Radiotherapy toxicity.

Radiotherapy is used in >50% of patients with cancer, both for curative and palliative purposes. Radiotherapy uses ionizing radiation to target and kill tumour tissue, but normal tissue can also be damaged, leading to toxicity. Modern and precise radiotherapy techniques, such as intensity-modulated radiotherapy, may prevent toxicity, but some patients still experience adverse effects.

IBD-associated Colon Cancers Differ in DNA Methylation and Gene Expression Profiles Compared With Sporadic Colon Cancers.

Background And Aims: As ulcerative colitis [UC]-associated colorectal cancer [CRC] and sporadic CRC differ in presentation and molecular features, we sought to evaluate differences in the impact of DNA methylation on gene expression.

Methods: DNA methylation was assessed in 11 UC-CRCs and adjacent tissue and 11 sporadic CRCs and adjacent tissue, using Illumina arrays. RNA sequencing was performed on 10 UC-CRCs and adjacent tissue and eight sporadic CRCs and adjacent tissues.

Stereotactic Radiotherapy as a Treatment Option for Renal Tumors in the Solitary Kidney: A Multicenter Analysis from the IROCK.

Purpose: Stereotactic ablative radiotherapy is an emerging treatment for renal cell carcinoma. Our study objective was to evaluate this therapy in patients with a solitary kidney, focusing on oncologic and renal function outcomes.

Materials And Methods: We pooled individual patient data from 9 IROCK (International Radiosurgery Oncology Consortium for Kidney) institutions in Germany, Australia, the United States of America, Canada and Japan.

Oligometastatic prostate cancer: The game is afoot.

Oligometastatic prostate cancer represents an intermediate state between a localized tumor and widespread metastatic disease. Its specific clinical features suggest the existence of a distinct biology which still needs to be elucidated. New imaging techniques like prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA) PET scans have shown to perform well in the staging and restaging of this category of patients, at different phases of disease evolution.

Radiotherapy and immunotherapy: a synergistic effect in cancer care.

Radiotherapy is an effective treatment modality commonly used in efforts to cure many localised cancers and in the palliation of symptoms in metastatic cancers. Immunotherapy has revolutionised cancer care by increasing the disease control and overall survival of patients in several cancer types; however, the majority of patients do not respond to currently available therapies based on immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). The benefit of those agents is limited to patients who have a pre-existing active immune microenvironment that can be reactivated by ICIs.

The VAMPIRE challenge: A multi-institutional validation study of CT ventilation imaging.

Purpose: CT ventilation imaging (CTVI) is being used to achieve functional avoidance lung cancer radiation therapy in three clinical trials (NCT02528942, NCT02308709, NCT02843568). To address the need for common CTVI validation tools, we have built the Ventilation And Medical Pulmonary Image Registration Evaluation (VAMPIRE) Dataset, and present the results of the first VAMPIRE Challenge to compare relative ventilation distributions between different CTVI algorithms and other established ventilation imaging modalities.

Methods: The VAMPIRE Dataset includes 50 pairs of 4DCT scans and corresponding clinical or experimental ventilation scans, referred to as reference ventilation images (RefVIs).

PET/CT Lung Ventilation and Perfusion Scanning using Galligas and Gallium-68-MAA.

Ventilation/Perfusion (V/Q) positron emission tomography computed tomography (PET/CT) is now possible by substituting Technetium-99m (Tc) with Gallium-68 (Ga), using the same carrier molecules as conventional V/Q imaging. Ventilation imaging can be performed with Ga-carbon nanoparticles using the same synthesis device as Technegas. Perfusion imaging can be performed with Ga-macroaggregated albumin.

Radiation Therapy Modulates DNA Repair Efficiency in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells of Patients With Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Purpose: There is growing interest in developing individually tailored cancer radiation therapy (RT), wherein patients with high intrinsic radiosensitivity are identified before commencing treatment, to minimize severe adverse reactions. In a previous retrospective study of severely radiosensitive RT patients, we established a functional assay with a high predictive capability. The assay involves ex vivo irradiation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells and analysis of DNA repair using the γ-H2AX assay.

Impact of Partner-Related Social Harms on Women's Adherence to the Dapivirine Vaginal Ring During a Phase III Trial.

Background: Long-acting female-initiated methods such as the dapivirine ring may give women greater agency in HIV-1 prevention. However, social harms, defined as nonmedical adverse consequences of study participation or dapivirine ring use, may reduce product adherence and consequently HIV-1 protection.

Methods: We assessed whether experiencing social harms from male partners was associated with lower adherence to the dapivirine ring in the MTN-020/ASPIRE trial.

Stereotactic Abative Body Radiotherapy (SABR) for Oligometastatic Prostate Cancer: A Prospective Clinical Trial.

Background: Stereotactic ablative body radiotherapy (SABR) is an emerging treatment option for oligometastatic prostate cancer. However, limited prospective evidence is available.

Objective: To determine the safety and feasibility of single fraction SABR for patients with oligometastatic prostate cancer.

Diffusion weighted and dynamic contrast enhanced MRI as an imaging biomarker for stereotactic ablative body radiotherapy (SABR) of primary renal cell carcinoma.

