Preoperative CT for postoperative radiotherapy planning in breast cancer.

Introduction: The exact location of the original tumor should be known for a targeted increase in the dose to the tumor bed after breast cancer surgery. Therefore, at our site, we perform CT examinations of patients in the radiation position before breast cancer surgery.

Methods: Preoperative native CT scans were performed in the patients in the planning position for radiotherapy; these data were fused with standard planning CT for boost irradiation.

Image-guided radiation therapy produces lower acute and chronic gastrointestinal and genitourinary toxicity in prostate cancer patients.

Purpose: This paper compares individual radiation therapy techniques used for prostate cancer and their benefits in clinical practice.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 921 patients with localized prostate tumors treated between 1997 and 2012. We divided the patients into four groups according to the selected treatment technique (conformal radiation therapy [3DCRT], intensity-modulated radiation therapy [IMRT], image-guided radiation therapy [IGRT], and volumetric-modulated arc therapy [VMAT]) and evaluated the incidence of acute and chronic gastrointestinal (GI) and genitourinary (GU) toxicity.

Deep-inspiration breath hold radiotherapy in patients with left-sided breast cancer after partial mastectomy.

The purpose of this study was to compare the radiation dose to organs at risk for deep-inspiration breath hold (DIBH) and free-breathing (FB) radiotherapy in patients with lef-sided breast cancer undergoing adjuvant radiotherapy after partial mastectomy.  Methods: One hundred patients with left-sided breast cancer underwent DIBH and FB planning computed tomography scans, and the 2 techniques were compared. Dose-volume histograms were analyzed for heart, left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD), and left lung.

Impact of Hormone Receptor Status on the Behaviour of HER2+ Breast Cancer.

Background/aim: The study aimed to evaluate differences in the overall survival of HER2+ breast cancer patients treated with regard to their hormone receptors negativity or positivity. We evaluated a cohort of patients treated with trastuzumab in the Czech Republic.

Patients And Methods: The present study is a retrospective analysis of patients whose data were recorded in a nationwide non-interventional, post-authorisation database BREAST.

Long-Term Clinical Results of IGRT in Prostate Cancer Treatment.

Background: The combination of intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and image guided radiotherapy (IGRT) plays a significant role in sparing normal tissue during prostate cancer treatment. We report the clinical outcomes of 260 patients treated with high-dose IGRT as well as the toxicity of high-dose IGRT in these patients.

Materials And Methods: From September 2008 to February 2012, 260 men with clinically localized prostate cancer underwent radical radiotherapy.

Therapeutic significance of hormone receptor positivity in patients with HER-2 positive breast cancer.

Breast cancer with high expression of human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER)-2 represents a biologically and clinically heterogeneous group of neoplastic disorders. Importantly, hormone receptor expression has an effect on biological properties and affects the selection of therapies. On the basis of molecular genetics, four principal subtypes, including luminal A, luminal B, HER2-enriched (HER-2-E), and basal-like can be distinguished.

Giant locally advanced and metastatic squamous cell skin carcinoma of head and neck region: case report.

Introduction: At the present time, the skin tumors are among the most common cancers. Optimal therapy is based on the extent of the disease and the age of the patient. The need for radiotherapy occurs for inoperable locally advanced tumors and in the event of failure, salvage surgery is applied.

Audio-visual navigation reduces treatment time in deep-inspiration breath hold radiotherapy.

Aims: The purpose of this study was to compare the treatment times for deep-inspiration breath hold with and without audio-visual (A-V) navigation.

Methods: We measured the real treatment time in 60 patients with breast cancer undergoing postoperative radiotherapy. Thirty consecutive patients were treated without deep-inspiration breath hold (DIBH) and another 30 patients using deep-inspiration breath hold (10 patients with DIBH only, 10 patients with DIBH using visual feedback and 10 patients with DIBH using visual feedback following breath training).

Is There a Benefit of HER2-Positive Breast Cancer Subtype Determination in Clinical Practice?

