Vaginal Mucosal Melanoma Cell Activation in Response to Photon or Carbon Ion Irradiation.

Purpose: Primary gynecological melanomas are uncommon with lower survival rates compared to cutaneous melanomas. Although melanocytes have been identified in a variety of mucosal membranes, little is known about their interactions or roles inside the mucosa layer. Melanin is a common pigment in nature and is endowed with several peculiar chemical, paramagnetic, and semiconductive characteristics.

Radiation Therapy in Non-Melanoma Skin Cancers: An Italian Survey on Behalf of the Italian Association of Radiotherapy and Clinical Oncology.

Aims: The National Palliative Care and Interventional Radiotherapy Study Groups of the Italian Association of Radiotherapy and Clinical Oncology (AIRO) carried out a survey whose aim was to obtain a "snapshot" of the real-world practice of nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) treatments in Italy.

Materials And Methods: The survey was conducted on SurveyMonkey's online interface and was sent via e-mail to our society Radiation Oncologists.

Results: Fifty-eight Italian radiation oncologists (ROs), representing 54 centers, answered the survey.

Proton therapy for intracranial meningioma: a single-institution retrospective analysis of efficacy, survival and toxicity outcomes.

Purpose: To report the outcomes of a large series of intracranial meningiomas (IMs) submitted to proton therapy (PT) with curative intent.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis on all consecutive IM patients treated between 2014 and 2021. The median PT prescription dose was 55.

Current Status and Future Directions of Proton Therapy for Head and Neck Carcinoma.

The growing interest in proton therapy (PT) in recent decades is justified by the evidence that protons dose distribution allows maximal dose release at the tumor depth followed by sharp distal dose fall-off. But, in the holistic management of head and neck cancer (HNC), limiting the potential of PT to a mere dosimetric advantage appears reductive. Indeed, the precise targeting of PT may help evaluate the effectiveness of de-escalation strategies, especially for patients with human papillomavirus associated-oropharyngeal cancer (OPC) and nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC).

[Concurrent simultaneous integrated boost radiotherapy and cetuximab in head and neck squamous cell cancer patients: is it feasible in daily clinical practice?].

Introduction And Aim: Locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (LA-Hnscc) is a true therapeutical challenge in the modern era and the scientific community is trying to face this challenge with new therapeutical strategies, including combinations of monoclonal antibodies and radiation therapy. The aim of this study is to evaluate clinical outcomes in LA-Hnscc patients unfit to receive platinum-based chemotherapy, treated with concurrent simultaneous integrated boost-intensity modulated radiotherapy (Sib-Imrt) + cetuximab (Ctx) in daily clinical practice.

Methods: LA-Hnscc patients not included in other prospective studies treated in 4 Italian radiotherapy units (2 Messina, 1 Rome, and 1 Lecce) using Sib-Imrt and Ctx were included in this study.

Locally advanced squamous cervical carcinoma (M0): management and emerging therapeutic options in the precision radiotherapy era.

Squamous cervical carcinoma (SCC) requires particular attention in diagnostic and clinical management. New diagnostic tools, such as (positron emission tomography-magnetic resonance imaging) PET-MRI, consent to ameliorate clinical staging accuracy. The availability of new technologies in radiation therapy permits to deliver higher dose lowering toxicities.

Outcomes and toxicity in re-irradiation of gynecologic cancer: Systematic review of the Italian association of radiation and clinical oncology (AIRO).

Aims: The aim of this study was to provide a literature review on the efficacy and safety of reirradiation(re-I) of locoregional recurrences in gynecological malignancies.

Methods: A computerized literature search was performed in 4 electronic databases (1993-2020). Random-effects models and a tendency towards high heterogeneity (Cochran Q chi-square test and the I statistic) were used.

Radiotherapy of orbital metastases: a systematic review of management and treatment outcomes on behalf of palliative care study group of Italian association of radiotherapy and clinical oncology (AIRO).

Objectives: We search the current literature on data regarding the role of RT in OM treatment, focusing on the improvement of symptoms and patient quality of life.

Methods: This systematic review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) recommendations.

Results: From 340 citations, 60 papers were finally selected: 45 case reports and 15 case series.

General practitioners' assessment of interventions applied to optimize laboratory test utilization: a cross-sectional survey study.

General practitioners (GPs) in the Region of Southern Denmark were randomly allocated to a range of interventions to optimize their use of Vitamin D tests over one year. The aim of the current survey study was to investigate GPs assessment of the interventions. Using REDCap web-platform, we invited 638 GPs to participate in a survey about their experiences of guidelines, feedback reports, non-interruptive alerts, and interruptive alerts.

Stereotactic boost on residual disease after external-beam irradiation in clinical stage III non-small cell lung cancer: mature results of stereotactic body radiation therapy post radiation therapy (SBRTpostRT) study.

Purpose: To evaluate the role of stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) delivered after external-beam fractionated irradiation in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with clinical stage III A, B.

Materials And Methods: All patients received three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT) or intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) (60-66 Gy/30-33 fractions of 2 Gy/5 days a week) with or without concomitant chemotherapy. Within 60 days from the end of irradiation, a SBRT boost (12-22 Gy in 1-3 fractions) was delivered on the residual disease.

Predictive value of clinical and radiomic features for radiation therapy response in patients with lymph node-positive head and neck cancer.

Background: Prediction of survival and radiation therapy response is challenging in head and neck cancer with metastatic lymph nodes (LNs). Here we developed novel radiomics- and clinical-based predictive models.

