Electrochemotherapy pre-treatment in primary squamous vulvar cancer. Our preliminary experience.

Background And Objectives: Previous studies showed a local tumor control of 80% in patients with relapsed squamous cell vulvar cancer (V-SCC) treated with electrochemotherapy. These results encouraged electrochemotherapy use as neo-adjuvant treatment in V-SCC. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of electrochemotherapy in reducing tumor burden in V-SCC.

Definition of fields margins for palliative radiotherapy of pancreatic carcinoma.

The present study aimed to provide practical guidelines for palliative treatment of advanced carcinoma of the pancreas (CAP) with the 2D technique. Fifteen patients with locally advanced CAP consecutively treated with radiation therapy at the Radiation Oncology Center, Research and Care Foundation 'Giovanni Paolo II' (Campobasso, Italy) underwent computed tomography simulation in supine position. Definition of the clinical target volume (CTV) included the head and body of the pancreas, and the retropancreatic space.

Treatment planning for spinal radiosurgery : A competitive multiplatform benchmark challenge.

Purpose: To investigate the quality of treatment plans of spinal radiosurgery derived from different planning and delivery systems. The comparisons include robotic delivery and intensity modulated arc therapy (IMAT) approaches. Multiple centers with equal systems were used to reduce a bias based on individual's planning abilities.

Time to surgery and pathologic complete response after neoadjuvant chemoradiation in rectal cancer: A population study on 2094 patients.

Background: To retrospectively evaluate the difference in terms of pathologic complete response (pCR) according to time elapsed between chemoradiation (CRT) and total mesorectal excision (TME) on a large unselected real-life dataset of locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) patients.

Methods: A multicentre retrospective cohort study of LARC patients from 21 Italian Radiotherapy Institutions was performed. Patients were stratified into 3 different time intervals from CRT.

The Role of Radiotherapy in Extramammary Paget Disease: A Systematic Review.

Objective/purpose: Extramammary Paget disease (EMPD) is a rare neoplasm of the skin generally affecting the anogenital area. Because of the low-frequency of the disease, no specific guidelines about the treatment strategy are available. Surgery is the recommended therapy for resectable and localized disease, but several other local treatments have been reported such as radiotherapy (RT).

Postoperative Hypofractionated Radiation Therapy in Prostate Carcinoma: A Systematic Review.

Background/aim: A systematic review on toxicity, local control (LC), overall survival (OS), and biochemical relapse-free survival (bRFS) after postoperative hypofractionated radiotherapy (HFRT) on prostate cancer (PCa) was performed.

Materials And Methods: Based on the PRISMA methodology, studies reporting clinical results after adjuvant or salvage HFRT were included.

Results: A total of 1,208 patients from 17 eligible studies were included.

Short course accelerated radiation therapy (SHARON) in palliative treatment of advanced solid cancer in older patients: A pooled analysis.

Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of a conformal Short Course Accelerated Radiation therapy (SHARON) for symptomatic palliation of locally advanced or metastatic cancers in older patients.

Materials And Methods: This is a pooled analysis on patients aged ≥80 years selected between subjects enrolled in 3 phase I-II studies on a short course palliative treatment of advanced or metastatic cancer. The primary endpoint was to evaluate the symptoms response rate produced by accelerated radiotherapy delivered in 4 total fractions in twice a day.

Prognostic Impact of Pretreatment Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography SUVmax in Patients With Locally Advanced Cervical Cancer.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of SUVmax fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG-PET/CT) measured in the primary tumor, pelvic and para-aortic node with disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) in patients with locally advanced cervical cancer.

Methods And Materials: A total of 92 patients with histological diagnosis of locally advanced cervical cancer are treated with radiochemotherapy plus brachytherapy boost from January 2008 to April 2014 in our Institution. A pretreatment FDG-PET/CT for staging and radiotherapy planning was performed, and the value of SUVmax measured in primary tumor and positive nodes was related to DFS and OS.

Radiological differential diagnosis between fibrosis and recurrence after stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) in early stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Background: Parenchymal changes after stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) make differential diagnosis between treatment outcomes and disease recurrence often difficult. The purpose of our study was to identify the radiographic features detectable at computed tomography (CT) scan [high-risk features (HRFs)] that allow enough specificity and sensitivity for early detection of recurrence.

Methods: We retrospectively evaluated patients who underwent SBRT for inoperable early stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Pathological and molecular diagnosis of bilateral inguinal lymph nodes metastases from low-grade endometrial adenocarcinoma: a case report with review of the literature.

Background: Extra-abdominal metastases in low grade endometrial carcinoma are rare events. Inguinal lymphatic spread occurs usually in advanced disease and is associated with abdominal lymph nodes involvement. To our knowledge, isolated inguinal lymph node metastases in patients with early endometrial carcinoma have never been described thus far.

Resistant hypertension: Renal denervation or intensified medical treatment?

Resistant hypertension (RH) can be diagnosed if blood pressure (BP) is not controlled with the combination of three antihypertensive drugs, including a diuretic, all at effective doses. Patients affected by this condition exhibit a marked increase in the risk of cardiovascular and renal morbid and fatal events. They also exhibit an increased activity of the sympathetic nervous system which is likely to importantly contribute at the renal and other vascular levels to the hypertensive state.

