Tumor Volume as Predictor of Pathologic Complete Response Following Neoadjuvant Chemoradiation in Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer.

Purpose: Neoadjuvant chemoradiation followed by surgery is the current standard of care in the treatment of locally advanced rectal cancer. Those who achieved pathologic complete response, following this standard of care, complete pathologic response (pCR) had better outcome. Until now there are no reliable clinical parameters to predict this response.

The Older Adults With Rectal Cancer-Does Age Matter?: A Single-center Experience.

Objectives: Oncological treatments of older patients have many unresolved questions mainly because of the fact that these patients were not eligible to be included in most clinical trials. The aim of this study was to evaluate the treatment approach to localized rectal cancer in the older population, including complication rates and overall survival in patients treated with curative intent.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective review of patients older than 80 years old (group A) who were treated for clinical stages II to III rectal cancer.

The Role of Radiotherapy in Resected R0/R+ Pancreatic Cancer: A Real-Life Single-Institution Experience.

Purpose/objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the role of external radiation therapy following resection of pancreatic cancer.

Patients And Methods: Patients who underwent either Whipple procedure or distal pancreatectomy and treated with either chemo-radiotherapy (chemo-rad) or chemotherapy alone (R0 chemo) were enrolled in this study. The chemotherapy (chemo) was based on cisplatin and either gemcitabine or 5 FU/leukovorin.

ARTS mediates apoptosis and regeneration of the intestinal stem cell niche.

Stem cells (SCs) play a pivotal role in fueling homeostasis and regeneration. While much focus has been given to self-renewal and differentiation pathways regulating SC fate, little is known regarding the specific mechanisms utilized for their elimination. Here, we report that the pro-apoptotic protein ARTS (a Septin4 isoform) is highly expressed in cells comprising the intestinal SC niche and that its deletion protects Lgr5 and Paneth cells from undergoing apoptotic cell death.

Short Androgen Suppression and Radiation Dose Escalation for Intermediate- and High-Risk Localized Prostate Cancer: Results of EORTC Trial 22991.

Purpose: Up to 30% of patients who undergo radiation for intermediate- or high-risk localized prostate cancer relapse biochemically within 5 years. We assessed if biochemical disease-free survival (DFS) is improved by adding 6 months of androgen suppression (AS; two injections of every-3-months depot of luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone agonist) to primary radiotherapy (RT) for intermediate- or high-risk localized prostate cancer.

Patients And Methods: A total of 819 patients staged: (1) cT1b-c, with prostate-specific antigen (PSA) ≥ 10 ng/mL or Gleason ≥ 7, or (2) cT2a (International Union Against Cancer TNM 1997), with no involvement of pelvic lymph nodes and no clinical evidence of metastatic spread, with PSA ≤ 50 ng/mL, were centrally randomized 1:1 to either RT or RT plus AS started on day 1 of RT.

Short-term complications of intra-operative radiotherapy for early breast cancer.

Introduction: IORT is becoming an accepted radiotherapy technique for treatment of early breast cancer. Data regarding the early complications of breast IORT are lacking.

Objectives: Assess the nature and risk factors for early complications of breast conserving surgery (BCS) and intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT) with INTRABEAM®.

Bleomycin-induced pneumonitis in three patients treated with chemotherapy for primary advanced seminoma.

Purpose: Bleomycin, etoposide and cisplatinum (BEP) comprise the most common regimen in the treatment of advanced testicular tumors, including seminoma. Common side effects are of hematologic, renal, and cardiovascular origin. One of the most prominent side effects is pulmonary toxicity attributed to bleomycin.

Radiotherapy for Stage IIA seminoma: The Northern Israel Oncology Center Experience, 1971-2010.

Aim: To evaluate treatment details, outcome, relapse rate and side-effects in Stage IIA seminoma irradiated and followed for a period of 39 years.

Background: Seminoma is a very radiosensitive disease and radiation therapy alone is able to achieve long-term disease-free survival, even in advanced Stage disease. Due to the lack of long-term prospective studies, it is of value to follow patients and try to determine the appropriate volume to be irradiated and the dose which can achieve total cure with minimal acute and chronic side-effects.

Spermatocytic variant of classic seminoma: a report of five cases and a brief review of the literature.

Background: Spermatocytic seminoma is a rare testicular malignancy, appearing in the adult population. It has a good prognosis and a low rate of metastatic potential.

