Standard clinical practice underestimates the role and significance of erythropoietin deficiency in sickle cell disease.

In sickle cell disease (SCD), vigorous reticulocytosis is required to partially compensate for chronic hemolytic anaemia. Consequently, early renal damage, insufficient to cause azotemia but sufficient to cause erythropoietin deficiency and chronic relative reticulocytopenia (chRR), could have severe clinical consequences. chRR was defined as reticulocytes <250×10(9) /l despite haemoglobin <9 g/dl on ≥ two occasions ≥4 weeks apart.

Radioimmunoscintigraphy for postprostatectomy radiotherapy: analysis of toxicity and biochemical control.

Unlabelled: Our goal was to evaluate the role of radioimmunoscintigraphy (RIS) directed against prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) in influencing postprostatectomy radiotherapy (RT) toxicity and biochemical control.

Methods: The records of 107 postprostatectomy RT patients were reviewed. The group for whom no RIS scan was obtained (group A, n = 54) was identified as was the group for whom a RIS scan was obtained (group B, n = 53).

Analysis of prostate-specific antigen rebound interval in patients with prostate cancer receiving hormonal therapy and external-beam radiation therapy.

The goal of this investigation is to characterize the clinical significance of the rebound interval (RI) after neoadjuvant short-course hormonal therapy (HT) and external-beam radiation therapy (RT), during which the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) may rise because of hormone withdrawal prior to full RT efficacy. The charts of 257 consecutive patients with localized prostate cancer who received short-course neoadjuvant HT and RT were reviewed. A piecewise-linear log PSA versus time curve was generated for each patient and averaged over the population to facilitate identification of the RI start and end dates.

Influence of radioimmunoscintigraphy on postprostatectomy radiotherapy treatment decision making.

Unlabelled: The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of radioimmunoscintigraphy (RIS) directed against prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) in influencing postradical retropubic prostatectomy (RRP) radiotherapy (RT) decision making.

Methods: The records of consecutive patients who underwent RRP, who were referred for consideration of RT, and for whom an RIS scan was obtained were reviewed. The RT decisions, with regard to (a) the decision to offer RT and (b) the general volume to be treated [prostate fossa (PF) only versus PF + pelvis (P)] before knowledge of the RIS findings were charted.

Impact of radioimmunoscintigraphy on definition of clinical target volume for radiotherapy after prostatectomy.

Unlabelled: The goal of this study was to evaluate the role of radioimmunoscintigraphy (RIS) directed against prostate-specific membrane antigen in modifying postprostatectomy prostate fossa clinical target volume (CTV) definition.

Methods: The records of 25 postprostatectomy patients who received external-beam radiotherapy after prostatectomy and who underwent vessel-based RIS/planning CT registration were reviewed. For each patient, the CTV that would have been treated (CTV(pre)) before this registration was compared with that defined after the registration (CTV(post)).

Impact of hormone therapy when combined with external beam radiotherapy for early-stage, intermediate-, or high-risk prostate cancer.

The purpose of this investigation was to explore the potential benefit of hormone therapy in addition to external beam radiotherapy for patients with early-stage (T1-2), intermediate-(prostate-specific antigen [PSA] > 10 or Gleason score >or= 7) or high-risk (PSA > 10 and Gleason score >or= 7) prostate cancer. The charts of 412 patients with early-stage intermediate- and high-risk prostate cancer treated with external beam radiotherapy with or without a 4-month total androgen blockade were reviewed. The groups were balanced with respect to age, pretreatment PSA, and stage, but differed with respect to Gleason score and radiation dose.

Biological-effective versus conventional dose volume histograms correlated with late genitourinary and gastrointestinal toxicity after external beam radiotherapy for prostate cancer: a matched pair analysis.

Background: To determine whether the dose-volume histograms (DVH's) for the rectum and bladder constructed using biological-effective dose (BED-DVH's) better correlate with late gastrointestinal (GI) and genitourinary (GU) toxicity after treatment with external beam radiotherapy for prostate cancer than conventional DVH's (C-DVH's).

Methods: The charts of 190 patients treated with external beam radiotherapy with a minimum follow-up of 2 years were reviewed. Six patients (3.