F-FDG Pet-Guided External Beam Radiotherapy in Iodine-Refractory Differentiated Thyroid Cancer: A Pilot Study.

Introduction: To evaluate the clinical response rate after a postoperative F-FDG PET/CT guided external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) in Iodine-refractory differentiated thyroid cancer.

Material And Methods: Patients with thyroid cancer locally recurrent after total thyroidectomy plus metabolic radiotherapy and treated with radical EBRT were included. Inclusion criteria were detectable thyroglobulin (Tg), negative postmetabolic radiotherapy whole body scintigraphy, and no surgical indications.

Optimal beam margins in linac-based VMAT stereotactic ablative body radiotherapy: a Pareto front analysis for liver metastases.

We explored the Pareto fronts mathematical strategy to determine the optimal block margin and prescription isodose for stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) treatments of liver metastases using the volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT) technique. Three targets (planning target volumes [PTVs] = 20, 55, and 101 cc) were selected. A single fraction dose of 26 Gy was prescribed (prescription dose [PD]).

F-Fdg-PET-guided Planning and Re-Planning (Adaptive) Radiotherapy in Head and Neck Cancer: Current State of Art.

Background/aim: A review of the literature is proposed as a contribution to current knowledge on technical, physical, and clinical issues about PET-guided planning and re-planning radiotherapy (RT) in head and neck cancer.

Materials And Methods: PubMed and Scopus electronic databases were searched for articles including clinical trials. Search terms were "gross tumor volume (GTV) delineation", "head and neck cancer", "radiotherapy", "adaptive radiotherapy" in combination with "PET".

Aldosterone-to-renin ratio depends on age and sex in children attending a clinic for cardiovascular risk assessment.

Objective: To determine plasma aldosterone concentration (PAC) and plasma renin concentration (PRC) and aldosterone-to-renin ratio (ARR) values in a population attending a Clinic for Cardiovascular Risk Assessment in Children.

Methods: We assessed ARR and associated factors in a cohort of 287 children (137 female, 4-18 years). Weight and blood pressure (BP) were recorded.

Hypofractionated Postoperative IMRT in Prostate Carcinoma: A Phase I/II Study.

Aim: To report the outcome of hypofractionated radiotherapy after radical prostatectomy (RP) for prostate cancer (PCa) using simultaneous integrated boost-intensity modulated radiation therapy (SIB-IMRT).

Patients And Methods: A total of 124 patients with PCa at high risk of relapse after RP or diagnosis of biochemical relapse were included. Patients received 62.

Unusual case of spindle cell sarcoma metastases to right ventricle: a case report and a literature review.

Cardiac metastases from sarcoma are uncommon. Due to their rarity there is not a standard of care. However, complete cardiac metastases resection is the best option but most of patients has widespread disease.

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.

Volumetric modulated arc therapy for treatment of solid tumors: current insights.

Aim: This article discusses the current use of volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) techniques in clinical practice and reviews the available data from clinical outcome studies in different clinical settings. An overview of available literature about clinical outcomes with VMAT stereotactic/radiosurgical treatment is also reported.

Materials And Methods: All published manuscripts reporting the use of VMAT in a clinical setting from 2009 to November 2016 were identified.

Nocturnal Blood Pressure Dipping is Abolished in Old-Elderly Hospitalized Patients.

Introduction: During sleep there is reduction of blood pressure (BP) caused by a decrease of the sympathetic nervous tone. This nocturnal "dipping" phenomenon, assessable with ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM), is blunted with increasing age.

Aim: To assess the effect of hospitalization on night-time BP fall in old-elderly patients.

INTERACTS (INTErventional Radiotherapy ACtive Teaching School) guidelines for quality assurance in choroidal melanoma interventional radiotherapy (brachytherapy) procedures.

Eye plaque brachytherapy represents a safe and effective therapeutic approach for choroidal melanoma, combining clinical outcomes with an eye and visual preservation. As it represents a complex procedure, a specific quality assurance program is strongly suggested to improve patients and operators safety, and to reduce possible complications linked to surgical procedure and radiation exposure. The aim of this paper is to describe the INTERACTS (Interventional Radiotherapy Active Teaching School) guidelines for quality assurance in choroidal melanoma interventional radiotherapy (brachytherapy) used in our institution.

Adjuvant radiotherapy with brachytherapy boost in soft tissue sarcomas.

Purpose: The standard primary treatment for soft tissue sarcoma (STS) is a wide surgical resection, preceded or followed by radiotherapy. Purpose of this retrospective study was to assess the efficacy of perioperative brachytherapy (BRT) plus postoperative external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) in patients with intermediate-high risk STS.

Material And Methods: BRT delivered dose was 20 Gy.

MMP-7 is a predictive biomarker of disease progression in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive interstitial lung disease with poor prognosis, which is characterised by destruction of normal lung architecture and excessive deposition of lung extracellular matrix. The heterogeneity of disease progression in patients with IPF poses significant obstacles to patient care and prevents efficient development of novel therapeutic interventions. Blood biomarkers, reflecting pathobiological processes in the lung, could provide objective evidence of the underlying disease.