Irradiation before and donor splenocyte infusion immediately after transplantation induce tolerance to lung, but not heart allografts in miniature swine.

Solid organs may differ in their potential to induce and maintain a state of donor-specific tolerance. Previously, we induced stable immunological tolerance in a lung transplantation model in miniature swine. Here, we wished to transfer this established protocol into a heart transplantation model in miniature swine.

A new instrument for estimating the survival of patients with metastatic epidural spinal cord compression from esophageal cancer.

Background: This study was initiated to create a predictive instrument for estimating the survival of patients with metastatic epidural spinal cord compression (MESCC) from esophageal cancer.

Methods: In 27 patients irradiated for MESCC from esophageal cancer, the following nine characteristics were evaluated for potential impact on survival: age, gender, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance score, histology, number of involved vertebrae, ambulatory status before irradiation, further bone metastases, visceral metastases, and dynamic of developing motor deficits before irradiation. In addition, the impact of the radiation regimen was investigated.

Predicting survival of patients with metastatic epidural spinal cord compression from cancer of the head-and-neck.

Aim: To develop an instrument for estimating survival after irradiation for metastatic epidural spinal cord compression (MESCC) from head and neck cancer.

Patients And Methods: In 58 patients, eleven factors were evaluated for influence on survival: age, gender, performance status, tumor site, time from cancer diagnosis until MESCC, affected vertebrae, walking ability, further osseous lesions, organ metastases, time developing motor deficits and radiation regimen. Factors with significant association with survival or a trend (multivariate analysis) were used for scoring.

A validated score estimating ambulatory status following radiotherapy of elderly patients for metastatic spinal cord compression.

Background: This study was performed to develop a validated score predicting ambulatory status after radiotherapy (RT) alone for metastatic spinal cord compression (MSCC) in elderly patients.

Methods: 1,129 elderly patients (≥65 years) were assigned to the test (N = 565) or validation group (N = 564). In the test group, nine pre-treatment factors (age, gender, tumor type, number of involved vertebrae, pre-RT ambulatory status, other bone metastases, visceral metastases, interval cancer diagnosis to RT, time developing motor deficits) and fractionation regimen were investigated.

Number of extraspinal organs with metastases: a prognostic factor of survival in patients with metastatic spinal cord compression (MSCC) from non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Background/aim: In patients irradiated for MSCC from NSCLC, the number of extraspinal organs involved by metastases was investigated for associations with survival.

Patients And Methods: The data of 131 patients irradiated with 10×3 Gy in two weeks for MSCC were evaluated. The number of involved extraspinal organs plus eight other factors were retrospectively analyzed.

Metastatic spinal cord compression: a validated survival score for elderly patients.

Background And Purpose: This study aimed to develop a validated survival score for elderly patients with metastatic spinal cord compression (MSCC).

Patients And Methods: In all, 1,128 patients were randomly assigned to the test (n = 564) or validation group (n = 564). In the test group, ten pretreatment factors (age, gender, performance status, primary tumor, number of involved vertebrae, ambulatory status, other bone metastases, visceral metastases, interval from cancer diagnosis to radiotherapy of MSCC, time to developing motor deficits) plus the radiation regimen were retrospectively evaluated.

Prognostic role of the number of involved extraspinal organs in patients with metastatic spinal cord compression.

Objective: This study was investigated the prognostic role of the number of involved extraspinal organs in the survival of patients with metastatic spinal cord compression (MSCC).

Methods: Data of 552 patients treated with 30Gy in 10 fractions of radiotherapy (RT) alone for MSCC were retrospectively analyzed. In addition to the number of involved extraspinal organs, eight potential prognostic factors were investigated including age, gender, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance score (ECOG-PS), primary tumor type, number of involved vertebrae, interval from cancer diagnosis to RT, pre-RT ambulatory status, and time developing motor deficits.

Vestibular schwannoma microsurgery for recurrent tumors after radiation therapy or previous surgical resection.

Objective: The purpose of this study is to compare the outcomes in patients who underwent microsurgical resection for recurrent vestibular schwannoma after microsurgical resection and previous radiation therapy.

Study Design: Retrospective study.

Setting: University hospital.

Survival in patients with metastatic spinal cord compression from prostate cancer is associated with the number of extra-spinal organs involved.

