Therapy-Associated Saliva and Taste change Evaluation (TASTE) in head & neck cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy: a study protocol.

Background: One of the main side effects of radiation therapy to the head and neck region is altered taste sensation. This causes significant morbidity and has profound effects on the quality of life (QoL) of patients. While radiation-associated toxicities like xerostomia and dysphagia are part of large investigations, data on taste impairment is sparse.

Regional hyperthermia for soft tissue sarcoma - a survey on current practice, controversies and consensus among 12 European centers.

Purpose: To analyze the current practice of regional hyperthermia (RHT) for soft tissue sarcoma (STS) at 12 European centers to provide an overview, find consensuses and identify controversies necessary for future guidelines and clinical trials.

Methods: In this cross-sectional survey study, a 27-item questionnaire assessing clinical subjects and procedural details on RHT for STS was distributed to 12 European cancer centers for RHT.

Results: We have identified seven controversies and five consensus points.

Theoretical evaluation of the impact of diverse treatment conditions by calculation of the tumor control probability (TCP) of simulated cervical cancer Hyperthermia-Radiotherapy (HT-RT) treatments in-silico.

Introduction: Hyperthermia (HT) induces various cellular biological processes, such as repair impairment and direct HT cell killing. In this context, biophysical models that translate deviations in the treatment conditions into clinical outcome variations may be used to study the extent of such processes and their influence on combined hyperthermia plus radiotherapy (HT + RT) treatments under varying conditions.

Methods: An extended linear-quadratic model calibrated for SiHa and HeLa cell lines (cervical cancer) was used to theoretically study the impact of varying HT treatment conditions on radiosensitization and direct HT cell killing effect.

Real World Analysis of Quality of Life and Toxicity in Cancer Patients Treated with Hyperthermia Combined with Radio(chemo)therapy.

Hyperthermia (HT) in combination with radio(chemo)therapy (RCT) is a well-established cancer treatment strategy. This report analyses the quality of life (QoL), toxicity and survival outcomes in patients with different tumor entities who received HT in combination with RCT. The primary endpoint of this study was the assessment of QoL scale items 3 and 12 months after treatment in patients who were treated with palliative intent and curative intent, respectively.

Clinical Evidence for Thermometric Parameters to Guide Hyperthermia Treatment.

Hyperthermia (HT) is a cancer treatment modality which targets malignant tissues by heating to 40-43 °C. In addition to its direct antitumor effects, HT potently sensitizes the tumor to radiotherapy (RT) and chemotherapy (CT), thereby enabling complete eradication of some tumor entities as shown in randomized clinical trials. Despite the proven efficacy of HT in combination with classic cancer treatments, there are limited international standards for the delivery of HT in the clinical setting.

The influence of radiation dose on taste impairment in a prospective observational study cohort of oropharyngeal cancer patients.

Background: To analyze the influence of radiation dose on late radiation-associated taste impairment in oropharyngeal cancer (OPC) patients treated with intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) using the taste bud bearing tongue mucosa as organ at risk.

Material And Methods: This study is part of an ongoing, prospective observational study. Cancer-free OPC survivors with at least 24 months from IMRT were included in this analysis.

A 2.5D convolutional neural network for HPV prediction in advanced oropharyngeal cancer.

Background: Infection with human papilloma virus (HPV) is one of the most relevant prognostic factors in advanced oropharyngeal cancer (OPC) treatment. In this study we aimed to assess the diagnostic accuracy of a deep learning-based method for HPV status prediction in computed tomography (CT) images of advanced OPC.

Method: An internal dataset and three public collections were employed (internal: n = 151, HNC1: n = 451; HNC2: n = 80; HNC3: n = 110).

Consolidation cetuximab after concurrent triplet radiochemotherapy+cetuximab in patients with advanced head and neck cancer: A randomized phase II study.

