Local Failure After Accelerated Partial Breast Irradiation with Intraoperative Radiotherapy with Electrons: An Insight into Management and Outcome from an Italian Multicentric Study.

Background: The aim of this work is to evaluate pattern of care and clinical outcome in a large series of patients with in-breast recurrence (IBR), after quadrantectomy and intraoperative radiation therapy with electrons (IOERT) as partial breast irradiation.

Patients And Methods: Patients with IBR after IOERT, treated with salvage surgery ± adjuvant reirradiation (re-RT), were selected from a multiinstitution database. Disease-free survival (DFS), overall survival (OS), cumulative incidence of second IBR, and distant metastases (DM) were estimated.

Policies for reirradiation of recurrent high-grade gliomas: a survey among Italian radiation oncologists.

Purpose: To assess the contribution of Italian radiation oncologists in the current management of recurrent high-grade gliomas (HGG), focusing on a reirradiation (reRT) approach.

Methods: In 2015, the Reirradiation and the Central Nervous System Study Groups on behalf of the Italian Association of Radiation Oncology (AIRO) proposed a survey. All Italian radiation oncologists were individually invited to complete an online questionnaire regarding their clinical management of recurrent HGG, focusing on a reRT approach.

Impact of post-implant dosimetric parameters on the quality of life of patients treated with low-dose rate brachytherapy for localised prostate cancer: results of a single-institution study.

Background: To assess the relationship between dosimetric parameters and the quality of life (QL) outcomes of patients with low-intermediate-risk localised prostate cancer (LPC) treated with low-dose-rate brachytherapy (LDR-BT).

Materials And Methods: We evaluated the participants in two consecutive prospective studies of the QL of patients treated with LDR-BT for LPC. QL was evaluated by means of a patient-completed questionnaire assessing non functional [physical (PHY) and psychological (PSY) well-being, physical autonomy (POW), social relationships (REL)] and functional scales [urinary (URI), rectal (REC), and sexual (SEX) function]; a scale for erectile function (ERE) was included in the second study.

Clinical and technical characteristics of intraoperative radiotherapy. Analysis of the ISIORT-Europe database.

Background: A joint analysis of clinical data from centres within the European section of the International Society of Intraoperative Radiation Therapy (ISIORT-Europe) was undertaken in order to define the range of intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT) techniques and indications encompassed by its member institutions.

Materials And Methods: In 2007, the ISIORT-Europe centres were invited to record demographic, clinical and technical data relating to their IORT procedures in a joint online database. Retrospective data entry was possible.

Frequency of brain metastases from prostate cancer: an 18-year single-institution experience.

It has recently been reported that the incidence of brain metastases (BMs) from prostate cancer (PC) has increased in comparison with historical series. The aim of this study was to compare the incidence of BMs in the pre- and post-docetaxel era in a single institution in which all oncological patients are referred to one Radiotherapy and one Medical Oncology Department. We searched the electronic databases of these departments for all males with BMs entered from 1994 to 2011.

Scaling properties of universal tetramers.

We evidence the existence of a universal correlation between the binding energies of successive four-boson bound states (tetramers), for large two-body scattering lengths (a), related to an additional scale not constrained by three-body Efimov physics. Relevant to ultracold atom experiments, the atom-trimer relaxation peaks for |a|→∞ when the ratio between the tetramer and trimer energies is ≃4.6 and a new tetramer is formed.

Gemcitabine and radiotherapy plus cisplatin after transurethral resection as conservative treatment for infiltrating bladder cancer: Long-term cumulative results of 2 prospective single-institution studies.

Background: Cystectomy is the standard treatment for patients with infiltrating bladder cancer, but conservative treatment with cystoscopic resection followed by radiochemotherapy may be an alternative for highly selected patients. The addition of gemcitabine to cisplatin and radiotherapy may enhance disease control.

Methods: The long-term clinical outcomes of 26 patients enrolled in a previously published dose-finding study and a prematurely discontinued phase 2 trial were evaluated.

