Effects of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Malignant Bowel Obstruction Caused by Peritoneal Dissemination.

Introduction: This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) in patients presenting with malignant bowel obstruction (MBO) and peritoneal dissemination.

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively examined whether HBOT affects prognosis following MBO with peritoneal dissemination. This study included 44 patients diagnosed with MBO secondary to peritoneal dissemination at our hospital between January 2013 and December 2022.

Proton Pencil Beam Scanning Facilitates the Safe Treatment of Extended Radiation Targets for Hodgkin Lymphoma: A Report from the Proton Collaborative Group Registry.

Because proton beam therapy (PBT) can lower the dose of radiation to the heart, lungs, and breast, it is an established radiation modality for patients with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). Pencil beam scanning (PBS) PBT facilitates the treatment of more extensive targets. This may be especially of value for lymphoma patients who require RT to both mediastinal and axillary targets, defined here as extended target RT (ETRT), given the target distribution and need to minimize the lung, heart, and breast dose.

A quantitative framework for patient-specific collision detection in proton therapy.

Background: Beam modifying accessories for proton therapy often need to be placed in close proximity of the patient for optimal dosimetry. However, proton treatment units are larger in size and as a result the planned treatment geometry may not be achievable due to collisions with the patient. A framework that can accurately simulate proton treatment geometry is desired.

Coq10 for preventing cardiotoxicity in breast cancer patients treated with trastuzumab.

Trastuzumab is a successful treatment option for HER2-positive breast cancer, but a decline in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and an increase in inflammatory and cardiac enzyme biomarkers can lead to cessation and termination of therapy. This study aimed to investigate the ability of Coenzyme Q10 (Coq10) to avoid these adverse effects. The study included 100 female patients with HER2+ (HER2+3 or amplified gene) breast cancer.

Current Challenges of Asian National Children's Cancer Study Groups on Behalf of Asian Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Group.

In Asia, a few countries have a long and established history of collaborative clinical trials successfully formed national children's cancer study groups, but many still do not have such groups. The process of forming national children's cancer groups is fraught with many hurdles, which varies among the countries. One of the basic requirements for running clinical trials is an affordable health care system in which most of the children with cancer can receive the proposed treatment.

Comparing brass mesh to tissue equivalent bolus materials for volumetric modulated arc therapy chest wall irradiation.

Purpose: To compare the superficial dose when using brass mesh bolus (BMB), no bolus, or 3 mm tissue-equivalent bolus with a pseudo-flash volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) breast treatment planning technique.

Methods: Two different beam arrangements for right-sided irradiation and one beam arrangement for bilateral irradiation were planned on an inhomogeneous thorax phantom in accordance with our clinical practice for VMAT postmastectomy radiotherapy (PMRT). Plans were optimized using pseudo-flash and representative critical organ optimization structures were used to shape the dose.

Hemorphin-Based Analgesia: A Mechanism of Cupping Technique?

Background And Objective: Cupping is a time-honoured traditional healing modality for pain management and remains favoured by professionals and lay people across several cultures today. However, the analgesic mechanism of cupping is still poorly understood. In addition, clinical guidelines for standardized applications of cupping are currently lacking.

The RUNX Family Defines Trk Phenotype and Aggressiveness of Human Neuroblastoma through Regulation of p53 and MYCN.

The Runt-related transcription factor (RUNX) family, which is essential for the differentiation of cells of neural crest origin, also plays a potential role in neuroblastoma tumorigenesis. Consecutive studies in various tumor types have demonstrated that the RUNX family can play either pro-tumorigenic or anti-tumorigenic roles in a context-dependent manner, including in response to chemotherapeutic agents. However, in primary neuroblastomas, RUNX3 acts as a tumor-suppressor, whereas RUNX1 bifunctionally regulates cell proliferation according to the characterized genetic and epigenetic backgrounds, including MYCN oncogenesis.

CD8 T cell/cancer-associated fibroblast ratio stratifies prognostic and predictive responses to immunotherapy across multiple cancer types.

Background: Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) within the tumor microenvironment (TME) are critical for immune suppression by restricting immune cell infiltration in the tumor stromal zones from penetrating tumor islands and changing their function status, particularly for CD8 T cells. However, assessing and quantifying the impact of CAFs on immune cells and investigating how this impact is related to clinical outcomes, especially the efficacy of immunotherapy, remain unclear.