Background: Breast cancer (BC) with increased expression of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 with tyrosine kinase activity (HER2+) is a clinically and bio-logically heterogeneous dis-ease. In terms of gene expression, there are four major molecular subtypes - Luminal A, Luminal B, HER2-enriched (HER2-E), and Basal-like. The most common subtype is HER2-E (50- 60%).

Tumor bed radiotherapy in women following breast conserving surgery for breast cancer-safety margin with/without image guidance.

Image guided radiation therapy (IGRT) enables the achievement of higher precision in radiation delivery, a reduction in safety margins and a reduced risk of toxicity in healthy tissues. The present study investigated the magnitude of safety margins for the radiation boost setup on skin marks or metal clips implanted into the tumor bed during breast cancer surgery. One hundred eighty-four patients after breast conserving surgery with implanted metal clips into tumor bed were analyzed.

Metastatic carcinoma of breast or a chordoma? A case report and clinical perspectives.

We present a case of chordoma in a patient who had been previously treated for ductal carcinoma of the breast. The initial clinical findings and radiological studies suggested a possibility of metastases. However, the findings also adhered to the classical presentations and findings of the chordoma of the base of skull.

Interfraction variation in prostate cancer - analysis of 11726 cone-beam CT.

Purpose: To investigate the setup margins in prostate cancer treatment without using daily online repositioning methods.

Methods: We analysed the data from patients treated with curative-intend radiotherapy. Each patient underwent a series of pretreatment online localizations during daily setup using conebeam CT.

Comparing morbidity and cancer control after 3D-conformal (70/74 Gy) and intensity modulated radiotherapy (78/82 Gy) for prostate cancer.

Purpose: The purpose of this work was to compare toxicity and cancer control between patients with prostate cancer treated using three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT) and those treated using intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT).

Methods And Materials: A total of 553 patients with prostate cancer were treated with 3D-CRT 70-74 Gy (3D-CRT 70, 3D-CRT 74) or IMRT 78-82 Gy (IMRT 78, IMRT/SIB 82). Late toxicity was scored according to FC-RTOG/LENT criteria.

Radiotherapy equipment and departments in the European countries: final results from the ESTRO-HERO survey.

Background: Documenting the distribution of radiotherapy departments and the availability of radiotherapy equipment in the European countries is an important part of HERO - the ESTRO Health Economics in Radiation Oncology project. HERO has the overall aim to develop a knowledge base of the provision of radiotherapy in Europe and build a model for health economic evaluation of radiation treatments at the European level. The aim of the current report is to describe the distribution of radiotherapy equipment in European countries.

Searching for an appropriate image-guided radiotherapy method in prostate cancer--implications for safety margin.

Aims And Background: The aim of the study was to compare the safety margin width using skin marks, pelvic skeleton-based targeting and adaptive protocol combining cone-beam computed tomography and kilovoltage image matching.

Methods: A total of 434 consecutive patients were treated by image-guided radiotherapy from November 2008 to April 2012. An adaptive protocol combining cone-beam computed tomography and kilovoltage image matching with individualized safety margin calculation according to the Van Herk method was used in a total of 201 patients.

Experience with intensity-modulated radiotherapy in the treatment of head and neck cancer.

Purpose: Studies using intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) in the treatment of head and neck tumors have shown to decrease acute and late radiation toxicity. However, the high conformity of this technique can increase the risk of recurrence due to geographic miss. The aim of this study was to analyze whether the results of IMRT met the theoretical expectations concerning treatment efficacy.

Neoadjuvant hormonal therapy in prostate cancer - impact of PSA level before radiotherapy.

Purpose: To retrospectively investigate the impact of prostate specific antigen (PSA) level after neoadjuvant androgen- deprivation therapy (ADT) on biochemical relapse-free survival in patients with prostate cancer who received radical radiotherapy (RT).

Methods: Between March 2003 and March 2008, 128 men with localized prostate cancer underwent neoadjuvant ADT for 4-6 months followed by radical RT. Biochemical relapse-free survival was compared between patients with pre-RT PSA ≤ 0.

[Five-year results of IMRT for prostate cancer - tumor control].