Concomitant chemoradiotherapy versus induction docetaxel, cisplatin and 5 fluorouracil (TPF) followed by concomitant chemoradiotherapy in locally advanced head and neck cancer: a phase II randomized study.

Background: Concomitant chemoradiotherapy (CT/RT) is the standard treatment of locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN). We evaluated the efficacy of induction docetaxel (Taxotere), cisplatin, and 5-fluorouracil (TPF) before CT/RT versus CT/RT alone.

Patients And Methods: Patients with stage III-IVM0 SCCHN, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of zero to one, were randomly assigned to receive CT/RT alone (arm A: two cycles of cisplatin 20 mg/m(2), days1-4, plus 5-fluorouracil 800 mg/m(2)/day 96 h continuous infusion, during weeks 1 and 6 of radiotherapy) or three cycles of TPF (arm B: docetaxel 75 mg/m(2) and cisplatin 80 mg/m(2), day 1, and 5-fluorouracil 800 mg/m(2)/day 96 h continuous infusion, every 3 weeks) followed by the same CT/RT.

Surgery and radiotherapy in the treatment of malignant parotid tumors: a retrospective multicenter study.

Aims And Background: Major salivary gland cancers are rare, with many histologic types and subtypes. The low incidence and heterogeneity of primary parotid carcinomas makes their outcome difficult to evaluate. Treatment remains primarily surgical, but optimal therapeutic regimens have yet to be fully realized.

Impact of residual setup error on parotid gland dose in intensity-modulated radiation therapy with or without planning organ-at-risk margin.

Purpose: To estimate the dosimetric impact of residual setup errors on parotid sparing in head-and-neck (H&N) intensity-modulated treatments and to evaluate the effect of employing an PRV (planning organ-at-risk volume) margin for the parotid gland.

Patients And Methods: Ten patients treated for H&N cancer were considered. A nine-beam intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) was planned for each patient.

Soliton dynamics at an interface between a uniform medium and a nonlinear optical lattice.

We study trapping and propagation of a matter-wave soliton through the interface between uniform medium and a nonlinear optical lattice. Different regimes for transmission of a broad and a narrow solitons are investigated. Reflections and transmissions of solitons are predicted as a function of the lattice phase.

Full-dose intraoperative radiotherapy with electrons in breast cancer. First report on late toxicity and cosmetic results from a single-institution experience.

Purpose: To investigate the feasibility of applying exclusive intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) after conservative surgery in limited-stage breast carcinoma and to evaluate late effects and cosmetic results after this new conservative treatment.

Patients And Methods: From October 2000 to November 2002, 47 consecutive patients with unifocal breast carcinoma up to a diameter of 2 cm received conservative surgery followed by IORT with electrons as the sole adjuvant local therapy. Three different dose levels were used: 20 Gy (seven patients), 22 Gy (20 patients), and 24 Gy (20 patients).

Prospective evaluation of quality of life after interstitial brachytherapy for localized prostate cancer.

Purpose: Permanent interstitial brachytherapy (IB) has become an increasingly appealing therapeutic option for localized prostate cancer (LPC) among physicians and patients because it involves short hospitalization and treatment and its postulated low degree of toxicity may reduce its impact on the patients' quality of life (QoL). The aim of this prospective study was to assess the impact of IB on the QoL of patients with LPC.

Methods And Materials: A validated self-completed questionnaire was administered to the patients before and after IB and then at yearly intervals.

Randomized phase III trial of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in head and neck cancer: 10-year follow-up.

In 1986, we initiated a multicenter, randomized trial to compare induction chemotherapy with cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil followed by locoregional treatment (surgery and radiotherapy or radiotherapy alone) with locoregional treatment alone in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Here we report the long-term results of the trial. A total of 237 patients with nonmetastatic stage III or IV head and neck carcinoma were randomly assigned to receive four cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by locoregional treatment (group A) or locoregional treatment alone (group B).

Analysis of user-satisfaction with the use of a teleconsultation system in oncology.

There is an increasing interest in assessing telemedicine as alternative method of delivering high quality cancer treatment to patients living in rural areas. In the Province of Trento (north-east Italy) a tele-oncology system was implemented to provide non-surgical oncological consultation to district general hospitals. The aim of this study was to explore user-satisfaction with the system after 6 months of experimentation.

