Oral sex and oropharyngeal cancer: The role of the primary care physicians.

Background: We aimed to study the prevalence of oral sex and its possible association with human papillomavirus (HPV) 16 infection in the development of oropharyngeal cancer in the US population for possible prevention.

Methods: We conduct a systemic review on the prevalence of oral sex among Americans among different age groups, the prevalence of HPV 16 infection reported in oropharyngeal cancer, and correlation between oral sex and oropharyngeal cancer.

Results: Oral sex is prevalent among adolescents and sexually active adults.

Potential applications of image-guided radiotherapy for radiation dose escalation in patients with early stage high-risk prostate cancer.

Patients with early stage high-risk prostate cancer (prostate specific antigen > 20, Gleason score > 7) are at high risk of recurrence following prostate cancer irradiation. Radiation dose escalation to the prostate may improve biochemical-free survival for these patients. However, high rectal and bladder dose with conventional three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy may lead to excessive gastrointestinal and genitourinary toxicity.

Feasibility of tomotherapy for postoperative irradiation of lower extremity sarcomas.

Aims And Background: To evaluate the effectiveness of helical tomotherapy-based image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT) following surgery for lower extremity sarcoma.

Methods And Study Design: A retrospective review of three patients undergoing postoperative irradiation with tomotherapy for lower extremity sarcoma was conducted. Planning target volume (PTV) coverage, acute side effects, long-term complications and functional results were assessed.

Effectiveness of radiotherapy for elderly patients with non-melanoma skin cancer of the head.

Aim: To assess the effectiveness of conventionally fractionated radiotherapy for local control and cosmesis in elderly patients (age 70 years or older) with non-melanoma skin cancer of the head.

Methods: A retrospective review of 15 patients undergoing definitive radiation (11 patients) or postoperative radiation (4 patients) for squamous cell carcinoma (9 patients) and basal cell carcinoma (6 patients) of the head was undertaken. At each follow-up visit, a radiation oncology resident and/or medical student was requested to examine the patient's head and neck, and determine the initial location of the cancer without reviewing their medical record.

The potential role of magnetic resonance spectroscopy in image-guided radiotherapy.

Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) is a non-invasive technique to detect metabolites within the normal and tumoral tissues. The ability of MRS to diagnose areas of high metabolic activity linked to tumor cell proliferation is particularly useful for radiotherapy treatment planning because of better gross tumor volume (GTV) delineation. The GTV may be targeted with higher radiation dose, potentially improving local control without excessive irradiation to the normal adjacent tissues.

Feasibility of tomotherapy-based image-guided radiotherapy for small cell lung cancer.

Background: To assess the tolerance of patients with small cell lung cancer undergoing chemoradiation with tomotherapy-based image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT).

Materials And Methods: A retrospective review of the toxicity profile for nine patients with small cell lung cancer of the limited stage who underwent chemoradiation delivered with helical tomotherapy (HT) has been conducted.

Results: Acute grade 3-4 hematologic and esophagitis toxicities developed in two and three patients respectively.

Feasibility of Tomotherapy-based image-guided radiotherapy to reduce aspiration risk in patients with non-laryngeal and non-pharyngeal head and neck cancer.

Purpose: The study aims to assess the feasibility of Tomotherapy-based image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT) to reduce the aspiration risk in patients with non-laryngeal and non-hypopharyngeal cancer. A retrospective review of 48 patients undergoing radiation for non-laryngeal and non-hypopharyngeal head and neck cancers was conducted. All patients had a modified barium swallow (MBS) prior to treatment, which was repeated one month following radiotherapy.

Feasibility of tomotherapy to reduce cochlea radiation dose in patients with locally advanced nasopharyngeal cancer.

Aims And Background: To evaluate the effectiveness of tomotherapy-based image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT) on the radiation dose to the cochlea in patients with nasopharyngeal cancer.

Methods And Study Design: A retrospective review of five patients undergoing concurrent chemoradiation with tomotherapy for locally advanced nasopharyngeal cancer was performed.

