Baseline total brain volume predicts changes in quality of life and overall survival after cranial radiotherapy in older patients with glioblastoma: Results from the prospective BRITER study.

Background: Short-course partial brain radiotherapy ± chemotherapy for older patients with GBM extends survival but there is no validated evidence for prediction of individual risk of acute radiotherapy-related side effects.

Methods: This prospective multicentre observational trial recruited patients with newly diagnosed GBM aged ≥65 planned for cranial radiotherapy. Baseline MRI scans were analyzed for markers of brain resilience including relative total brain volume (ratio of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) volume to total intracranial volume (TIV)) and their relationship to change in quality of life (QoL).

Changes in primary breast cancer heterogeneity may augment midtreatment MR imaging assessment of response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Purpose: To evaluate whether changes in magnetic resonance (MR) imaging heterogeneity may aid assessment for pathologic complete response (pCR) to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) in primary breast cancer and to compare pCR with standard Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors response.

Materials And Methods: Institutional review board approval, with waiver of informed consent, was obtained for this retrospective analysis of 36 consecutive female patients, with unilateral unifocal primary breast cancer larger than 2 cm in diameter who were receiving sequential anthracycline-taxane NACT between October 2008 and October 2012. T2- and T1-weighted dynamic contrast material-enhanced MR imaging was performed before, at midtreatment (after three cycles), and after NACT.

Imaging breast cancer bone metastases: current status and future directions.

The skeleton is commonly affected in the context of metastatic breast cancer and is a cause of significant morbidity in these individuals. Therapeutic options include systemic therapy, radiotherapy, and surgery given with the intent of preserving function and quality of life. As the spectrum of available therapies increases, key challenges comprise reliable diagnosis of bony metastatic disease and accurate evaluation of response that permits rapid therapeutic transition in those responding inadequately prior to development of significant skeletal morbidity.

PARP inhibitors--current status and the walk towards early breast cancer.

Epithelial carcinomas in general arise as a result of the acquisition of and selection for multiple mutations in a parental somatic cell clone within the tissues of the primary organ of origin. In the last two decades genome caretakers, which function in key areas of DNA damage response, have been recognized as important tumour suppressor genes. Inactivating mutations in these genes occur both as germline and/or somatic mutations with increasing evidence of epigenetic silencing as an additional cause of loss of function.

Long-term neurologic and peripheral vascular toxicity after chemotherapy treatment of testicular cancer.

Background: Testicular cancer is curable in the majority of men, and persisting treatment toxicity is a concern. The authors report a cross-sectional study of the long-term effects of chemotherapy (C) on neurologic function and development of Raynaud phenomenon.

Methods: Seven hundred thirty-nine patients who were treated between 1982 and 1992 gave consent to enter the study.