Lymph-node-positive cutaneous nonmelanoma skin cancer: A poor-prognosis disease in need of treatment intensification.

Locoregionally advanced nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) has an aggressive clinical course characterized by high rates of treatment failure and poor survival compared with localized skin cancers. Our goal was to investigate multimodal therapy for lymph-node-positive NMSC. Data from patients with lymph-node-positive NMSC who underwent surgery and adjuvant therapy at a single tertiary center from 2002 to 2012 were retrospectively reviewed.

Long-Term Patient-Reported Outcomes From a Phase 3 Randomized Prospective Trial of Conventional Versus Hypofractionated Radiation Therapy for Localized Prostate Cancer.

Purpose: To assess the long-term quality of life (QoL) outcomes from a phase 3 trial comparing 2 modes of intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT): conventional IMRT (CIMRT) versus hypofractionated IMRT (HIMRT) in patients with localized prostate cancer.

Methods And Materials: Between 2002 and 2006, 303 men with low-risk to high-risk prostate cancer were randomized to 76 Gy in 38 fractions (CIMRT) versus 70.2 Gy in 26 fractions (HIMRT).

Dosimetric predictors of hematologic toxicity in patients undergoing concurrent gemcitabine-based chemoradiation for localized pancreatic cancer.

Purpose: This study was undertaken to identify parameters associated with hematologic toxicity or chemotherapy dose modification in patients undergoing concurrent chemoradiation (CRT) with gemcitabine for localized pancreatic cancer.

Methods And Materials: We reviewed patients with localized pancreatic cancer undergoing CRT between 2006 and 2012. Exclusion criteria included receipt of nongemcitabine therapy, chemotherapy before CRT, or abnormal baseline hematologic indices.

Survival Impact of Increasing Time to Treatment Initiation for Patients With Head and Neck Cancer in the United States.

Purpose: To estimate the overall survival (OS) impact from increasing time to treatment initiation (TTI) for patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).

Methods: Using the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB), we examined patients who received curative therapy for the following sites: oral tongue, oropharynx, larynx, and hypopharynx. TTI was the number of days from diagnosis to initiation of curative treatment.

Pre-treatment tumor-specific growth rate as a temporal biomarker that predicts treatment failure and improves risk stratification for oropharyngeal cancer.

Purpose: To assess the relationship between tumor-specific growth rate (TSGR) and oropharyngeal cancer (OPC) outcomes in the HPV era.

Methods/materials: Primary tumor volume differences between a diagnostic and secondary scan separated ⩾7days without interval treatment were used to estimate TSGR, defined as percent volume growth/day derived from primary tumor volume doubling time for 85 OPC patients with known p16 status and smoking pack-years managed with (chemo)radiation. Variables were analyzed using Kruskal-Wallis or Fisher's exact test as appropriate.

Predictors of Hematologic Toxicity and Chemotherapy Dose Intensity in Patients Undergoing Chemoradiation for Pancreatic Cancer.

Objectives: Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) has been shown to decrease abdominal toxicity in patients undergoing chemoradiation (CRT) for pancreatic cancer. We evaluated whether IMRT impacts the rates of hematologic toxicity and chemotherapy dose intensity in patients undergoing CRT.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed patients with borderline resectable or locally advanced pancreatic cancer undergoing CRT between 2006 and 2012.

Dose escalation with a vessel boost in pancreatic adenocarcinoma treated with neoadjuvant chemoradiation.

Purpose: Patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAC) are often treated with neoadjuvant chemoradiation (NACRT) in hopes of downstaging their disease for potential surgical resection. We hypothesized that increasing the radiation dose to the area of the tumor abutting the vessel(s) of concern would increase the rate of surgical resection in patients with borderline resectable PAC (BRPAC) and locally advanced PAC (LAPAC) treated with NACRT.

Methods And Materials: We retrospectively reviewed consecutive cases of BRPAC and LAPAC treated with NACRT from January 2006 to December 2013, with or without a vessel boost (VB), at a single institution.

Impact of obesity on outcomes after definitive dose-escalated intensity-modulated radiotherapy for localized prostate cancer.

Background: Previous publications have demonstrated conflicting results regarding body mass index (BMI) and prostate cancer (CaP) outcomes after definitive radiotherapy (RT) before the dose escalation era. The goal of the current study was to determine whether increasing BMI was associated with outcomes in men with localized CaP who were treated with dose-escalated RT.

Methods: The authors identified patients with localized (T1b-T4N0M0) CaP who were treated with definitive intensity-modulated RT and image-guided RT from 2001 through 2010.

Comparison of Adjuvant Radiation Therapy Alone Versus Radiation Therapy and Endocrine Therapy in Elderly Women With Early-Stage, Hormone Receptor-Positive Breast Cancer Treated With Breast-Conserving Surgery.

Background: Randomized data examining adjuvant radiation therapy (RT) alone in elderly women with low-risk, hormone receptor-positive (HR(+)) breast cancer is lacking. We investigated the outcomes for elderly women treated with adjuvant RT alone versus RT plus endocrine therapy (ET) after breast-conserving surgery.

Patients And Methods: We queried our institutional breast cancer database for the following patients: age > 65 years, stage T1-T2N0, HR(+), and treatment with breast-conserving surgery, including adjuvant RT.

Surgery and Adjuvant Radiation for High-risk Skin Adnexal Carcinoma of the Head and Neck.

Objectives: Skin adnexal carcinoma (SAC) is a rare cutaneous malignancy that arises from sebaceous and sweat glands. These carcinomas are believed to behave more aggressively than cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) with a propensity for local recurrence. The role of adjuvant radiotherapy in SAC is undefined.

Low-level shRNA cytotoxicity can contribute to MYC-induced hepatocellular carcinoma in adult mice.

Short hairpin RNAs (shRNAs) have emerged as a novel therapeutic modality, but there is increasing concern over nonspecific effects in vivo. Here, we used viral vectors to express shRNAs against endogenous p53 in livers of conditional MYC-transgenic mice. As expected, the shRNAs silenced hepatic p53 and accelerated liver tumorigenesis when MYC was concurrently expressed.

The hedgehog-patched signaling pathway and function in the mammalian ovary: a novel role for hedgehog proteins in stimulating proliferation and steroidogenesis of theca cells.

The expression of hedgehog (Hh) genes, their receptor, and the co-receptor in mice, rat, and bovine ovaries were investigated. RT-PCR of ovarian transcripts in mice showed amplification of transcripts for Indian (Ihh) and desert (Dhh) Hh, patched 1 (Ptch1), and smoothened (Smo) genes. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR and northern blot analyses showed that whole ovarian Ihh and Dhh transcripts decreased 4-24 h after hCG versus 0-48 h after pregnant mares serum gonadotrophin treatment in mice, whereas mouse Ptch1 and Smo transcripts were expressed throughout the gonadotropin treatments.

Protein related to DAN and cerberus is a bone morphogenetic protein antagonist that participates in ovarian paracrine regulation.

Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) are important for body patterning and morphogenesis, whereas several BMP antagonists regulate the functions of BMPs during embryonic development and tissue differentiation. Protein related to DAN and cerberus (PRDC) is a secreted protein with a cystine knot structure identified by gene trapping in embryonic stem cells. Although PRDC shows sequence homology with proteins of the BMP antagonist family, its biological activity and physiological functions are unclear.