Development and clinical implementation of a digital workflow utilizing 3D-printed oral stents for patients with head and neck cancer receiving radiotherapy.

Objectives: We describe the development of 3D-printed stents using our digital workflow and their effects on patients enrolled in the lead-in phase of a multi-center, randomized Phase-II trial.

Materials And Methods: Digital dental models were created for patients using intraoral scanning. Digital processes were implemented to develop the mouth-opening, tongue-depressing, and tongue-lateralizing stents using stereolithography.

Enhancement Pattern Mapping for Early Detection of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Patients with Cirrhosis.

Background And Aims: Limited methods exist to accurately characterize the risk of malignant progression of liver lesions. Enhancement pattern mapping (EPM) measures voxel-based root mean square deviation (RMSD) of parenchyma and the contrast-to-noise (CNR) ratio enhances in malignant lesions. This study investigates the utilization of EPM to differentiate between HCC versus cirrhotic parenchyma with and without benign lesions.

What Role Does Radiotherapy Play in the Molecular Era for Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma?

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma is a rare disease, yet with rising incidence globally. Most patients are not eligible for potentially curative surgical resection, and many patients with unresectable disease die within 12 months of diagnosis, primarily due to liver failure from the primary tumor. Recent prospective and retrospective studies indicate that local control of the primary tumor can be achieved with hypofractionated radiotherapy in patients with unresectable disease, translating into prolonged survival of these patients.

A prospective parallel design study testing non-inferiority of customized oral stents made using 3D printing or manually fabricated methods.

Background And Purpose: Customized mouth-opening-tongue-depressing-stents (MOTDs) may reduce toxicity in patients with head and neck cancers (HNC) receiving radiotherapy (RT). However, making MOTDs requires substantial resources, which limits their utilization. Previously, we described a workflow for fabricating customized 3D-printed MOTDs.