Partial or Focal Brachytherapy for Prostate Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Introduction: Recent advances in image-guided brachytherapy have allowed for treatment volume reduction in the treatment of prostate cancer, with the aim to optimize disease control and reduce toxicities. This systematic review reports on the efficacy and safety of focal brachytherapy for treatment of patients with localized prostate cancer.

Methods: Medline, Embase, Web of Science and Cochrane were searched from inception to July 2023.

Feasibility of computed tomography-derived surgical margin assessment in an ex vivo sublobar lung resection model.

Objectives: Computed tomography (CT) imaging of a sublobar resection specimen may inform intraoperative surgical margin assessment. However, consistency with final pathological margins has not been previously evaluated. In this study, we investigated the concordance between surgical margin measurements by CT versus pathology measurements using an ex vivo sublobar lung resection model.

Pharmacokinetics of ceftriaxone, gentamicin, meropenem and vancomycin in liver cirrhosis: a systematic review.

Objectives: Patients with liver cirrhosis are prone to develop severe bacterial infections. Pharmacokinetics (PK) of antibiotics in cirrhosis are potentially affected by impaired biotransformation phases 0-3 and consequences of portal hypertension such as portovenous shunting, ascites formation and/or acute kidney injury (AKI). We aimed to elucidate to what extent PK of selected antibiotics and, therefore, dosage recommendations are affected in adults with cirrhosis.

Clinical Outcomes of 3 Versus 4 Fractions of Magnetic Resonance Image-Guided Brachytherapy in Cervical Cancer.

Purpose: Magnetic resonance image-guided brachytherapy is essential in the management of locally advanced cervical cancer. This study compares disease and toxicity outcomes in cervical cancer patients treated with 24 Gy/3 fractions (Fr) versus the conventional 28 Gy/4 Fr.

Methods And Materials: This retrospective study included 241 consecutive patients with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics 2018 stage IB to IVA cervical cancer treated with definitive chemoradiation between April 2014 and March 2021.

Rapid multi-catheter segmentation for magnetic resonance image-guided catheter-based interventions.

Background: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the gold standard for delineating cancerous lesions in soft tissue. Catheter-based interventions require the accurate placement of multiple long, flexible catheters at the target site. The manual segmentation of catheters in MR images is a challenging and time-consuming task.

Recommendations for the safe use of direct oral anticoagulants in patients with cirrhosis based on a systematic review of pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic and safety data.

Purpose: The popularity of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) is increasing among patients with cirrhosis. Cirrhosis has a major impact on the pharmacokinetics of drugs, potentially increasing adverse events. Safe use of drugs in cirrhosis requires a diligent risk-benefit analysis.

Nanoparticle-mediated Photodynamic Therapy as a Method to Ablate Oral Cavity Squamous Cell Carcinoma in Preclinical Models.

Unlabelled: Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a tissue ablation technique able to selectively target tumor cells by activating the cytotoxicity of photosensitizer dyes with light. PDT is nonsurgical and tissue sparing, two advantages for treatments in anatomically complex disease sites such as the oral cavity. We have previously developed PORPHYSOME (PS) nanoparticles assembled from chlorin photosensitizer-containing building blocks (∼94,000 photosensitizers per particle) and capable of potent PDT.

Investigating the effects of a temperature dependent photodynamic dose: A numerical study.

Significance: Photodynamic therapy (PDT) and photothermal therapy (PTT) show promise as cancer treatments, but challenges in generating large ablative volumes for deep-seated tumours persist. Using simulations, this study investigates combined PDT and PTT to increase treatment volumes, including the impact of a temperature-dependent PDT dose on the treatment volume radius.

Approach: A finite-element model, using the open-source SfePy package, was developed to simulate combined interstitial photothermal and photodynamic treatments.

Changing Prevalence of Medication Use in People with Cirrhosis: A Retrospective Cohort Study Using Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme Data.

Background: Safe and appropriate use of medicines is essential to improve health outcomes in cirrhosis. However, little is known about the number and type of medicines dispensed to people with cirrhosis in Australia, as this predominantly occurs in the community. We aimed to characterise the prescriptions dispensed to people with cirrhosis and explore changes in the use of medication groups over time.

Monte Carlo investigation of dose distribution of uniformly and non-uniformly loaded standard and notched eye plaques.

To investigate the effect of using non-uniform loading and notched plaques on dose distribution for eye plaques. Using EGSnrc Monte Carlo (MC) simulations, we investigate eye plaque dose distributions in water and in an anatomically representative eye phantom. Simulations were performed in accordance with TG43 formalism and compared against full MC simulations which account for inter-seed and inhomogeneity effects.

Artificial intelligence applications in brachytherapy: A literature review.

Purpose: Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to simplify and optimize various steps of the brachytherapy workflow, and this literature review aims to provide an overview of the work done in this field.

Methods And Materials: We conducted a literature search in June 2022 on PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane for papers that proposed AI applications in brachytherapy.

Results: A total of 80 papers satisfied inclusion/exclusion criteria.

Photodynamic and Photothermal Therapies: Synergy Opportunities for Nanomedicine.

