AIRO Breast Cancer Group .

Introduction: Breast cancer is the most common tumor in women and represents the leading cause of cancer death. Radiation therapy plays a key-role in the treatment of all breast cancer stages. Therefore, the adoption of evidence-based treatments is warranted, to ensure equity of access and standardization of care in clinical practice.

Smile In Totems in Radiotherapy: Patients' Satisfaction with Limited Equipment and COVID-19.

Background: We report a mono-institutional experience regarding patient-perceived quality regarding the Chieti Radiotherapy Department, through RAMSI (Radiotherapy Amica Mia-SmileIN-My Friend Radiotherapy) project, in critical scenarios of limited equipment and COVID-19.

Material And Methods: Patient-reported experience measures (PREMs) were assessed as follows: Patient-centric welcome perception (PCWP), Comfort, Professional skills and Punctuality. Patients could give anonymous feedback using HappyOrNot technology through four totems located in strategic areas within the center.

Whole breast radiotherapy in cN0 early breast cancer patients with pathological sentinel lymph nodes (pN1mic, pN1a) without axillary dissection: preliminary results of the observational LISEN trial.

Purpose: Axillary management remains unclear when sentinel lymph node (SLN) results are positive in cN0 patients with breast cancer (BC). The trial ACOSOG Z0011 represented a revolution with axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) omission in SLN+ patients, despite critiques regarding non-uniformity of radiation fields. We conducted an observational study (LISEN) where whole breast radiotherapy (WBRT) was planned with tangential fields without nodal irradiation in patients eligible for the Z0011 trial.

Quality of Life in Early Breast Cancer Patients: A Prospective Observational Study Using the FACT-B Questionnaire.

Background/aim: Quality of life (QoL) in early breast cancer (BC) treatment may be affected by acute and late toxicities. This study evaluated the impact of radiotherapy (RT) schedules, treatment-related toxicities, hormone therapy (HT) and age on QoL.

Patients And Methods: Ninety-five patients answered the FACT-B 4.

Using the Bolus in Post-mastectomy Radiation Therapy (PMRT): A National Survey on Behalf of the Italian Association of Radiotherapy and Clinical Oncology (AIRO) Breast Cancer Group.

Background/aim: This study aimed to investigate the bolus practice among Italian radiation oncologists.

Patients And Methods: In 2018, a survey on bolus application was sent to all members of the Italian Association of Radiotherapy and Clinical Oncology.

Results: The survey was joined by 102 radiation oncologists.

COVID-19 and radiation oncology: the experience of a two-phase plan within a single institution in central Italy.

Background: COVID-19 in Italy has led to the need to reorganize hospital protocols with a significant risk of interruption to cancer treatment programs. In this report, we will focus on a management model covering the two phases of the COVID-19 emergency, namely lockdown-phase I and post-lockdown-phase II.

Methods: The following steps were taken in the two phases: workload during visits and radiotherapy planning, use of dedicated routes, measures for triage areas, management of suspected and positive COVID-19 cases, personal protective equipment, hospital environments and intra-institutional meetings and tumor board management.

Predictive Factors of Late-onset Rectal Mucosal Changes After Radiotherapy of Prostate Cancer.

Background/aim: The Vienna Rectoscopy Score (VRS; from 0, absence of rectal mucosal changes, to 5) assessed 1 year after radiotherapy is a surrogate end-point of late rectal toxicity. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between treatment-related factors and 1-year VRS.

Patients And Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data.

Outcomes in Patients with pT1-T2, pN0-N1 Breast Cancer After Conservative Surgery and Whole-breast Radiotherapy.

Aim: To evaluate locoregional recurrence, overall survival, disease-free survival and prognostic influence of the number of positive lymph nodes and other variables in breast cancer treatment.

Patients And Methods: A total of 377 patients with pT1-T2, pN0-N1 invasive breast carcinoma treated from 2005 to 2013 were retrospectively evaluated. Patients underwent conservative surgery followed by whole-breast radiotherapy.

Short-course radiotherapy in elderly patients with early stage non-melanoma skin cancer: a phase II study.

Aim: To evaluate outcome of an accelerated radiotherapy (RT) regimen in elderly patients with an early stage non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC).

Methods: Total RT dose was 30 Gy in 5 Gy fractions in six consecutive days.

Results: Thirty-one patients were enrolled.

Postoperative 5-FU based radiochemotherapy in rectal cancer: retrospective long term results and prognostic factors of a pooled analysis on 1,338 patients.

Aim: To evaluate survival outcomes of patients in pStage II-III rectal cancer treated with adjuvant 5-fluorouracil-based radiochemotherapy and to retrospectively analyze the impact of prognostic variables on local control, metastasis-free survival and cause-specific survival.

Patients And Methods: A total of 1,338 patients, treated between 1985-2005 for locally advanced rectal cancer, who underwent surgery and postoperative 5-fluorouracil-based chemoradiation, were selected.

Results: The actuarial 5- and 10-year outcomes were: local control 87.