Effectiveness of 4-dimensional maximum intensity projection (4D-MIP) for respiratory motion management with uncertain interobserver delineation.

This study was conducted to evaluate the use of 4-dimensional (4D) maximum intensity projection (4D-MIP) to compensate for the disadvantages of average intensity projection (AIP), which is used to determine the internal target volume (ITV) in lung tumors. A respiratory motion phantom with a simulated tumor was imaged using 4D computed tomography (4D-CT). AIP and 4D-MIP were generated based on 10 phases of 4D-CT, followed by contouring of the ITV and ITV; these were compared with the ITV contoured in 10 phases of 4D-CT (ITV).

Unexpected change in hydrogel spacer volume during external-beam radiation therapy.

Purpose: To reduce the rectal radiation dose during local radiation therapy of prostate cancer, a hydrogel spacer is typically implanted between the prostate and rectum. However, the spacer volume can change during external beam radiation therapy (EBRT). Therefore, we used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to determine changes in the spacer volume during EBRT and analyzed the data to identify patient factors influencing this change.

Factors associated with cavity formation after stereotactic body radiation therapy for peripheral early-stage lung cancer.

Purpose: This retrospective study aimed to identify the factors associated with cavity formation after SBRT in peripheral early-stage lung cancer patients. We analyzed the occurrence of cavity changes after SBRT.

Materials And Methods: We examined 99 cases with T1-T2aN0 peripheral non-small cell lung cancer treated with SBRT from 2004 to 2021.

Study of prostate-specific antigen levels during salvage radiotherapy after prostate cancer surgery.

Background: Administration of adjuvant or salvage radiotherapy (RT) after prostate cancer (PCa) surgery is supported by clinical evidence and is a widely adopted strategy. On occasion, we detect changes in prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels, such as a transient elevation or decline, during RT. Thus, we retrospectively investigated the frequency of changes in PSA levels, their associations with histopathological parameters, PSA doubling time (PSADT), and biochemical recurrence (BR) of PCa.

Bone scan index on bone scintigraphy and radiation therapy for bone metastases from cancers other than prostate and breast cancers: A retrospective observational study.

Objective: In this study, we aimed to use new automatic analysis software (VSBONE bone scan index (BSI); Nihon Medi-Physics, Tokyo, Japan) to investigate whether the pre-radiation therapy (RT) BSI, derived from bone scintigraphy (BS) images, is a prognostic indicator in patients undergoing RT for bone metastases from cancers other than breast or prostate cancer.

Materials And Methods: In this retrospective single-institution study, we analyzed data of 51 patients who had undergone whole-body scintigraphy before receiving RT for bone metastases from cancers other than breast and prostate cancer between 2013 and 2019. Their bone metastases preradiation BSI were automatically calculated using newly developed software (VSBONE BSI; Nihon Medi-Physics, Tokyo, Japan).

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in patients before, during, or after lung irradiation, and serum SP-A and SP-D levels.

Background: The correlation between COVID-19 and RT has not been determined to date and remains a clinical question. The aim of this study was to evaluate coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia before, during, and after radiation therapy (RT) regarding the radiation doses, radiation pneumonitis, and surfactant protein levels.

Methods: We evaluated patients diagnosed with COVID-19 before, during, or after RT for the lung between August 2020 and April 2022.

Radiation therapy for pelvic recurrent colorectal or gynecological cancer: is whole pelvic irradiation necessary?

Background: Preoperative whole pelvic radiation therapy (RT) is used commonly for rectal cancer and is the standard field postoperatively in gynecological cancer. However, the ideal field (local vs. whole pelvis) has not been determined for local recurrence of these cancers.

Association between unintentional splenic radiation and lymphopenia and high neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio after radiotherapy in patients with esophageal cancer.

Background: Unintentional irradiation of the spleen may reduce absolute lymphocyte count (ALC), which can affect tumor immunity. Therefore, in the present study, we evaluated spleen dose-volume parameters associated with ALC and neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in patients with esophageal cancer.

Methods: This retrospective study evaluated patients who were diagnosed with stage I-IV esophageal cancer and who received radiotherapy at Nihon University Itabashi Hospital between January 2015 and March 2020.

Bladder mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma progressed from chronic cystitis along with a comparative genetic analysis during long-term follow-up: a case report.

The pathogenesis of bladder marginal zone/mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma, which is the most common type of primary bladder lymphoma, has not been clarified. There are no reports that described histological and molecular time course of MALT lymphoma occurring in the bladder and the importance of the score on the Pelvic Pain and Urgency/Frequency (PUF) patient symptom scale during and after radiation therapy (RT). We present a case of MALT lymphoma with long-term comparative genetic analysis.

Bladder filling volume variation between the first and second day of planning computed tomography for prostate cancer radiation therapy and correlation with renal function.

Aim: During radiation therapy (RT) for prostate cancer, bladder filling helps exclude the organ from irradiation and reduces adverse effects. For RT planning, we performed computed tomography (CT) for 2 consecutive days to evaluate inter-day variations in organs such as the bladder. However, the patient factors that are associated with large intra-patient variations in bladder filling volume prior to RT are not known.

