A brain MRI dataset and baseline evaluations for tumor recurrence prediction after Gamma Knife radiotherapy.

Prediction and identification of tumor recurrence are critical for brain cancer treatment design and planning. Stereotactic radiation therapy delivered with Gamma Knife has been developed as one of the common treatment approaches combined with others by delivering radiation that targets accurately on the tumor while not affecting nearby healthy tissues. In this paper, we release a fully publicly available brain cancer MRI dataset and the companion Gamma Knife treatment planning and follow-up data for the purpose of tumor recurrence prediction.

A gradient mapping guided explainable deep neural network for extracapsular extension identification in 3D head and neck cancer computed tomography images.

Background: Diagnosis and treatment management for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is guided by routine diagnostic head and neck computed tomography (CT) scans to identify tumor and lymph node features. The extracapsular extension (ECE) is a strong predictor of patients' survival outcomes with HNSCC. It is essential to detect the occurrence of ECE as it changes staging and treatment planning for patients.

Building Better Patient Care in Mississippi Radiation Oncology: Why Mississippi Needs a Collaborative Quality Initiative.

Objectives: Cancer is an insidious and devastating disease that affects many people. Progress in mortality rate has not been realized universally across the United States, and challenges remain in how to best make up the ground that has been lost in these areas, one of which is Mississippi. Radiation therapy is a significant contributor to cancer control rates and certain challenges exist specifically regarding this treatment modality.

Chemoradiation for Locoregionally Advanced Laryngeal Cancer.

Laryngeal preservation with combined modality therapy involving radiotherapy and chemotherapy is usually the treatment of choice for patients with good performance status and with locoregionally advanced laryngeal cancer with a functional larynx. Surgical management with total laryngectomy with neck dissection, followed by adjuvant radiation or chemoradiation, is recommended for patients not eligible for laryngeal preservation. This article provides an overview of the current therapeutic approaches used to treat locoregionally advanced laryngeal cancer and outlines other currently investigated therapies.

Success and challenges of health systems resilience-enhancing strategies for managing Public Health Emergencies of International Concerns (PHEIC): A systematic review protocol.

Introduction: Health systems resilience is the ability to prepare, manage and learn from a sudden and unpredictable extreme change that impacts health systems. Health systems globally have recently been affected by a number of catastrophic events, including natural disasters and infectious disease epidemics. Understanding health systems resilience has never been more essential until emerging global pandemics.

Strategic Reduction of Package Time in Head and Neck Cancer.

Purpose: Total package time, or the time from diagnosis to completion of definitive treatment, has been associated with outcomes for a variety of tumor sites, but especially to head and neck (HN) cancer. Patients with HN cancer often undergo a complex diagnosis and treatment process involving multiple disciplines both within and outside of oncology. This complexity can lead to longer package times, and each involved discipline has the responsibility to maintain an efficient and effective process.

Barriers and facilitators to cancer clinical trial enrollment and participation among rural populations: a scoping review protocol.

Objective: The objective of this scoping review is to identify barriers and facilitators related to cancer clinical trial enrollment and participation among rural populations.

Introduction: Advancing the effectiveness of cancer treatment and increasing early detection of cancer relies on enrollment and participation of individuals in cancer clinical trials. Lack of enrollment and participation in trials is a concern, and there is evidence that individuals living in rural areas are unlikely to participate in such trials.

Local Treatment of the Primary Tumor for Patients With Metastatic Cancer (PRIME-TX): A Meta-Analysis.

Purpose: Local treatment of the primary tumor for patients with metastases is controversial, and prospective data across many disease sites have conflicting conclusions regarding benefits.

Methods And Materials: A comprehensive search was conducted in PubMed/MEDLINE including randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published in the past 50 years. Inclusion criteria were multi-institutional RCTs of patients with metastatic disease receiving systemic therapy randomized to addition of local treatment to the primary tumor.

Radiation Fractionation Schedules Published During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review of the Quality of Evidence and Recommendations for Future Development.

Purpose: Numerous publications during the COVID-19 pandemic recommended the use of hypofractionated radiation therapy. This project assessed aggregate changes in the quality of the evidence supporting these schedules to establish a comprehensive evidence base for future reference and highlight aspects for future study.

Methods And Materials: Based on a systematic review of published recommendations related to dose fractionation during the COVID-19 pandemic, 20 expert panelists assigned to 14 disease groups named and graded the highest quality of evidence schedule(s) used routinely for each condition and also graded all COVID-era recommended schedules.

COVID-19: Global radiation oncology's targeted response for pandemic preparedness.

As the global COVID-19 pandemic escalates there is a need within radiation oncology to work to support our patients in the best way possible. Measures are required to reduce infection spread between patients and within the workforce. Departments need contingency planning to create capacity and continue essential treatments despite a reduced workforce.

Use of Amifostine for Cytoprotection during Radiation Therapy: A Review.

Background: Radiation therapy is a cornerstone of the therapeutic modalities used in modern oncology. However, it is sometimes limited in its ability to achieve optimal tumor control by radiation-induced normal tissue toxicity. In delivering radiation therapy, a balance must be achieved between maximizing the dose to the tumor and minimizing any injury to the normal tissues.

Outcomes of benign meningioma in older patients in the United States.

Purpose: Older patients have inferior outcomes for meningioma and experience more post-operative complications. The purpose of this study was to identify national treatment patterns and outcomes based on age for benign meningiomas using the National Cancer Database (NCDB).

Material And Methods: The NCDB was queried for patients with biopsy-proven World Health Organization Grade (WHO) grade I meningioma diagnosed between 2004 and 2015.

The Impact of a Postmastectomy Chest Wall Scar Boost on Local Recurrence-free Survival in High-risk Patients.

Introduction: A scar boost following postmastectomy radiation to a total dose of > 50 Gy can be considered in cases of invasive breast cancer with high-risk features including advanced tumor stage, lymphovascular space invasion (LVSI), and positive margins. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of a scar boost on 5-year local recurrence-free survival (LRFS).

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 140 patients with invasive breast cancer treated with mastectomy and postmastectomy radiation at a single institution between 2007 and 2016.

Racial disparities in tumor features and outcomes of patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the tonsil.

Objective: To identify differences in 3-year overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) based on race in patients with tonsillar squamous cell carcinoma.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 80 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the tonsil treated between 2006 and 2015. Overall survival and DFS curves comparing white and black patients were generated using the Kaplan-Meier method.