Encorafenib and binimetinib followed by radiotherapy for patients with BRAFV600-mutant melanoma and brain metastases (E-BRAIN/GEM1802 phase II study).

Background: Encorafenib plus binimetinib (EB) is a standard-of-care treatment for advanced BRAFV600-mutant melanoma. We assessed the efficacy and safety of encorafenib plus binimetinib in patients with BRAFV600-mutant melanoma and brain metastasis (BM) and explored if radiotherapy improves the duration of response.

Methods: E-BRAIN/GEM1802 was a prospective, multicenter, single-arm, phase II trial that enrolled patients with melanoma BRAFV600-mutant and BM.

Nadir prostate-specific antigen after salvage cryotherapy as a potential prognostic factor for oncologic outcomes.

Purpose: To report oncologic outcomes of patients undergoing salvage cryotherapy (SCT) for local recurrence of prostate cancer (PCa) and to establish a nadir PSA (nPSA) value that best defines long-term oncologic success.

Methods: Retrospective study of men who underwent SCT for local recurrence of PCa between 2008 and 2020. SCT was performed in men with biochemical recurrence (BCR), after primary treatment and with biopsy-proven PCa local recurrence.

Clinical outcomes and timing on the combination of focal radiation therapy and immunotherapy for the treatment of brain metastases.

Introduction: Radiotherapy is one of the standard treatments for brain metastases (BM). Over the past years, the introduction of immunotherapy as routine treatment for solid tumors has forced investigators to review and evaluate how it would interact with radiation. Radiation and Immunotherapy have shown a synergic effect activating the host's immune system and enhancing treatment response.

Clinicopathological and Neuroimaging Features of Primary Gliosarcoma: A Case Series and Review of Literature.

Background: Gliosarcoma (GS) is a rare primary high-grade brain neoplasm with a poor prognosis and challenging surgical resection. Although it is now considered a morphologic variant of IDH-wildtype glioblastoma (World Health Organization Classification of Tumours 2021), GS may display peculiarities that hamper both surgical and oncological management.

Methods: In this retrospective study, we searched our registry for histologically confirmed GS patients between 2006 and 2020.

Texture Analysis of the Apparent Diffusion Coefficient Focused on Contrast-Enhancing Lesions in Predicting Survival for Bevacizumab-Treated Patients with Recurrent Glioblastoma.

Purpose: Glioblastoma often recurs after treatment. Bevacizumab increases progression-free survival in some patients with recurrent glioblastoma. Identifying pretreatment predictors of survival can help clinical decision making.

Persistent lymph nodes after curative chemoradiotherapy for head and neck cancer: imaging predictors of response for decision-making.

Purpose: To identify response predictors in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (N + HNSCC) and persistent lymph nodes after curative chemoradiotherapy treatment (CCRT).

Materials And Methods: Consecutive patients with N + HNSCC treated with CCRT and persistent lymph nodes at first follow-up between 2015 and 2021 were identified and analyzed. Complete response was defined as the absence of lymph node metastatic involvement in patients with salvage lymphadenectomy or the absence of progression after 1 year of successive follow-ups.

CO-TOLMS for laryngeal cancer in the elderly, pushing the boundaries of partial laryngectomy.

Introduction: CO transoral laser microsurgery (CO-TOLMS) has pushed the indications of partial surgery of the larynx regardless the age of the patient.

Objective: To evaluate the complications and the oncologic and functional outcomes of CO-TOLMS in patients older and younger than 70 years.

Methods: Retrospective analysis of 1244 consecutive laryngeal carcinomas treated with CO-TOLMS.

Analgesic effects of low-dose radiotherapy in greater trochanteric pain syndrome: results in a clinical series of 155 patients with recurrent or refractory symptoms.

Purpose: This prospective study assessed the effects of low-dose radiotherapy in patients diagnosed with greater trochanteric pain syndrome (GTPS) with recurrent symptoms or refractory to previous conservative measures.

Methods: We evaluated a total of 155 patients (90.3% women, mean age 69 years).