Background: Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) is the method of choice in external-beam radiotherapy tolocalized prostate cancer. This work analyses five year results of IMRT with a dose of 78/82 Gy.

Patients And Methods: From June 2003 to December 2007, the IMRT technique was employed to treat 233 patients with T1-3 N0 M0 prostate cancer.

[Five-year results of IMRT for prostate cancer - toxicity].

Background: Intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) plays a crucial role in the treatment of prostate cancer thanks to its capacity for healthy tissue sparing. This work reports on the acute and late toxicity rates among 233 patients treated with high-dose IMRT.

Material And Methods: From June 2003 to December 2007, 233 men with clinically localized prostate cancer underwent radical radiotherapy.

Prognostic significance of human papillomavirus (HPV) status and expression of selected markers (HER2/neu, EGFR, VEGF, CD34, p63, p53 and Ki67/MIB-1) on outcome after (chemo-) radiotherapy in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of uterine cervix.

The aim of the retrospective study was to evaluate prognostic significance of human papillomavirus (HPV) status and expression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), human epidermal growth factor receptor type 2 (HER2/neu), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), CD34 antigen, tumor suppressors p63 and p53, and Ki67/MIB-1 in squamous cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix (SCCC) treated with radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy. Seventy-two consecutive patients with SCCC, diagnosed and treated with (chemo-) radiotherapy with a curative intent at the University Hospital Hradec Kralove between August 1998 and August 2008, were enrolled in the study. The median follow-up period was 57 months (range 5-152).

Statistical analysis of dose-volume profiles and its implication for radiation therapy planning in prostate carcinoma.

Purpose: The study aimed to analyze the dose-volume profiles of 3-dimensional radiation therapy (3D-CRT) and intensity modulated RT (IMRT) in the treatment of prostate carcinoma and to specify the profiles responsible for the development of gastrointestinal (GI) toxicity.

Methods And Materials: In the period 1997 to 2007, 483 patients with prostate carcinoma in stage T1-3 N0 (pN0) M0 were treated with definitive RT. Two groups of patients were defined for the analysis: the 3D-CRT group (n=305 patients) and the IMRT group (n=178 patients).

[3D MRI-based brachytherapy in patients with locally advanced cervical carcinoma - early clinical results].

Objective: To demonstrate the clinical benefit of MRI-based brachytherapy using CT and MRI data fusion.

Design: Clinical trial.

Setting: Oncology Centre, Multiscan and Pardubice Regional Hospital, Pardubice.

Definitive radiochemotherapy with weekly cisplatin in patients with head and neck cancer; single institution outcome analysis.

Purpose: The objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility, toxicity and efficacy of definitive radiochemotherapy with weekly cisplatin in head and neck cancer in a single institutional setting.

Methods: Previously untreated patients with stage II-IV head and neck cancer were included. Radiotherapy consisted of 70 Gy/7 weeks/35 fractions.

PET/CT significance for planning radiotherapy of head and neck cancer.

The combination of positron emission tomography and computed tomography (PET/CT) offers metabolic mapping in addition to anatomic information of the primary lesion, nodal and distant metastases in patients with head and neck tumors, and may be therefore beneficial for radiotherapy planning. The aim of our study was to evaluate benefits of combined PET and CT imaging for staging and target volume delineation in this group of patients.Fifty three patients (40 men and 13 women) with confirmed advanced, inoperable or non-radically operated head and neck cancer were assessed based on the results of PET/CT as well as standard diagnostic examinations.

Perioperative interstitial CT-based brachytherapy boost in breast cancer patients with breast conservation after neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Intraoperative placement of catheters in the tumor bed during breast-conserving surgery (BCS) enables postponed targeted boost irradiation in high risk breast cancer patients. Twenty-three patients with high risk breast cancer underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy and multifractionated perioperative brachytherapy as a boost to the tumor bed using three-dimensional (3D) CT-based planning. Plastic catheters for brachytherapy were implanted during surgery and targeted irradiation was delivered in the course of 2-3 weeks.