Whole-brain Radiation Therapy for Intracranial Metastases as Initial or Late Treatment.

Background/aim: We examined the difference between whole-brain radiation therapy (WBRT) for intracranial metastases (IM) from lung cancer as an initial and as a late treatment affecting overall survival (OS).

Patients And Methods: Thirty-three patients who presented with IM at initial examination who received WBRT as the initial treatment (initial WBRT group) and 47 patients without IM or with asymptomatic IM at initial examination who received WBRT after systemic therapy, between January 2014 and December 2020, were retrospectively analyzed. Patients' OS after WBRT were compared.

Successful treatment of nonsmall cell lung cancer patients with leptomeningeal metastases using whole brain radiotherapy and tyrosine kinase inhibitors.

The efficacy of treatments in patients with nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with leptomeningeal metastases (LMs) remains unclear. Epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) play an important role in the treatment of patients with NSCLC. However, few studies have investigated the efficacy of combination therapy with TKIs and whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT) in patients with NSCLC/LM.

The role of palliative radiation therapy in treating pleural or peritoneal disseminated tumors: 22 cases and a review of the literature.

Background: Local radiation therapy (RT) can provide pain relief and reduce bleeding resulting from pleural or peritoneal dissemination of primary tumors. However, the optimal RT exposure dose for such tumors is unclear and the response rate is unknown. In this study, we examined the effectiveness of palliative RT for pleural or peritoneal disseminated tumors to determine the optimal dose in these patients.

Computed Tomography of Lymph Node Metastasis Before and After Radiation Therapy: Correlations With Residual Tumour.

Background: Computed tomography (CT) performed after radiation therapy (RT) is used to detect residual lymph node (LN) metastasis. Here, we investigated which LN parameters on pre- and post-RT CT images correlated with residual tumour in patients with head and neck cancer.

Patients And Methods: We enrolled 23 patients who received RT.

What motivated medical students and residents to become radiation oncologists in Japan?-Questionnaire report by the radiotherapy promotion committee of JASTRO.

Unlabelled: This study aimed to clarify the motivations and timing of the decision to become radiation oncologists.

Materials And Methods: We conducted an online survey for new members of the Japanese Society for Radiation Oncology (JASTRO).

Results: The response rate was 43.

Partial chest wall radiation therapy for positive or close surgical margins after modified radical mastectomy for breast cancer without lymph node metastasis.

Aim: Whole-breast radiation therapy after breast-conserving surgery can control local recurrence with a long-term survival rate equivalent to that of radical mastectomy for patients with early breast cancer. However, the significance of radiation therapy for patients with positive/close margins after mastectomy remains controversial. Following radical mastectomy, no residual breast parenchyma remains, and thus radiation therapy of the entire chest wall may represent overtreatment in the patients, especially those without lymph node metastasis (N0).

Diameter of External Carotid Arteries in Patients With Mandibular Osteoradionecrosis.

Background/aim: To evaluate the association between osteoradionecrosis (ORN) of the mandible and stenosis of the external carotid artery after radiation therapy (RT) for head and neck cancer.

Patients And Methods: The computed tomography images of 42 patients (36 men, six women; median age, 64.5 years) treated with RT for head and neck cancer between January 2011 and December 2015 were reviewed.

Serum tumor marker levels at the development of intracranial metastasis in patients with lung or breast cancer.

Background: Intracranial metastasis (IM) is observed in various cancers, including in lung and breast cancer, and its timely diagnosis is required for successful patient treatment. Various tumor serum markers, such as carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), pro-gastrin-releasing peptide (ProGRP), neuron-specific enolase (NSE), and cancer antigen 15-3 (CA15-3), serve not only as prognostic indicators in lung and breast cancer but also as risk factors for IM development. This study is the first to assess a subgroup of cancer patients with IM that did not show elevated serum tumor marker levels.

Organizing pneumonia after thoracic radiotherapy followed by anti-PD-1 antibody treatment for patients with lung cancer: Three case reports.

Anti-PD-1 antibodies and thoracic radiation therapy (TRT) generate adverse events, including pneumonitis. However, there is limited information about potential overlapping toxicity of anti-PD-1 antibodies administered after TRT. Herein, we report three cases.

Radiation therapy for vaginal cancer in complete uterine prolapse with intrauterine adhesion: a case report.

Background: We encountered a woman with vaginal cancer that was associated with complete uterine prolapse and complicated by severe intrauterine adhesions. In this case report, we describe the clinical course and successful treatment of this rare condition.

Case Presentation: A 78-year-old woman (gravida 10, para 2, abortion 8) with a 10-year history of uterine prolapse presented for evaluation of bleeding from an ulceration on the surface of the irreducibly prolapsed uterus.

Myelosuppression After Radiation Therapy in Patients With and Without Autologous Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplantation: A Retrospective Observational Study.

Background/aim: Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (ASCT) after high-dose chemotherapy is used to treat relapsed malignant lymphomas. Radiation therapy (RT) is applied after ASCT. We compared the incidence of myelosuppression after RT with and without autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (auto-PBSCT).