Background/aim: To investigate the predictive value of the number of extra-spinal organs involved by metastases for survival in metastatic spinal cord compression (MSCC) from prostate cancer.

Patients And Methods: In 95 patients irradiated with 10 × 3 Gy for MSCC from prostate cancer, seven factors were investigated: Age, performance score, number of involved vertebrae, interval from prostate cancer diagnosis to MSCC, pre-radiotherapy ambulatory status, time to motor deficits development, number of involved extra-spinal organs.

Results: Six-month survival rates for 0, 1 and ≥ 2 involved extra-spinal organs, were 81, 53 and 33%, respectively (p<0.

Segmental dosimetry, toxicity and long-term outcome in patients with prostate cancer treated with permanent seed implants.

Unlabelled: WHAT'S KNOWN ON THE SUBJECT? AND WHAT DOES THE STUDY ADD?: The development of side effects characteristic for the different treatment methods with impact on the patients' quality of life plays a growing role for individual patients with early stage prostate cancer. Using permanent brachytherapy a high dose to the prostate can be applied with a steep dose gradient to the normal tissue. However, small partial volumes of normal tissue may be exposed to high doses inducing special side effects including lower urinary tract symptoms and/or erectile dysfunction.

Langerhans cell histiocytosis of the cranial base: is low-dose radiotherapy effective?

Introduction. Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is a rare disease of unknown etiology with different clinical features. A standardised treatment has not been established so far.

Comparison of 6q25 breast cancer hits from Asian and European Genome Wide Association Studies in the Breast Cancer Association Consortium (BCAC).

The 6q25.1 locus was first identified via a genome-wide association study (GWAS) in Chinese women and marked by single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs2046210, approximately 180 Kb upstream of ESR1. There have been conflicting reports about the association of this locus with breast cancer in Europeans, and a GWAS in Europeans identified a different SNP, tagged here by rs12662670.

Image-guided hypofractionated small volume radiotherapy of non-small cell lung cancer - feasibility and clinical outcome.

Purpose: Local hypofractionated stereotactic radiation treatment (hfSRT) of early stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) represents a highly effective treatment alternative in medically inoperable patients.

Method: Between June 2007 and December 2010, 65 patients with NSCLC were treated with image-guided hypofractionated radiotherapy. The Union Internationale Contre le Cancer (UICC) stage distribution was: IA, n = 19; IB, n = 15; IIB, n = 5; IIIA, n = 10; IIIB, n = 6; and IV, n = 10.

Breast cancer risk and 6q22.33: combined results from Breast Cancer Association Consortium and Consortium of Investigators on Modifiers of BRCA1/2.

Recently, a locus on chromosome 6q22.33 (rs2180341) was reported to be associated with increased breast cancer risk in the Ashkenazi Jewish (AJ) population, and this association was also observed in populations of non-AJ European ancestry. In the present study, we performed a large replication analysis of rs2180341 using data from 31,428 invasive breast cancer cases and 34,700 controls collected from 25 studies in the Breast Cancer Association Consortium (BCAC).

11q13 is a susceptibility locus for hormone receptor positive breast cancer.

A recent two-stage genome-wide association study (GWAS) identified five novel breast cancer susceptibility loci on chromosomes 9, 10, and 11. To provide more reliable estimates of the relative risk associated with these loci and investigate possible heterogeneity by subtype of breast cancer, we genotyped the variants rs2380205, rs1011970, rs704010, rs614367, and rs10995190 in 39 studies from the Breast Cancer Association Consortium (BCAC), involving 49,608 cases and 48,772 controls of predominantly European ancestry. Four of the variants showed clear evidence of association (P ≤ 3 × 10(-9) ) and weak evidence was observed for rs2380205 (P = 0.

Genome-wide association analysis identifies three new breast cancer susceptibility loci.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women. To date, 22 common breast cancer susceptibility loci have been identified accounting for ∼8% of the heritability of the disease. We attempted to replicate 72 promising associations from two independent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in ∼70,000 cases and ∼68,000 controls from 41 case-control studies and 9 breast cancer GWAS.

Malignant glioma grade 3 and 4: how relevant is timing of radiotherapy?

Aims And Background: The aim of this study is to determine prognostic factors that influence further outcome in patients with glioma.