Purpose: To explore the utility of diffusion and perfusion changes in primary renal cell carcinoma (RCC) after stereotactic ablative body radiotherapy (SABR) as an early biomarker of treatment response, using diffusion weighted (DWI) and dynamic contrast enhanced (DCE) MRI.

Methods: Patients enrolled in a prospective pilot clinical trial received SABR for primary RCC, and had DWI and DCE MRI scheduled at baseline, 14 days and 70 days after SABR. Tumours <5cm diameter received a single fraction of 26 Gy and larger tumours received three fractions of 14 Gy.

Functional lung imaging in radiation therapy for lung cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Rationale: Advanced imaging techniques allow functional information to be derived and integrated into treatment planning.

Methods: A systematic review was conducted with the primary objective to evaluate the ability of functional lung imaging to predict risk of radiation pneumonitis. Secondary objectives were to evaluate dose-response relationships on post treatment functional imaging and assess the utility in including functional lung information into treatment planning.

Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy for Primary Prostate Cancer.

Prostate cancer is the most common non-cutaneous cancer in males. There are a number of options for patients with localized early stage disease, including active surveillance for low-risk disease, surgery, brachytherapy, and external beam radiotherapy. Increasingly, external beam radiotherapy, in the form of dose-escalated and moderately hypofractionated regimens, is being utilized in prostate cancer, with randomized evidence to support their use.

Prostate specific membrane antigen: the role in salvage lymph node dissection and radio-ligand therapy.

Introduction: Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) is a receptor highly expressed on the membranes of prostate cancer (PCa) cells and provides a new opportunity for imaging and targeted therapy in metastatic prostate cancer. The use of radio-labelled peptides with high affinity for PSMA-receptor allows for localization of oligo-metastasis to guide salvage lymph node (LN) dissection, and effective delivery of radionuclide therapy to PCa cells. This review discusses the current statistics of PSMA-guided salvage lymph-node dissection.

What F-FDG PET Response-Assessment Method Best Predicts Survival After Curative-Intent Chemoradiation in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: EORTC, PERCIST, Peter Mac Criteria, or Deauville Criteria?

The optimal methodology for defining response with F-FDG PET after curative-intent chemoradiation for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is unknown. We compared survival outcomes according to the criteria of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC), PERCIST 1.0, the Peter Mac metabolic visual criteria, and the Deauville criteria, respectively.

Prognostic value of histone H3 serine 10 phosphorylation and histone H4 lysine 12 acetylation in oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Aims: Studies on epigenetics in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) are rare. Histone modifications comprise epigenetic mechanisms that perform a key role in gene transcription and may regulate tumour development. Thus, the aim of this study was to determine whether two post-translational histone modifications, i.

3'-Modification stabilizes mRNA and increases translation in cells.

Successful implementation of mRNA gene therapy is facing many hurdles, for example poor expression levels of the exogenously delivered mRNA transcripts. Herein we describe the synthesis of various 3'-modified RNA oligonucleotides, and we show that 3'-modification drastically stabilizes these oligonucleotides in cell extracts. Modification of the 3'-terminus of gaussia luciferase mRNA results in 3-fold increased and extended (>48 h) translation of the mRNA.

Assessing the Clinical Utility of Computed Tomography-Based Radiomics.

This commentary provides an overview of the evolving field of radiomics, which aims to noninvasively augment clinical prognostic nomograms, correlate imaging phenotypes, and support clinical decision‐making.

Progress in Radiotherapy for Regional and Oligometastatic Disease in 2017.

This review highlights key publications and abstracts in the field of radiation oncology for lung cancer in 2017 and attempts to place these in the context of developments for the broader thoracic oncology community.

The great debate flashes: surgery versus stereotactic body radiotherapy as the primary treatment of early-stage lung cancer.

Stereotactic body radiotherapy is gaining favour as an alternative therapeutic modality to surgery for patients with early-stage lung cancer. An exponential increase of contributions in the literature has generated a bulk of discordant evidence supporting therapeutic choice for the treatment of fit and medically inoperable patients. This 'Great Debate Flashes' paper aims at producing an up-to-date, concise and user-friendly review of the arguments that surgeons and radiation oncologists bring forward in the discussions with patients and colleagues.

Pooled analysis of stereotactic ablative radiotherapy for primary renal cell carcinoma: A report from the International Radiosurgery Oncology Consortium for Kidney (IROCK).

Background: Stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) is an emerging therapy for primary renal cell carcinoma. The authors assessed safety, efficacy, and survival in a multi-institutional setting. Outcomes between single-fraction and multifraction SABR were compared.

Single Fraction Stereotactic Ablative Body Radiotherapy for Oligometastasis: Outcomes from 132 Consecutive Patients.

Aims: Stereotactic ablative body radiotherapy (SABR) is currently used to treat oligometastases, but the optimum dose/fractionation schedule is unknown. In this study, we evaluated outcomes after single fraction SABR in patients with oligometastatic disease.

Materials And Methods: Single institutional retrospective review of patients treated with single fraction SABR for one to three oligometastases between 2010 and 2015.

Ga-prostate-specific membrane antigen-positron emission tomography/computed tomography in advanced prostate cancer: Current state and future trends.

The early and accurate detection of prostate cancer is important to ensure timely management and appropriate individualized treatment. Currently, conventional imaging has limitations particularly in the early detection of metastases and at prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels < 2.0 ng/mL.