The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic and Lockdown on the Outcome of Glioblastoma.

Background:  Rapid spread of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in 2020 led to an indirect effect on non-COVID patients. Since neuro-oncology cases are unique and brain tumors need a specific therapeutic protocol at proper doses and at the right times, the effects of the pandemic on health care services for patients with glioblastomas (GBs) and their impact on overall survival (OS) and quality of life are not yet known.

Methods:  We conducted a retrospective study of 142 GB patients who underwent surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy before and after the lockdown period, aiming to determine the differences in access to care, treatment modality, and adjuvant therapies, and how the lockdown changed the prognosis.

Long-term treatment outcomes of temozolomide-based chemoradiation in patients with adult-type diffuse IDH-mutant grade 2 astrocytoma.

Purpose: To report the long-term outcomes in adult patients with grade 2 IDH-mutant astrocytoma treated with temozolomide (TMZ)-based chemoradiation.

Methods: One hundred and three patients with histologically proven grade 2 astrocytoma received radiation therapy (RT), 50.4-54 Gy in 1.

The evolving role of reirradiation in the management of recurrent brain tumors.

Despite aggressive management consisting of surgery, radiation therapy (RT), and systemic therapy given alone or in combination, a significant proportion of patients with brain tumors will experience tumor recurrence. For these patients, no standard of care exists and management of either primary or metastatic recurrent tumors remains challenging.Advances in imaging and RT technology have enabled more precise tumor localization and dose delivery, leading to a reduction in the volume of health brain tissue exposed to high radiation doses.

Clinical Efficacy of Adjuvant Radiotherapy for World Health Organization Grade II Intracranial Meningioma.

Background: Maximal surgical resection remains the treatment of choice for grade II meningiomas, and for some authors it is sufficient to guarantee a long indolent course even without postsurgical radiotherapy (RT), but there is no consensus on the use of RT in this patient population.

Methods: We retrospectively compared clinical and radiologic outcomes between World Health Organization grade I (group A) and grade II (group B) surgically treated meningiomas, focusing on the role of adjuvant RT. We registered clinical, surgical, and radiologic data to detect differences in survival and functional outcome between the 2 groups.

Relationship between Salivary Amylase and Xerostomia in Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy for Head and Neck Cancer: A Prospective Pilot Study.

Purpose: A single-institution prospective pilot study was conducted to the assess correlation between salivary amylase and xerostomia in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) treated with intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT).

Methods And Materials: Serum saliva amylase, clinician-reported xerostomia (using Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events), and patient-reported xerostomia (using 8-item self-reported xerostomia-specific questionnaire) were prospectively collected at baseline, during treatment and thereafter. Correlations between variables were assessed by correlation matrices.

The INCH Trial - Induction Chemotherapy in Patients With Bulky Anal Canal Cancer: Evaluation of the Pilot Phase.

Aim: To assess feasibility, complications and efficacy of induction chemotherapy followed by standard chemoradiotherapy in patients with bulky anal canal cancer.

Patients And Methods: Patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the anal canal, staged bulky tumor with or without nodal involvement were prospectively enrolled. Before standard chemoradiotherapy, patients received induction chemotherapy with 3 cycles of 75 mg/m cisplatin and 750 mg/m 5-fluorouracil.