Materials And Methods: The TME was characterized using immunohistochemical (IHC) analysis using a large-scale sample size of gene expression profiles.

Dosimetric and feasibility evaluation of a CBCT-based daily adaptive radiotherapy protocol for locally advanced cervical cancer.

Purpose: Evaluate a cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT)-based daily adaptive platform in cervical cancer for multiple endpoints: (1) physics contouring accuracy of daily CTVs, (2) CTV coverage with adapted plans and reduced PTV margins versus non-adapted plans with standard-of-care (SOC) margins, (3) dosimetric improvements to CTV and organs-at-risk (OARs), and (4) on-couch time.

Methods And Materials: Using a Varian Ethos™ emulator and KV-CBCT scans, we simulated the doses 15 retrospective cervical cancer patients would have received with/without online adaptation for five fractions. We compared contours and doses from SOC plans (5-15 mm CTV-to-PTV margins) to adapted plans (3 mm margins).

Elevated neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is associated with poorer progression-free survival in unresectable stage III NSCLC treated with consolidation durvalumab.

Sustained elevation in neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) after initial chemoradiotherapy (CRT) has been shown to correlate with worse prognosis in a number of solid organ malignancies. Here, we conducted a retrospective observational cohort study involving six sites across Sydney, Australia, including all patients with unresectable stage III NSCLC treated with CRT and consolidation durvalumab between January 2018 and September 2021. Patients had NLR collected prior to CRT and prior to cycle one of durvalumab.

Outcomes and toxicities after proton partial breast radiotherapy for early stage, hormone receptor positive breast cancer: 3-Year results of a phase II multi-center trial.

Purpose: Proton therapy (PT) for partial breast irradiation (PBI) in early-stage breast cancer can decrease morbidity versus photon PBI with superior organs-at-risk sparing. We report 3-year outcomes of the first prospective, multicenter, phase II trial of proton PBI.

Methods And Materials: This Proton Collaborative Group phase II trial (PCG BRE007-12) recruited women ≥ 50 years with node-negative, estrogen receptor (ER)-positive, ≤3cm, invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) or ductal carcinoma in situ undergoing breast conserving surgery followed by proton PBI (40 Gy(RBE), 10 daily fractions).

A nomogram to predict survival probability of gastric cancer patients undergoing radical surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy.

Gastric cancer (GC) is the third-leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide. The aim of this study was to develop a nomogram that estimates 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year survival probability of GC patients after D2 gastrectomy combined with adjuvant chemotherapy. The results showed that median age is 58 (range: 18-85) years in the training cohort and 59 (range: 32-85) years in the validation cohort.

Toward automatic beam angle selection for pencil-beam scanning proton liver treatments: A deep learning-based approach.

Background: Dose deposition characteristics of proton radiation can be advantageous over photons. Proton treatment planning, however, poses additional challenges for the planners. Proton therapy is usually delivered with only a small number of beam angles, and the quality of a proton treatment plan is largely determined by the beam angles employed.

Volumetric de-escalation and improved acute toxicity with proton craniospinal irradiation using a vertebral body-sparing technique.

Purpose: In growing children, craniospinal irradiation (CSI) has historically treated the entire vertebral body (VB) to avoid potential long-term spinal abnormalities. Vertebral body-sparing proton craniospinal irradiation (VBSpCSI) is a technique that spares the majority of the VB from significant irradiation, and long-term safety outcomes have been reported previously. This retrospective study reviews the acute toxicity profile of children treated with VBSpCSI in a cohort comparison with photon-based craniospinal radiotherapy (3DCRT).

Radiation Therapy Techniques and Treatment-Related Toxicity in the PORTEC-3 Trial: Comparison of 3-Dimensional Conformal Radiation Therapy Versus Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy.

Purpose: Radiation therapy techniques have developed from 3-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3DCRT) to intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), with better sparing of the surrounding normal tissues. The current analysis aimed to investigate whether IMRT, compared to 3DCRT, resulted in fewer adverse events (AEs) and patient-reported symptoms in the randomized PORTEC-3 trial for high-risk endometrial cancer.

