Anterior plaque brachytherapy placement for treatment of iris and iridociliary melanomas - Surgical procedure and institutional experience.

Surgical placement of eye plaque brachytherapy (EPB) is the standard of care for the treatment of uveal melanomas, including iris/iridociliary melanomas. However, unique challenges exist in anterior EPB placement. Here, we describe a surgical technique for anterior EPB placement when placement requires plaque positioning onto the cornea.

Outpatient ocular brachytherapy: The USC Experience.

Purpose: Ocular brachytherapy is a standard-of-care surgical procedure for globe salvage in the treatment of uveal melanoma. The procedure involves the placement and subsequent removal of a radioactive plaque several days later. At many locations, patients are admitted on an inpatient basis until plaque removal due to radiation safety concerns.

Residency Match Trends, Racial Disparity, and Matching Amid a Pandemic.

Purpose: Radiation oncology has been facing an evolving crisis in recruitment for several years, and the events of 2020 to 2021 will certainly add to that crisis with the urgency of addressing systemic racial injustice amid a global pandemic. The purpose of this study is to examine applicant data to gain insight on residency match trends and evaluate these findings within the backdrop of a novel match year.

Methods And Materials: National Residency Matching Program (NRMP) data between 2009 and 2020 were assessed for the number of applicants, programs, and positions available, number of ranked applicants needed to fill positions, and successfully matched applicant data.

Quantifying Subclinical and Longitudinal Microvascular Changes Following Episcleral Plaque Brachytherapy Using Spectral Domain-Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography.

Purpose: To assess longitudinal microvascular changes in eyes treated with I-125 episcleral plaque brachytherapy (EPB).

Methods: High resolution OCT angiograms of the central 3×3mm macula were obtained from I-125 episcleral plaque brachytherapy treated and untreated fellow eyes of 61 patients. Capillary density (vessel skeleton density, VSD) and caliber (vessel diameter index, VDI) were quantified using previously validated semi-automated algorithms.

Accreditation Program for Excellence (APEx): A Catalyst for Quality Improvement.

Purpose: In 2014 the American Society for Radiation Oncology's Accreditation Program for Excellence (APEx) was created in response to the Target Safely campaign. APEx is a powerful tool to measure and drive quality improvement in radiation oncology practices.

Methods And Materials: A task group from the American Society for Radiation Oncology's Practice Accreditation Committee was formed to provide an overview of the APEx accreditation program including analysis from specific program data.