Tumoricidal photodynamic (PDT) and photothermal (PTT) therapies harness light to eliminate cancer cells with spatiotemporal precision by either generating reactive oxygen species or increasing temperature. Great strides have been made in understanding biological effects of PDT and PTT at the cellular, vascular and tumor microenvironmental levels, as well as translating both modalities in the clinic. Emerging evidence suggests that PDT and PTT may synergize due to their different mechanisms of action, and their nonoverlapping toxicity profiles make such combination potentially efficacious.

Laser interstitial thermal therapy of lung lesions near large vessels: a numerical study.

Laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT) is an evolving hyperthermia-based technology that may offer a minimally invasive alternative to inoperable lung cancer. LITT of perivascular targets is challenged by higher risk of disease recurrence due to vascular heat sinks, as well as risk of damage to these vascular structures. The objective of this work is to examine the impact of multiple vessel parameters on the efficacy of the treatment and the integrity of the vessel wall in perivascular LITT.

Comparing dosimetry of locally advanced cervical cancer patients treated with 3 versus 4 fractions of MRI-guided brachytherapy.

Purpose: To demonstrate the feasibility of treating cervical cancer patients with MRI-guided brachytherapy (MRgBT) using 24 Gy in 3 fractions (F) versus a standard, more resource-intensive regimen of 28 Gy in 4F, and its ability to meet EMBRACE II planning aims.

Methods And Materials: A retrospective review of 224 patients with FIGO Stage IB-IVA cervical cancer treated with 28 Gy/4F (n = 91) and 24 Gy/3F (n = 133) MRgBT between 2016-2021 was conducted. Multivariable linear regression models were fitted to compare dosimetric parameters between the two groups, adjusting for CTV and T stage.

Corrigendum: MRI-guided focal or integrated boost high dose rate brachytherapy for recurrent prostate cancer.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.

MRI-guided focal or integrated boost high dose rate brachytherapy for recurrent prostate cancer.

Background And Purpose: Locally recurrent prostate cancer after radiotherapy merits an effective salvage strategy that mitigates the risk of adverse events. We report outcomes of a cohort enrolled across two institutions investigating MRI-guided tumor-targeted salvage high dose rate brachytherapy (HDR-BT).

Materials And Methods: Analysis of a prospective cohort of 88 patients treated across two institutions with MRI-guided salvage HDR-BT to visible local recurrence after radiotherapy (RT).

Preliminary Study of a Modular MR-Compatible Robot for Image-Guided Insertion of Multiple Needles.

Percutaneous needle-based interventions such as transperineal prostate brachytherapy require the accurate placement of multiple needles to treat cancerous lesions within the target organ. To guide needle placement, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) offers excellent visualization of the target lesion without the need for ionizing radiation. To date, multi-needle insertion relies on a grid template, which limits the ability to steer individual needles.

Assessing the Accuracy of Bioluminescence Image-Guided Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy of Orthotopic Pancreatic Tumors Using a Small Animal Irradiator.

Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) has shown promising results in the treatment of pancreatic cancer and other solid tumors. However, wide adoption of SBRT remains limited largely due to uncertainty about the treatment's optimal fractionation schedules to elicit maximal tumor response while limiting the dose to adjacent structures. A small animal irradiator in combination with a clinically relevant oncological animal model could address these questions.

Preclinical evaluation of a clinical prototype transrectal diffuse optical tomography system for monitoring photothermal therapy of focal prostate cancer.

Significance: Our work demonstrates in preclinical models that continuous-wave transrectal diffuse optical tomography (TRDOT) can be used to accurately monitor photothermal therapy (PTT) and, in particular, the progression of the photocoagulation boundary toward the rectum. When used in patients, this should prevent rectal damage during PTT, thereby achieving maximum treatment efficacy while ensuring safety, using a technology platform suitable for wide dissemination.

Aim: We aim to validate that TRDOT measurements analyzed using a shape-based image-reconstruction algorithm (SBDOT) allow localization of the photocoagulation boundary during PTT within ±1  mm toward the rectum in the transverse plane.

Evaluating an Image-Guided Operating Room with Cone Beam CT for Skull Base Surgery.

 Skull base surgery requires precise preoperative assessment and intraoperative management of the patient. Surgical navigation is routinely used for complex skull base cases; however, the image guidance is commonly based on preoperative scans alone.  The primary objective of this study was to assess the image quality of intraoperative cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) within anatomical landmarks used in sinus and skull base surgery.

tissue pathology from spatially encoded mass spectrometry classifiers visualized in real time through augmented reality.

Integration between a hand-held mass spectrometry desorption probe based on picosecond infrared laser technology (PIRL-MS) and an optical surgical tracking system demonstrates tissue pathology from point-sampled mass spectrometry data. Spatially encoded pathology classifications are displayed at the site of laser sampling as color-coded pixels in an augmented reality video feed of the surgical field of view. This is enabled by two-way communication between surgical navigation and mass spectrometry data analysis platforms through a custom-built interface.

A Comparison of Two Probes to Determine Rectum Optical Properties.

Tissue optical properties are crucial for determining the light dose delivered to the tumor. Two probes are compared: the two-catheter probe is based on transmittance measurement between one point source and one isotropic detector inside parallel catheters spaced at 0.5 cm along a 1-inch diameter transparent cylinder; and a 1-inch trans-rectal diffuse optical tomography (DOT) probe designed for prostate measurements, using a multiple fiber-array with source-detector separations of 1.