Objectives: We present five cases diagnosed and treated with radiotherapy at Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa, Israel.

Tolerance of the vaginal vault to high-dose rate brachytherapy and concomitant chemo-pelvic irradiation: Long-term perspective.

Aim/background: We sought to determine the tolerance level and complication rates of the vaginal vault to combined high-dose-rate intra-cavitary brachytherapy with concomitant chemo-radiotherapy.

Patients And Methods: A retrospective review of medical records of all the patients who received definitive chemo-radiotherapy for cervical cancer between 1998 and 2002 was undertaken. The records were reviewed for doses and for radiation-associated early and late sequelae of the vagina, rectum and bladder.

Anaplastic variant of classical seminoma of the testis: northern Israel oncology center experience and brief review of literature.

Objectives: There are only sporadic reports on the clinical behavior and appropriate treatment of anaplastic seminoma. This retrospective study summarizes our experience with the anaplastic variant of classical (typical) seminoma.

Methods: Between 1986 and 2006, seven anaplastic seminoma patients were staged and treated at the Northern Israel Oncology Center.

Platinum-based Chemotherapy in Primary Advanced Seminoma-a Retrospective Analysis: Treatment Results at the Northern Israel Oncology Center (1989-2010).

Objective: Over the past 30 years, great strides have been made in the treatment of disseminated testicular tumors. Despite the low number of patients and the rarity of studies concerning primary advanced seminoma, the efficacy of chemotherapy is clear, mainly 3-4-cisplatin-based chemotherapy. Aiming to contribute to the understanding and implementation of proper chemotherapeutic management in advanced seminoma patients, we retrospectively summarized our experience with 26 patients who were referred for platinum-based chemotherapy, post-orchiectomy to the Northern Israel Oncology Center between 1989 and 2010.

Hippocampal-sparing whole-brain radiotherapy using Elekta equipment.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of hippocampal-sparing whole-brain radiotherapy (HS WBRT) using the Elekta Infinity linear accelerator and Monaco treatment planning system (TPS). Ten treatment plans were created for HS-WBRT to a dose of 30 Gy (10 fractions). RTOG 0933 recommendations were applied for treatment planning.

To operate or to radiate: the added value of the maximal standardized uptake value in PET-FDG in cervical cancer patients.

Cervical cancer is one of the leading causes of death among women with gynecological malignancies. In early stages of the disease (IB-IIA), surgical treatment alone is usually the treatment of choice. However, some high-risk patients are referred for postoperative chemo-radiotherapy, leading to increased morbidity.

Targeting EGFR-positive cancer cells with cetuximab-ZZ-PE38: Results of in vitro and in vivo studies.

Background: Arming antibody with toxins is a new approach in cancer therapy. We evaluated the efficacy of cetuximab-ZZ-PE38 immunocomplex in killing cancer cells in vitro and inhibiting tumor growth in nude mice.

Methods: Several cancer cell lines and human foreskin fibroblasts were tested for epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) expression and cetuximab binding using Western blot assay, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and flow cytometry.

The role of imaging in the management of non-metastatic cervical cancer.

The role of the physician is to choose the best treatment in terms of survival benefits with the lowest toxicity. Surgery is indicated for early disease, but insufficient pretreatment evaluation may result in an unnecessary procedure or the need for adjuvant therapy. Appropriate imaging may aid in these decisions.

Current principles for radiotherapy in cervical cancer.

Cancer of the uterine cervix is most common in countries that do not have access to cervical cancer screening and prevention programs. Treatment of cervical cancer varies significantly between countries (adjusted to stage) and is dependent on medical resources. Radiotherapy for the treatment of gynecological malignancy has been used with different techniques for treating the local tumor and regional lymph nodes.

A novel device for protecting rectum during prostate cancer irradiation: in vivo data on a large mammal model.

Purpose: Hypofractionation schemes and associated higher rectal doses have evoked the need for improved protection of the rectum during prostate cancer irradiation.

Materials And Methods: An implantable, biodegradable, inflatable, preshaped triangular balloon of commercially used poly(L-lactide-co-epsilon-caprolactone) co-polymer material was developed to provide separation between prostate and rectum. Biocompatibility and degradability of the balloon implanted subcutaneously or perineally, and in the context of transperineal implantation and local irradiation were evaluated in several in vivo studies.