Transoral laser microsurgery in locally advanced laryngeal cancer: Prognostic impact of anterior versus posterior compartments.

Background: To evaluate the importance of larynx compartments in the prognosis of T3-T4a laryngeal cancer treated with transoral laser microsurgery.

Methods: Two hundred and two consecutive pT3-T4a larynx carcinomas. Pre-epiglottic space involvement, anterior and posterior paraglottic space (PGS) involvement, vocal cord, and arytenoid mobility were determined.

Exploratory analysis of clinical benefit of ipilimumab and nivolumab treatment in patients with metastatic melanoma from a single institution.

Purpose: We retrospectively analysed overall survival (OS) and potential predictive biomarkers of OS in patients with metastatic melanoma treated with ipilimumab plus nivolumab in a single institution.

Methods And Patients: Electronic medical records of patients with advanced melanoma receiving ≥ 1 dose of a combined ipilimumab plus nivolumab regimen between March 3, 2016 and March 7, 2020 in a single institution, were reviewed. OS was analysed using the Kaplan-Meier method.

Recommendations for postoperative radiotherapy in head & neck squamous cell carcinoma in the presence of flaps: A GORTEC internationally-reviewed HNCIG-endorsed consensus.

Introduction: Head and neck reconstructive surgery using a flap is increasingly common. Best practices and outcomes for postoperative radiotherapy (poRT) with flaps have not been specified. We aimed to provide consensus recommendations to assist clinical decision-making highlighting areas of uncertainty in the presence of flaps.

Succinate Pathway in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Potential as a Diagnostic and Prognostic Marker.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is characterized by high rates of mortality and treatment-related morbidity, underscoring the urgent need for innovative and safe treatment strategies and diagnosis practices. Mitochondrial dysfunction is a hallmark of cancer and can lead to the accumulation of tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates, such as succinate, which function as oncometabolites. In addition to its role in cancer development through epigenetic events, succinate is an extracellular signal transducer that modulates immune response, angiogenesis and cell invasion by activating its cognate receptor SUCNR1.

Chronic toxicity and long-term outcome in intraoperative electron radiotherapy as boost followed by whole-breast irradiation.

Purpose: The administration of a dose boost to the tumor bed after breast-conserving surgery has proven to reduce local recurrence. Intra-operative electron radiotherapy (IOERT) offers an alternative method to deliver a boost with several advantages, such as direct visualization of the tumor bed, less inter- and intrafraction motion and a reduction in the number of medical appointments. The objective of our study is to assess chronic toxicity and long-term outcome for our patients after IOERT boost.

Diagnostic utility and therapeutic impact of PET/CT [F]F-Fluoromethylcholine -Choline in the biochemical recurrence of prostate cancer.

Objective: To assess the diagnostic capability of PET/CT with [F]F-Fluoromethylcholine in prostate cancer (PC) with biochemical recurrence and its therapeutic impact.

Material And Methods: We included 108 patients, diagnosed with PC with biochemical criteria for recurrence. A PET/CT Choline scan was performed by dynamic pelvic and whole body study at 60min post-tracer injection.

Spanish validation of Charlson index applied to prostate cancer.

Purpose: Comorbidity assessment is essential in the triage of care for men with prostate cancer (PC). The aim of this study was to validate the Spanish version of the revised Charlson index (RCI) in PC.

Materials And Methods: 731 PC patients diagnosed from 1993 to 2008 were referred to our Radiation Oncology Department.

Postoperative adjuvant and very early salvage radiotherapy after prostatectomy in high-risk prostate cancer patients can improve specific and overall survival.

Purpose: Adjuvant radiotherapy (ART) for biochemical relapse (BR) after radical prostatectomy (RP) showed increased disease-free survival (DFS) in three previous randomized trials. Retrospective phase II trials evaluated if early salvage RT (ESRT) is equivalent to ART. Our study aims to compare ART and ESRT to salvage RT.

Is anti-inflammatory radiotherapy an effective treatment in trochanteritis?