Phase I study of gemcitabine and radiotherapy plus cisplatin after transurethral resection as conservative treatment for infiltrating bladder cancer.

Purpose: Although the use of radical transurethral resection followed by concurrent radiochemotherapy leads to a similar survival rate to that achieved after cystectomy, the number of long-term survivors is low in both cases. An improvement may be obtained by adding a new drug, such as gemcitabine, which is active in bladder cancer and acts as a radiosensitizer. However, because gemcitabine may be very toxic when associated with radiotherapy, we designed this dose-finding study in an attempt to find the dose that can be safely added to radiotherapy and concurrent cisplatin in patients treated with transurethral resection for infiltrating bladder cancer.

Physical side effects and quality of life during postoperative radiotherapy for uterine cancer. Prospective evaluation by a diary card.

Objective: Adjuvant pelvic radiotherapy (XRT) after radical surgery for uterine cancer may cause various (mainly gastrointestinal) side effects capable of affecting a patient's lifestyle. This prospective study used a diary card to evaluate toxicity and daily quality of life changes in uterine cancer patients given postoperative pelvic radiotherapy.

Methods: The self-completed diary card listed 12 items concerning lifestyle changes and side effects.

Stability of the trapped nonconservative Gross-Pitaevskii equation with attractive two-body interaction.

The dynamics of a nonconservative Gross-Pitaevskii equation for trapped atomic systems with attractive two-body interaction is numerically investigated, considering wide variations of the nonconservative parameters, related to atomic feeding and dissipation. We study the possible limitations of the mean-field description for an atomic condensate with attractive two-body interaction, by defining the parameter regions, where stable or unstable formation can be found. The present study is useful and timely considering the possibility of large variations of attractive two-body scattering lengths, which may be feasible in recent experiments.

The role of brachytherapy in the management of oropharyngeal carcinomas: the Trento experience.

Aims: This study was undertaken to determine the outcome of patients with oropharyngeal cancer treated at the Radiotherapy Department of the Santa Chiara Hospital (Trento, Italy) with brachytherapy alone or combined with external beam radiotherapy (EBRT).

Material And Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 87 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx treated by radiation therapy between January 1986 and September 1999. The median age was 59 years and all patients had a minimum follow-up of one year.

Evaluation of toxicity and quality of life using a diary card during postoperative radiotherapy for rectal cancer.

Purpose: Adjuvant pelvic radiotherapy after radical surgery for rectal cancer may produce several side-effects (mainly gastrointestinal) capable of affecting patient lifestyle. This prospective study evaluated by means of a diary card the toxicity and daily changes in the quality of life of patients with rectal cancer treated with postoperative pelvic radiotherapy.

Methods: We used a diary card listing ten items about lifestyle changes and side-effects compiled by patients themselves.

Improved numerical approach for the time-independent Gross-Pitaevskii nonlinear Schrödinger equation.

In the present work, we improve a numerical method, developed to solve the Gross-Pitaevkii nonlinear Schrödinger equation. A particular scaling is used in the equation, which permits us to evaluate the wave-function normalization after the numerical solution. We have a two-point boundary value problem, where the second point is taken at infinity.

Quality of life after radiotherapy for early-stage testicular seminoma.

Background And Purpose: Standard therapy in early-stage testicular seminoma (TS) includes inguinal orchiectomy followed by irradiation (XRT) of the pelvic and para-aortic nodes. Since this treatment is highly effective in controlling the disease and leads to many long survivors, the quality of life (QL) may be impaired by treatment-induced side-effects. The aim of this study was to provide a QL evaluation of patients treated with XRT after orchiectomy for TS.

Quadruple cancer in a single patient: a report of four cases.

Multiple primary neoplasia was once considered a rare curiosity but is now a well recognized phenomenon. Only a few papers have been published in the English literature with regard to occurrence of four or more primary malignancies in a single patient. We report four cases of quadruple cancer; a review of the literature about this topic is discussed.