Results: The mean dose to the right and left cochlea was 25 Gy and 35.

Feasibility of image-guided radiotherapy based on tomotherapy for the treatment of locally advanced anal carcinoma.

Background: The standard of care for locally advanced anal cancer has been concurrent chemoradiation. However, conventional treatment with 3-dimensional radiotherapy is associated with significant toxicity. The feasibility of new radiotherapy techniques such as image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT) in combination with chemotherapy for the treatment of this malignancy was assessed.

Impact of image-guided radiotherapy to reduce laryngeal edema following treatment for non-laryngeal and non-hypopharyngeal head and neck cancers.

We would like to determine the effectiveness of image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT) to reduce laryngeal edema following treatment for head and neck cancer and to assess patient perception of voice and speech after treatment. We conducted a retrospective review of 44 patients undergoing radiation for non-laryngeal and non-hypopharyngeal head and neck cancers. Endoscopic and/or mirror examinations of the larynx were performed following radiotherapy at each follow-up visit.

Effectiveness of image-guided radiotherapy for locally advanced rectal cancer.

Background: Image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT) combines precise target visualization with optimal delivery of radiation dose to spare normal tissue from radiation and may potentially reduce side-effects and long-term treatment complications. We have assessed the effectiveness of IGRT for locally advanced rectal cancer.

Methods: A retrospective review of 22 patients with locally advanced rectal cancer who underwent preoperative chemoradiation was conducted.

The minimum element of a synthetic peptide required to block prostate tumor cell migration.

Human prostate tumor cell invasion and metastasis are dependent in part on cell adhesion to extracellular matrix proteins and cell migration. We previously identified a synthetic D-amino acid tumor cell adhesion peptide called HYD1 (kikmviswkg) that supported adhesion of tumor cells derived from breast, prostate, ovary and pancreas tissue. Alanine substitution analysis and a peptide deletion strategy were used to determine the minimal element of HYD1 necessary for bioactivity in a prostate cancer cell line called PC3N.

Synthetic D-amino acid peptide inhibits tumor cell motility on laminin-5.

Cell motility is partially dependent on interactions between the integrins and the extracellular matrix. Our previous studies have identified synthetic D-amino acid cell adhesion peptides using a combinatorial screening approach. In this study, we demonstrate that HYD1 (kikmviswkg) completely blocks random haptotactic migration and inhibits invasion of prostate carcinoma cells on laminin-5.

Androgen control of cell proliferation and cytoskeletal reorganization in human fibrosarcoma cells: role of RhoB signaling.

We recently generated an HT-1080-derived cell line called HT-AR1 that responds to dihydrotestosterone (DHT) treatment by undergoing cell growth arrest in association with cytoskeletal reorganization and induction of neuroendocrine-like cell differentiation. In this report, we show that DHT induces a dose-dependent increase in G0/G1 growth-arrested cells using physiological levels of hormone. The arrested cells increase in cell size and contain a dramatic redistribution of desmoplakin, keratin 5, and chromogranin A proteins.

Androgen regulation of the human FERM domain encoding gene EHM2 in a cell model of steroid-induced differentiation.

We have developed a cell model to investigate steroid control of differentiation using a subline of HT1080 cells (HT-AR1) that have been engineered to express the human androgen receptor. Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) treatment of HT-AR1 cells induced growth arrest and cytoskeletal reorganization that was associated with the expression of fibronectin and the neuroendocrine markers chromogranin A and neuron-specific enolase. Expression profiling analysis identified the human FERM domain-encoding gene EHM2 as uniquely induced in HT-AR1 cells as compared to 16 other FERM domain containing genes.

Therapeutic cancer targeting peptides.

Antitumor monoclonal antibodies have shown clinical promise as cancer cell surface targeting agents. More tumor targeting antibodies are likely to be approved by the FDA in the next few years. However, there are two major limitations in antibody-targeted therapy: large size and nonspecific uptake of the antibody molecules by the liver and the reticuloendothelial system.