Adenoviral-E2F-1 radiosensitizes p53wild-type and p53null human prostate cancer cells.

Purpose: E2F-1 is a transcription factor that enhances the radiosensitivity of various cell lines by inducing apoptosis. However, there are conflicting data concerning whether this enhancement is mediated via p53 dependent pathways. Additionally, the role of E2F-1 in the response of human prostate cancer to radiation has not been well characterized.

Does a delay in external beam radiation therapy after tissue diagnosis affect outcome for men with prostate carcinoma?

Background: Physicians involved in the care of men diagnosed with prostate carcinoma must assess the urgency of treatment. For those men who choose external beam radiation therapy (EBRT), the delay from the time of biopsy to treatment may be stressful. There are limited data on the consequences of radiation treatment delay.

Multiple branch retinal arteriolar occlusions associated with smallpox vaccination.

We describe a rare combination of multiple multiple branch retinal arteriolar occlusions (BRAO) and encephalopathy, which developed in an adult male 10 days after smallpox vaccination. A 53-year-old physician presented with sudden temporal visual field loss in the left eye. Ten days earlier he had received a smallpox vaccination.

Long-term androgen deprivation increases Grade 2 and higher late morbidity in prostate cancer patients treated with three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy.

Purpose: To determine whether the use of androgen deprivation (AD) increases late morbidity when combined with high-dose three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3D-CRT).

Methods And Materials: Between May 1989 and November 1998, 1,204 patients were treated for prostate cancer with 3D-CRT to a median dose of 74 Gy. Patients were evaluated every 3-6 months.

Expression of the epidermal growth factor receptor and Her-2 are predictors of favorable outcome and reduced complete response rates, respectively, in patients with muscle-invading bladder cancers treated by concurrent radiation and cisplatin-based chemotherapy: a report from the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group.

Purpose: Erb-1 (epidermal growth factor receptor, EGFR) and Erb-2 (Her-2) are two of the best characterized members in the EGFR pathway. In many tumor types, overexpression of these proteins is associated with enhanced malignant potential. Our objective in this study was to investigate the clinical relevance of EGFR and Her-2 expression in bladder cancer cases from four prospective Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) bladder preservation trials using cisplatin-containing chemoradiation (RTOG 8802, 8903, 9506, and 9706).

Preventing cervical cancer in low-resource settings: how far have we come and what does the future hold?

The Alliance for Cervical Cancer Prevention (ACCP) came together in 1999 to answer key research questions and to advocate for greater global and national interest in reducing the heavy burden of morbidity and mortality caused by this preventable disease. Visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA), visual inspection with Lugol's iodine (VILI), and human papillomavirus (HPV) tests have been shown to be viable alternatives to traditional cytology. ACCP experience confirmed that cryotherapy is a safe and effective method that is acceptable to women and can be delivered by a range of health providers, including nonphysicians.

Biochemical failure and the temporal kinetics of prostate-specific antigen after radiation therapy with androgen deprivation.

Purpose: The accuracy of the American Society of Therapeutic Radiation Oncology consensus definition of biochemical failure (BF) after radiation therapy (RT) and androgen deprivation (AD) has been questioned, because posttreatment prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels typically rise after release from AD, and misclassification of BF may be made. The temporal kinetics of posttreatment PSA levels was examined to define the error in the classification of BF.

Methods And Materials: Between December 1, 1991 and April 30, 1998, 688 men with T1c-T3 NX/0 M0 prostate cancer received three-dimensional conformal RT alone (n = 586) or in combination with either short-term (STAD: 3 to 12 months, n = 82) or long-term (LTAD: 12 to 36 months, n = 20) AD.

The diagnostic accuracy of MRI versus CT imaging for osteoid osteoma in children.

Unlabelled: Advanced imaging often is obtained in children suspected of having osteoid osteoma. We hypothesized that magnetic resonance imaging gives a falsely aggressive appearance and that computed tomography is better for identifying osteoid osteoma. This is the first prospective blinded study comparatively assessing these imaging studies in children.

Results of a multicenter clinical trial to evaluate the preferential hyperacuity perimeter for detection of age-related macular degeneration.

Purpose: To compare the preferential hyperacuity perimeter (PHP) with an Amsler grid in detection of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Methods: Patients underwent refraction, visual acuity examination, PHP, Amsler grid examination, and macular photography.

