Interprofessional Education Curriculum for Medical Assistants in Radiation Oncology: A Single Institution Pilot Program.

Purpose: Medical assistants (MAs) occupy an increasingly prevalent role in the clinical setting. Subspecialized fields such as oncology require specific clinical knowledge; however, MAs have few requirements for continued education. Here we assess the role and effect of a pilot MA Radiation Oncology education curriculum.

Development and Validation of a Genomic Tool to Predict Seminal Vesicle Invasion in Adenocarcinoma of the Prostate.

Purpose: Pretreatment estimates of seminal vesicle invasion (SVI) are challenging and significantly influence the management of prostate cancer. We sought to improve current models to predict SVI through the development of an SVI prediction genomic signature.

Patients And Methods: A total of 15,889 patients who underwent radical prostatectomy (RP) with available baseline clinical, pathology, and transcriptome data were retrieved from the GRID registry (ClinicalTrials.

Genomic Risk Predicts Molecular Imaging-detected Metastatic Nodal Disease in Prostate Cancer.

Background: The Decipher genomic classifier (GC) is increasingly being used to determine metastasis risk in men with localized prostate cancer (PCa). Whether GCs predict for the presence of occult metastatic disease at presentation or subsequent metastatic progression is unknown.

Objective: To determine if GC scores predict extraprostatic Ga prostate-specific membrane antigen (Ga-PSMA-11) positron emission tomography (PET) positivity at presentation.

Single-fraction brachytherapy as monotherapy for early-stage prostate cancer: The UCSF experience.

Purpose: High-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy as monotherapy is an effective treatment option for localized prostate cancer, but experience with single-fraction brachytherapy is limited by studies with small sample size. We report a large single-institution experience with single-fraction HDR brachytherapy as monotherapy for early-stage prostate cancer.

Methods And Materials: Retrospective chart review was performed for men treated with HDR brachytherapy as monotherapy for low- to intermediate-risk prostate cancer.

Radiation Therapy in HCC: What Data Exist and What Data Do We Need to Incorporate into Guidelines?

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a complex and diverse disease, with choice of treatment dependent on a patient's disease burden, location of disease, underlying liver function, and performance status. While radiation therapy (RT) was historically omitted from treatment algorithms, immense technological advances over the past several decades have enabled introduction of RT as an effective and safe treatment option for patients with HCC. Growing prospective and retrospective evidence supports the use of RT, particularly stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT), for a wide range of indications in HCC from locally advanced unresectable disease to bridge therapy for liver transplant candidates.

Organ-Specific Toxicities Due to Radiation Therapy in Cancer Patients With or Without HIV Infection: A Systematic Review of the Literature.

To synthesize published literature on the association between human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and radiation therapy (RT)-related toxicities. Two electronic databases, MEDLINE and Embase, were searched to identify studies published before November 2016 comparing RT-related toxicities between HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected patients receiving RT or chemoradiation therapy (CRT) for cancer. A qualitative synthesis of included articles and organ-specific toxicities was then performed.

In-field and abscopal response after short-course radiation therapy in patients with metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma progressing on PD-1 checkpoint blockade: a case series.

Background: Patients with metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma (mMCC) who experience disease progression on immunotherapy have limited additional standard options. Given evidence of synergism between radiation therapy (RT) and immunotherapy, two patients progressing on PD-1 inhibition were referred for short-course RT.

Case Presentation: Two patients were found to have progressive mMCC on PD-1 inhibitor therapy and were treated with single-fraction palliative RT.

Mortality risk after clinical management of recurrent and metastatic adenoid cystic carcinoma.

Background: Management of locoregional recurrence (LRR) and distant metastasis (DM) in adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) is guided by limited data. We investigated mortality risks in patients diagnosed and treated for recurrent ACC.

Methods: A retrospective review of ACC patients treated from 1989 to 2016 identified 36 patients with LRR or DM.

Major prognostic factors for recurrence and survival independent of the American Joint Committee on Cancer eighth edition staging system in patients with cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma treated with multimodality therapy.

Background: The purpose of this study was to assess changes resulting from the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) eighth edition for cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and evaluate pertinent excluded factors.

Methods: In 101 patients receiving surgery and postoperative radiation, recurrence and survival were estimated by cumulative incidence and Kaplan-Meier method. Time-to-event analysis was performed using Cox proportional hazards and Fine-Gray competing risks regression models.

Proton Therapy Reduces Normal Tissue Dose in Extended-Field Pelvic Radiation for Endometrial Cancer.

