of 16 megavoltage machines in 2012.

Implementation of 3D conformal radiotherapy technology at the National Cancer Centre Mongolia: A successful Asia-Pacific collaborative initiative.

Introduction: Mongolia has a population of 3.3 million and is classified by the WHO as a lower middle-income country. Cancer is now a major public health issue and one of the leading causes of mortality.

Equity should know no borders: The role of Australasian radiation oncologists in supporting radiation oncology services in low- and middle-income countries in the Asia-Pacific.

The rapid rise in cancer incidence within the world's poorest nations highlights the need for equitable access to evidence-based cancer care. It has been previously demonstrated that radiotherapy is a cost-effective and necessary tool in cancer treatment. However, globally there is a growing divide between demand and supply of radiotherapy services.

A collaborative approach to meeting oncology challenges in island communities in the Asia-Pacific region.

Treatment of cancer in small island communities is frequently challenged by the isolation and scattered nature of target populations, limited economic resources and overburdened healthcare systems. Strategies that have been successful in improving access to nonsurgical treatment in Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and West Timor include balancing centralised location of scarce resources (particularly health professionals) with minimisation of patient travel, in-country training by teams of oncology professionals from high-income countries (HICs), sending health professionals to train in HICs, sharing and adaptation of treatment protocols, and telehealth initiatives. A common feature of successful initiatives is a collaborative approach.

Australia and New Zealand's responsibilities in improving oncology services in the Asia-Pacific: A call to action.

Aim: To review the expected increasing demand for cancer services among low and middle-income countries (LMICs) in the Asia-Pacific (APAC), and to describe ways in which Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) can provide support to improve cancer outcomes in our region.

Methods: We first review the current and projected incidence of cancer within the APAC between 2018 and 2040, and the estimated demand for chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery. We then explore potential ways in which ANZ can increase regional collaborations to improve cancer outcomes.

Palliative chemoradiotherapy versus radiotherapy alone for dysphagia in advanced oesophageal cancer: a multicentre randomised controlled trial (TROG 03.01).

Background: A short course of radiotherapy is commonly prescribed for palliative relief of malignant dysphagia in patients with incurable oesophageal cancer. We compared chemoradiotherapy with radiotherapy alone for dysphagia relief in the palliative setting.

Methods: This multicentre randomised controlled trial included patients with advanced or metastatic oesophageal cancer who were randomly assigned (1:1) through a computer-generated adaptive biased coin design to either palliative chemoradiotherapy or radiotherapy alone for treatment of malignant dysphagia at 22 hospitals in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the UK.

The effect of Mepitel Film on acute radiation-induced skin reactions in head and neck cancer patients: a feasibility study.

Objective: Mepitel Film significantly decreases acute radiation-induced skin reactions in breast cancer patients. Here we investigated the feasibility of using Mepitel Film in head and neck cancer patients (ACTRN12614000932662).

Methods: Out of a total of 36 head and neck cancer patients from New Zealand (NZ) (n = 24) and China (n = 12) recruited between June 2015 and December 2016, 33 patients complied with protocol.

Summary of guidance for the management of early bowel cancer.

Colorectal cancer is an important public health problem and one of the most common cancers registered in New Zealand. In 2009 the New Zealand Guidelines Group were commissioned to produce and evidence-based summary of current New Zealand and international data to inform best practice in the management of people with early bowel cancer. A guideline development team was convened, representing a range of stakeholder groups who met to discuss and agree on the recommendations for a clinical practice guideline.

Preoperative radiation with concurrent chemotherapy for resectable rectal cancer: effect of dose escalation on pathologic complete response, local recurrence-free survival, disease-free survival, and overall survival.

Purpose: Three Phase II studies of preoperative radiotherapy and concurrent 5FU chemotherapy were undertaken. The primary endpoints were acute toxicity and pathologic complete response rate (pCR). Secondary endpoints were local recurrence-free survival (LRFS), disease-free survival (DFS), and overall survival (OS).

Techniques to modulate radiotherapy toxicity and outcome in soft tissue sarcoma.

Radiotherapy (RT) targeting of soft tissue sarcoma presents considerable opportunity and challenges in realizing the dual goals of tissue and function preservation and maintaining high local control. Traditional RT target volumes used for soft tissue sarcoma have largely been constrained by available technology and are not ideal in some situations. The advent of very precise treatment planning and delivery systems, including three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy and intensity-modulated radiotherapy, means it is possible to select target volumes that more closely approach the optimum.

Recent advances in radiotherapy for soft-tissue sarcoma.

The use of radiotherapy in soft-tissue sarcoma continues to evolve. This review focuses on how current management is influenced by the most recent publications in the field. In particular, experience of patients treated without radiotherapy permits guidelines to be established that define a subset of patients who do not need radiotherapy to achieve sarcoma cure with good function.