Methods: Volumes of interest of LNs were employed for radiomic features extraction.

An Italian survey on "palliative intent" radiotherapy.

Background: The aim of this paper is to provide a comprehensive overview of the scenario on radiotherapy (RT) delivered with palliative intent in Italy.

Materials And Methods: A structured online questionnaire was submitted to Italian radiation oncologists in order to explore the clinical practice in different areas of palliation, namely: bone, lung, brain, liver, and emergencies suitable to RT.

Results: 209 radiation oncologists took part in the study.

Image-guided robotic radiosurgery for the treatment of arteriovenous malformations.

Background: Cerebral arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) are challenging lesions, often requiring multimodal interventions; however, data on the efficacy of stereotactic radiosurgery for cerebral AVMs are limited. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical and radiographic results following robotic radiosurgery, alone or in combination with endovascular treatment, and to investigate factors associated with obliteration and complications in patients with AVM.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical and imaging characteristics of 123 patients with AVMs of all Spetzler-Martin grades treated at two institutions by robotic radiosurgery in single-fraction doses (CyberKnife).

Impressive Results after "Metabolism-Guided" Lattice Irradiation in Patients Submitted to Palliative Radiation Therapy: Preliminary Results of LATTICE_01 Multicenter Study.

Purpose: To evaluate feasibility, toxicities, and clinical response in Stage IV patients treated with palliative “metabolism-guided” lattice technique. Patients and Methods: From June 2020 to December 2021, 30 consecutive clinical stage IV patients with 31 bulky lesions were included in this study. All patients received palliative irradiation consisting of a spatially fractionated high radiation dose delivered in spherical deposits (vertices, Vs) within the bulky disease.

The "Combo" radiotherapy treatment for high-risk grade 2 meningiomas: dose escalation and initial safety and efficacy analysis.

Purpose: The subgroup "high-risk" WHO grade 2 (hRG2) meningiomas may benefit from adjuvant radiation therapy (RT), but results are still suboptimal with high rates of local progression. A dose escalation using high-conformal RT techniques needs to be evaluated in terms of efficacy and safety. We report the results of a dose-escalation study, named "Combo-RT", combining Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT) or Volumetric Arc Therapy (VMAT) with Hypofractionated Stereotactic Radiotherapy (hSRT) boost.

Intensity-modulated radiotherapy does not induce volumetric changes of the Bichat fat pad in nasopharyngeal cancer.

Purpose: To evaluate morphological and functional changes in the Bichat fat pad (BFP) after curative concurrent chemoradiotherapy in nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) patients.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the volumetric, metabolic, and dosimetry parameters of BFPs in 7 NPC patients who underwent intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) between 2015 and 2020. Inclusion criteria were i) histologically confirmed diagnosis of NPC, ii) follow-up period of at least 12 months, iii) no history of previous irradiation or surgery in the maxillofacial area, and ìv) availability of pre- and posttreatment MRI and F‑FDG PET-CT performed in our Institution.

Non-stereotactic radiotherapy in older cancer patients.

Old or very old oncological patients represent a heterogeneous and frail population due to concomitant comorbidities. Whether radiotherapy alone or in combination with novel cancer drugs may provide a clear benefit in this setting of patients is still a matter of debate. The aim of our review is to analyze the evaluation process and the different therapeutic possibilities in older cancer patients, focusing on the different and most disparate applications of radiotherapy.

Inflammasomes in Cancer Progression and Anti-Tumor Immunity.

The inflammasomes are critical regulators of innate immunity, inflammation and cell death and have emerged as important regulators of cancer development and control. Inflammasomes are assembled by pattern recognition receptors (PRR) following the sensing of microbial- or danger-associated molecular patterns (MAMPs/DAMPs) and elicit inflammation through the oligomerization and activation of inflammatory caspases. These cysteinyl-aspartate proteases cleave the proinflammatory cytokines IL-1β and IL-18 into their biologically active mature form.

A non-surgical COMBO-therapy approach for locally advanced unresectable pancreatic adenocarcinoma: preliminary results of a prospective study.

In this short report we present a series of thirteen patients with locally advanced, unresectable, pancreatic cancer treated with a COMBO-Therapy consisting of: STEP-1: induction chemotherapy; STEP-2: concomitant chemoradiotherapy; STEP-3: stereotactic body radiotherapy boost. After four weeks from the end of each step all patients had a re-staging and a surgical re-evaluation. All patients completed STEP-1 and STEP-2.

A randomized controlled study of biochemical tests in primary care: interventions can reduce the number of tests but usage does not become more appropriate.

Objectives: The use of laboratory tests increases worldwide, and to some extent their use is likely to be inappropriate. Although primary care is responsible for a substantial proportion of requests, this sector is less extensively investigated than hospitals.

Methods: We tested the effect of six combinations of four interventions applied to 313 primary care clinics, using vitamin D as model test (253,762 vitamin D results).

The Metabolic Control of Myeloid Cells in the Tumor Microenvironment.

Myeloid cells are a key determinant of tumor progression and patient outcomes in a range of cancers and are therefore being actively pursued as targets of new immunotherapies. The recent use of high-dimensional single-cell approaches, e.g.

The COVID-19 Assessment for Survival at Admission (CASA) Index: A 12 Months Observational Study.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a disease with a high rate of progression to critical illness. However, the stratification of patients at risk of mortality is not well defined. In this study, we aimed to define a mortality risk index to allocate patients to the appropriate intensity of care.