Methods And Materials: Data on AEs and patient-reported quality of life (QoL) of the PORTEC-3 trial were available for analysis.

Beam-Specific Spot Guidance and Optimization for PBS Proton Treatment of Bilateral Head and Neck Cancers.

Purpose: A multi-field optimization (MFO) technique that uses beam-specific spot placement volumes (SPVs) and spot avoidance volumes (SAVs) is introduced for bilateral head and neck (H&N) cancers. These beam-specific volumes are used to guide the optimizer to consistently achieve optimal organ-at-risk (OAR) sparing with target coverage and plan robustness.

Materials And Methods: Implementation of this technique using a 4-beam, 5-beam, and variant 5-beam arrangement is discussed.

Acceleration or Brakes: Which Is Rational for Cell Cycle-Targeting Neuroblastoma Therapy?

Unrestrained proliferation is a common feature of malignant neoplasms. Targeting the cell cycle is a therapeutic strategy to prevent unlimited cell division. Recently developed rationales for these selective inhibitors can be subdivided into two categories with antithetical functionality.

Double-strand breaks measured along a 160 MeV proton Bragg curve using a novel FIESTA-DNA probe in a cell-free environment.

Proton radiotherapy treatment planning systems use a constant relative biological effectiveness (RBE) = 1.1 to convert proton absorbed dose into biologically equivalent high-energy photon dose. This method ignores linear energy transfer (LET) distributions, and RBE is known to change as a function of LET.

Auto-Trending daily quality assurance program for a pencil beam scanning proton system aligned with TG 224.

The Daily Quality Assurance (DQA) for a proton modality is not standardized. The modern pencil beam scanning proton system is becoming a trend and an increasing number of proton centers with PBS are either under construction or in planning. The American Association of Physicists in Medicine has a Task Group 224 report published in 2019 for proton modality routine QA.

Monetary incentives for improving smartphone-measured oral hygiene behaviors in young children: A randomized pilot trial.

Aims: To assess feasibility, acceptability, and early efficacy of monetary incentive-based interventions on fostering oral hygiene in young children measured with a Bluetooth-enabled toothbrush and smartphone application.

Design: A stratified, parallel-group, three-arm individually randomized controlled pilot trial.

Setting: Two Los Angeles area Early Head Start (EHS) sites.

Pediatric nasopharyngeal cancer with repeated oligometastases involving the bone, liver and distant lymph nodes who achieved cure after radiotherapy.

Systemic chemotherapy is a standard treatment for Stage IVc nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Stage IVc NPC patients with oligometastases have a better prognosis, and local therapy has an important role in further development of the disease. However, the efficacy of local therapy to the metastases in patients with multiple-site and/or multiple-organ metastases is limited due to the aggressive behavior of the tumor.

Patient reported outcomes following proton pencil beam scanning vs. passive scatter/uniform scanning for localized prostate cancer: Secondary analysis of PCG 001-09.

Background: Although pencil beam scanning (PBS) is the most conformal method for proton beam therapy (PBT) delivery, it is unknown if outcomes differ compared to treatment with passive scatter/uniform scanning (PS/US). This analysis compares patient reported outcomes (PRO) changes following PBS and PS/US for prostate cancer (PC) in a prospective multicenter registry study.

Methods: We evaluated PROs with the Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite (EPIC) instrument for men with localized PC enrolled in PCG 001-09 (NCT01255748).

Network Pharmacology-Based Strategy for Predicting Therapy Targets of Traditional Chinese Medicine Xihuang Pill on Liver Cancer.

Objective: To investigate the potential therapy targets and pharmacological mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) Xihuang pill in liver cancer based on network pharmacology.

Methods: Drug ingredients-target network was constructed based on the target sets of Xihuang pill and liver cancer. The overlapping genes between Xihuang pill targets and liver cancer-related molecular targets were investigated using comparative analysis.

A Multi-Institutional Experience of Proton Beam Therapy for Sinonasal Tumors.

Purpose: To report the outcomes of sinonasal tumors treated with proton beam therapy (PBT) on the Proton Collaborative Group registry study.

Methods And Materials: Sixty-nine patients with sinonasal tumors underwent curative intent PBT between 2010 and 2016. Patients who received de novo irradiation (42 patients) were analyzed separately from those who received reirradiation (27 patients) (re-RT).