Methods: Between 01/2002 and 08/2008, 153 patients with malignant gliomas of WHO-grade 3 or 4 who were treated with external beam radiotherapy with or without chemotherapy.

Results: In univariate analysis, following factors were ascertained as statistically significant prognostic parameters: grade (p = 0.

Dose escalation of radiotherapy for metastatic spinal cord compression (MSCC) in patients with relatively favorable survival prognosis.

Background And Purpose: Local control of metastatic spinal cord compression (MSCC) is particularly important for long-term survivors. Radiotherapy alone is the most common treatment for MSCC. The most frequently used schedule world wide is 30 Gy/10 fractions.

Associations of common variants at 1p11.2 and 14q24.1 (RAD51L1) with breast cancer risk and heterogeneity by tumor subtype: findings from the Breast Cancer Association Consortium.

A genome-wide association study (GWAS) identified single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at 1p11.2 and 14q24.1 (RAD51L1) as breast cancer susceptibility loci.

Mutation analysis of the SLX4/FANCP gene in hereditary breast cancer.

SLX4 coordinates three structure-specific endonucleases in the DNA damage response. One subtype of Fanconi anaemia, FA-P, has recently been attributed to biallelic SLX4 gene mutations. To investigate whether monoallelic SLX4 gene defects play some role in the inherited component of breast cancer susceptibility, in this study we resequenced the whole SLX4 coding region and flanking untranslated sections in genomic DNA samples obtained from a total of 52 German or Byelorussian patients with familial breast cancer.

Confirmation of 5p12 as a susceptibility locus for progesterone-receptor-positive, lower grade breast cancer.

Background: The single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) 5p12-rs10941679 has been found to be associated with risk of breast cancer, particularly estrogen receptor (ER)-positive disease. We aimed to further explore this association overall, and by tumor histopathology, in the Breast Cancer Association Consortium.

Methods: Data were combined from 37 studies, including 40,972 invasive cases, 1,398 cases of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), and 46,334 controls, all of white European ancestry, as well as 3,007 invasive cases and 2,337 controls of Asian ancestry.

Low penetrance breast cancer susceptibility loci are associated with specific breast tumor subtypes: findings from the Breast Cancer Association Consortium.

Breast cancers demonstrate substantial biological, clinical and etiological heterogeneity. We investigated breast cancer risk associations of eight susceptibility loci identified in GWAS and two putative susceptibility loci in candidate genes in relation to specific breast tumor subtypes. Subtypes were defined by five markers (ER, PR, HER2, CK5/6, EGFR) and other pathological and clinical features.

Apoptosis gene polymorphisms and risk of prostate cancer: a hospital-based study of German patients treated with brachytherapy.

Background And Objectives: Prostate cancer has a genetic component, and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) can contribute to the risk. We aimed to investigate the role of polymorphisms in 10 candidate genes with a key function in apoptosis.

Methods And Materials: Eight coding SNPs were chosen in ATM (Ser49Cys), BID (Ser56Cys), CASP8 (Asp302His), CASP10 (Val410Ile), LGALS3 (Pro64His), RASSF1 (Ser133Ala), TP53 (Arg72Pro), and TP53AIP1 (Ala7Val), and two non-coding SNPs were selected in BCL2 (-938C/A) and HDM2 (SNP309).

Surgery followed by radiotherapy versus radiotherapy alone for metastatic spinal cord compression from unfavorable tumors.

Purpose: Despite a previously published randomized trial, controversy exists regarding the benefit of adding surgery to radiotherapy for metastatic spinal cord compression (MSCC). It is thought that patients with MSCC from relatively radioresistant tumors or tumors associated with poor functional outcome after radiotherapy alone may benefit from surgery. This study focuses on these tumors.

Associations of breast cancer risk factors with tumor subtypes: a pooled analysis from the Breast Cancer Association Consortium studies.

Background: Previous studies have suggested that breast cancer risk factors are associated with estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) expression status of the tumors.

Methods: We pooled tumor marker and epidemiological risk factor data from 35,568 invasive breast cancer case patients from 34 studies participating in the Breast Cancer Association Consortium. Logistic regression models were used in case-case analyses to estimate associations between epidemiological risk factors and tumor subtypes, and case-control analyses to estimate associations between epidemiological risk factors and the risk of developing specific tumor subtypes in 12 population-based studies.