Results: One hundred fifty patients participated in the trial.

Laser in situ keratomileusis for correction of myopia in eyes after retinal detachment surgery.

Purpose: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) for correction of myopia in eyes with previous retinal detachment surgery.

Methods: A retrospective review was conducted of all consecutive eyes that underwent LASIK after retinal detachment surgery. Data was collected regarding previous ocular surgery and its time prior to LASIK, intra- and postoperative complications, and visual outcome measures pre- and postoperatively.

Does prenatal diagnosis influence the morbidity associated with left in situ nonfunctioning or poorly functioning renal moiety after endoscopic puncture of ureterocele?

Purpose: We compared long-term morbidity associated with left in situ nonfunctioning or poorly functioning renal moiety of a duplex system in children with prenatal vs postnatal diagnosis of ureterocele who underwent endoscopic puncture.

Materials And Methods: A total of 48 children underwent primary endoscopic puncture of duplex system ureterocele. Of the cases 35 (73%) were diagnosed prenatally (group 1) and 13 (27%) postnatally (group 2).

What pretreatment prostate-specific antigen level warrants long-term androgen deprivation?

Purpose: Several large randomized prospective studies have demonstrated a survival benefit with the addition of long-term androgen deprivation to definitive radiotherapy for patients with Gleason score 8-10 or T3-T4 prostate cancer. However, these studies were performed before the routine use of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) measurement. The purpose of this study was to determine what pretreatment (initial) PSA (iPSA) level, if any, warrants the addition of long-term androgen deprivation in the PSA era.

Stereotactic IMRT for prostate cancer: dosimetric impact of multileaf collimator leaf width in the treatment of prostate cancer with IMRT.

The focus of this work is the dosimetric impact of multileaf collimator (MLC) leaf width on the treatment of prostate cancer with intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). Ten patients with prostate cancer were planned for IMRT delivery using two different MLC leaf widths--4mm and 10mm--representing the Radionics micro-multileaf collimator (mMLC) and Siemens MLC, respectively. Treatment planning was performed on the XKnifeRT2 treatment-planning system (Radionics, Burlington, MA).

Role of prostate dose escalation in patients with greater than 15% risk of pelvic lymph node involvement.

Purpose: To determine whether the radiation dose is a determinant of clinical outcome in patients with a lymph node risk of >15% treated using whole pelvic (WP), partial pelvic (PP), or prostate only (PO) fields.

Methods And Materials: A total of 420 patients with prostate cancer treated with three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy with or without short-term androgen deprivation (STAD) between June 1989 and July 2000 were included in this study. Patients had an initial pretreatment prostate-specific antigen level of <100 ng/mL and a lymph node index of > or =15% or T2c tumors with a Gleason score of 6-10.

Role of NMDA and AMPA glutamate receptors in the induction and the expression of dopamine-mediated sensitization in 6-hydroxydopamine-lesioned rats.

Rats with unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) lesions exhibit behavioral sensitization following repeated treatment with dopamine agonists, a phenomenon called "priming." Priming has two distinct phases: induction and expression. Priming induction using three injections with D1/D2 agonist apomorphine (0.

Special report: Noninvasive multi-parameter functional optical imaging of the eye.

Advancement in the treatment of blindness depends on the development of new technologies that enable early detection, follow-up, and treatment of disease. The authors describe direct, noninvasive imaging of four parameters: blood flow, blood oximetry, metabolic state, and hidden vasculature, particularly capillaries. These are functional parameters of the retina known to be degraded by retinal disease.

Bladder cancer. Clinical practice guidelines in oncology.

Urothelial tumors represent a spectrum of diseases with a range of prognosis. After a diagnosis is established at any point within the urothelial tract, the patient remains at risk for developing a new lesion at a different or the same location and at a similar or more advanced stage. Continued monitoring for recurrence is an essential part of management, because most recurrences are superficial and can be managed endoscopically.

Dosimetric evaluation of MRI-based treatment planning for prostate cancer.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the dosimetric accuracy of MRI-based treatment planning for prostate cancer using a commercial radiotherapy treatment planning system. Three-dimensional conformal plans for 15 prostate patients were generated using the AcQPlan system. For each patient, dose distributions were calculated using patient CT data with and without heterogeneity correction, and using patient MRI data without heterogeneity correction.