The added value of a new high-performance ring-gantry CBCT imaging system for prostate cancer patients.

Background And Purpose: A novel Cone-Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) named HyperSight provides superior CBCT image quality compared to conventional ring gantry CBCT imaging, and it is suitable for dose calculations for prostate cancer, but it comes with considerable additional costs. The aim of this study was to determine the added value of HyperSight CBCT imaging compared to conventional CBCT imaging in terms of organ visibility in the male pelvic region.

Materials And Methods: Twenty prostate cancer patients were included in this prospective clinical study.

Single-institution clinical experience using robust intensity modulated proton therapy in chordoma and chondrosarcoma of the mobile spine and sacrum: Feasibility and need for plan adaptation.

Background: Due to its specific physical characteristics, proton irradiation is especially suited for irradiation of chordomas and chondrosarcoma in the axial skeleton. Robust plan optimization renders the proton beam therapy more predictable upon individual setup errors. Reported experience with the planning and delivery of robustly optimized plans in chordoma and chondrosarcoma of the mobile spine and sacrum, is limited.

Identification of Risk of Cardiovascular Disease by Automatic Quantification of Coronary Artery Calcifications on Radiotherapy Planning CT Scans in Patients With Breast Cancer.

Importance: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is common in patients treated for breast cancer, especially in patients treated with systemic treatment and radiotherapy and in those with preexisting CVD risk factors. Coronary artery calcium (CAC), a strong independent CVD risk factor, can be automatically quantified on radiotherapy planning computed tomography (CT) scans and may help identify patients at increased CVD risk.

Objective: To evaluate the association of CAC with CVD and coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients with breast cancer.

Chemical modification of colloidal masks for nanolithography.

A method is presented to tune the holes in colloidal masks used for nanolithography. Using a simple wet-chemical method, a thin layer of silica is grown on masks of silica particles. The size of the holes is controlled by the amount of tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) added.