Purpose: We dosimetrically compared pencil beam scanning (PBS) proton therapy and intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) for pelvic and para-aortic lymph node disease in endometrial carcinoma and present acute toxicities associated with extended-field PBS.

Patients And Methods: Twenty-five patients with locally advanced endometrial malignancies were enrolled in an image-guided registry study. Seven of these patients were treated with PBS, and 18 patients were treated with IMRT.

Palliative Oncologic Care Curricula for Providers in Resource-Limited and Underserved Communities: a Systematic Review.

Familiarity with principles of palliative care, supportive care, and palliative oncological treatment is essential for providers caring for cancer patients, though this may be challenging in global communities where resources are limited. Herein, we describe the scope of literature on palliative oncological care curricula for providers in resource-limited settings. A systematic literature review was conducted using PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Med Ed Portal databases, and gray literature.

Cervical cancer control in HIV-infected women: Past, present and future.

Since the initial recognition of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in 1981, an increased burden of cervical cancer was identified among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive women. Introduction of antiretroviral therapy (ART) decreased risks of opportunistic infections and improved overall survival. HIV-infected women are living longer.

Bag and loop small bowel contouring strategies differentially estimate small bowel dose for post-hysterectomy women receiving pencil beam scanning proton therapy.

Background Small bowel (SB) dose-volume relationships established during initial computed tomography (CT) simulations may change throughout therapy due to organ displacement and motion. We investigated the impact of organ motion on SB dose-volume histograms (DVHs) in women with gynecologic malignancies treated with pencil beam scanning (PBS) proton therapy and compared PBS SB DVHs to intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). Material and methods Post-hysterectomy patients (n = 11) treated for gynecologic cancers were enrolled on an image-guided proton therapy protocol involving CT simulation with full (CTF) and empty (CTE) bladders and weekly/biweekly on-treatment scans.

Radiotherapeutic Management of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer in the Minimal Resource Setting.

Lung cancer is the most common cancer worldwide and the fifth most common cause of death globally. Its incidence continues to increase, especially within low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), which have limited capacity to address the growing need for treatment. The standard of care for lung cancer treatment often involves radiation therapy (RT), which plays an important therapeutic role in curative-intent treatment of early-stage to locally advanced disease, as well as in palliation.

Circulating Tumor Cells, DNA, and mRNA: Potential for Clinical Utility in Patients With Melanoma.

Unlabelled: : Circulating tumor cells (CTCs), circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), and messenger RNA (mRNA), collectively termed circulating tumor products (CTPs), represent areas of immense interest from scientists' and clinicians' perspectives. In melanoma, CTP analysis may have clinical utility in many areas, from screening and diagnosis to clinical decision-making aids, as surveillance biomarkers or sources of real-time genetic or molecular characterization. In addition, CTP analysis can be useful in the discovery of new biomarkers, patterns of treatment resistance, and mechanisms of metastasis development.

Survival Outcomes Improved in Contemporary Cohort of Patients With Pelvic or Abdominal Recurrence After Treatment for Stage I/II Endometrial Carcinoma.

Objectives: Pelvic and abdominal recurrences in stage I/II endometrial carcinoma are associated with poor outcomes, yet prognostic factors for survival after recurrence are not well described. Herein, we identify patients with pelvic or abdominal recurrence after surgery for stage I/II endometrial carcinoma and describe symptoms at presentation, prognostic factors, and salvage treatment toxicity.

Materials And Methods: This is a retrospective cohort of 20 consecutively treated patients with recurrence after treatment for stage I/II endometrial carcinoma followed by our Institution's Radiation Oncology Department from 1998 to 2015.

A novel approach for the detection and genetic analysis of live melanoma circulating tumor cells.

Background: Circulating tumor cell (CTC) detection and genetic analysis may complement currently available disease assessments in patients with melanoma to improve risk stratification and monitoring. We therefore sought to establish the feasibility of a telomerase-based assay for detecting and isolating live melanoma CTCs.

Methods: The telomerase-based CTC assay utilizes an adenoviral vector that, in the presence of elevated human telomerase activity, drives the amplification of green fluorescent protein.

A systematic review of radiotherapy capacity in low- and middle-income countries.

Objectives: The cancer burden in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) is substantial. The purpose of this study was to identify and describe country and region-specific patterns of radiotherapy (RT) facilities in LMIC.

Methods: A systematic review of the literature was undertaken.