Objective: To evaluate the analgesic efficacy of low-dose radiotherapy in refractory cases of trochanteritis.

Methods: We evaluated a total of 60 consecutive patients who received low-dose radiotherapy to achieve an anti-inflammatory and analgesic effect for recurrent trochanteritis following scarce response to conventional therapy. All patients were evaluated at baseline (prior to radiotherapy) and at 1 and 4 months after radiotherapy and then yearly thereafter for pain assessment using a visual analogue scale (VAS) and to determine the administration of analgesic treatment.

Increased signal intensity in FLAIR sequences in the resection cavity can predict progression and progression-free survival in gliomas.

Objective: To determine if hyperintense fluid in the postsurgical cavity on follow-up fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) sequences can predict progression in gliomas.

Material And Methods: Observational study of magnetic resonance imaging signal of fluid within the post-surgical cavity in patients with glioma (grade II-IV), with surgery and follow-up between 2007 and 2012. Qualitative comparison between the signal of fluid in the cavity and of the ventricular cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was performed on FLAIR sequences.

Vaginal-cuff control and toxicity results of a daily HDR brachytherapy schedule in endometrial cancer patients.

Purpose: To analyze the vaginal-cuff local control (VCC) and toxicity in postoperative endometrial carcinoma patients (EC) underwent high-dose-rate brachytherapy (HDR-BT) administered daily.

Materials And Methods: 154 consecutive patients received postoperative HDR-BT for EC from January 2007 to September 2011. FIGO-staging I-IIIC2 patients were divided into two groups according to risk classification: Group 1 (94/154) included high-risk or advanced disease patients and Group 2 (60/154) included intermediate-risk EC patients.

Correlation between clinical findings and magnetic resonance imaging for the assessment of local response after standard treatment in cervical cancer.

Background: The aim of our study is to evaluate the correlation between gynecological examination and magnetic resonance (MRI) findings for the assessment of local response in cervical cancer patients treated with radiotherapy/chemotherapy (RT/ChT).

Patients And Methods: This study is a retrospective review of 75 consecutive cervical cancer patients from April 2004 to November 2009 treated with RT/ChT. Clinical and radiological data were subsequently analyzed.

Three or four fractions per week in postoperative high-dose-rate brachytherapy for endometrial carcinoma. The long-term results on vaginal relapses and toxicity.

Background: High-dose-rate brachytherapy (HDR-BT) is an accepted part of treatment for endometrial carcinoma and is usually performed in 1-2 fractions per week using different total doses and doses per fraction. To reduce the overall treatment time, HDR-BT was administered with a 3-4 days/week schedule.

Patients And Methods: From June 2003 to December 2008, 164 patients with stage I-IIIc endometrial carcinoma were treated with HDR-BT (4-5 Gy per fraction).

Impact of radiotherapy delay on survival in glioblastoma.

Background: Previous studies in glioblastoma have concluded that there is no decrease in survival with increasing time to initiation of RT up to 6 weeks after surgery. Unfortunately, the number of glioblastoma patients who start RT beyond 6 weeks is not small in some countries. The aim of our study was to evaluate the effect of RT delay beyond 6 weeks on survival of patients who have undergone completed resection of a glioblastoma.

Daily schedule for high-dose-rate brachytherapy in postoperative treatment of endometrial carcinoma.

Purpose: To analyze the results of daily high-dose-rate brachytherapy (HDRBT) on local control and toxicity in the postoperative treatment of endometrial carcinoma (EC).

Materials And Methods: From January 2007 to September 2010, 112 patients were treated with HDRBT after surgery for EC. FIGO staging: 24-IA, 48-IB, 14-II, 12-IIIA, 2-IIIB, 8-IIIC1 and 4-IIIC2.

Does gender matter in glioblastoma?

BACKGROUND The clinical outcome of glioblastoma (GBM) patients who receive radiotherapy alone or with chemotherapy is well established. However, little is known about how many patients do not receive this treatment. We consider it is important to investigate why a proportion of operated patients do not receive further treatment after surgery.