Background And Purpose: Preclinical data suggest that cetuximab should be continued after end of concurrent radiotherapy+cetuximab due to its efficacy against residual tumor cells in the irradiated tumor bed. Based on this concept the phase II add-on cetuximab (AOC) study was designed.

Materials And Methods: Altogether 63 patients with advanced head and neck cancer were treated with radiochemotherapy (70 Gy, cisplatin 40 mg/m weekly) in combination with concurrent cetuximab (loading dose 400 mg/m, then 250 mg/m weekly).

Prospective Evaluation of Changes in Pain Levels, Quality of Life and Functionality After Low Dose Radiotherapy for Epicondylitis, Plantar Fasciitis, and Finger Osteoarthritis.

The objective benefits of low dose radiotherapy (LDRT) for non-malignant joint disorders are controversial. This study evaluated changes in pain, quality of life (QoL) and function after LDRT for epicondylitis, plantar fasciitis, and finger osteoarthritis. Patients over 40 years old with epicondylitis, plantar fasciitis, and finger osteoarthritis were had pain following at least 6 months of conservative therapy.

Privacy-preserving distributed learning of radiomics to predict overall survival and HPV status in head and neck cancer.

A major challenge in radiomics is assembling data from multiple centers. Sharing data between hospitals is restricted by legal and ethical regulations. Distributed learning is a technique, enabling training models on multicenter data without data leaving the hospitals ("privacy-preserving" distributed learning).

A Pilot Study of Radiotherapy and Local Hyperthermia in Elderly Patients With Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancers Unfit for Definitive Surgery or Chemoradiotherapy.

To present the outcomes of a pilot study with hyperthermia (HT) and radiotherapy (RT) in elderly patients of muscle-invasive bladder cancers (MIBC) unfit for surgery or chemoradiotherapy (CTRT). Sixteen elderly patients with unifocal or multifocal MIBCs received a total dose of 48 Gy/16 fractions/4 weeks or 50 Gy/20 fractions/4 weeks, respectively. HT with a radiofrequency HT unit was delivered once weekly for 60 min before RT and a mean temperature of 41.

Pattern of failure after adjuvant radiotherapy following extrapleural pneumonectomy of pleural mesothelioma in the SAKK 17/04 trial.

Postoperative radiotherapy after extrapleural pneumonectomy of malignant pleural mesothelioma was investigated in the randomized phase II trial SAKK17/04. The relapse rate within the high and/or low-dose PTV without previous distant failure was 24%, the isolated in-field-relapse rate within the PTVs was 5% and the distant relapse rate outside of the PTVs was 81%. Clinical outcome was mainly determined by distant disease progression outside of the radiation field.

Dependency of the blood oxygen level dependent-response to hyperoxic challenges on the order of gas administration in intracranial malignancies.

Purpose: Literature reports contradicting results on the response of brain tumors to vascular stimuli measured in T2*-weighted MRI. Here, we analyzed the potential dependency of the MRI-response to (hypercapnic) hyperoxia on the order of the gas administration.

Methods: T2* values were quantified at 3 Tesla in eight consenting patients at rest and during inhalation of hyperoxic/hypercapnic gas mixtures.

Conventional Versus Hypofractionated Radiation Therapy for Localized or Locally Advanced Prostate Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis along with Therapeutic Implications.

Purpose: A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to evaluate the therapeutic outcomes of conventional radiation therapy (CRT) and hypofractionated radiation therapy (HRT) for localized or locally advanced prostate cancer (LLPCa).

Methods And Materials: A total of 599 abstracts were extracted from 5 databases and screened in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Only phase III trials randomized between CRT and HRT in LLPCa with a minimum of 5 years of follow-up data were considered.

PET-CT guided SIB-IMRT combined with concurrent 5-FU/MMC for the treatment of anal cancer.

Background: To evaluate local control (LC), survival and toxicity in anal cancer patients treated with intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and concurrent chemotherapy at a single institution.

Material And Methods: From August 2010 to May 2015, 26 patients were treated at our institution with IMRT and concurrent 5-fluorouracil/mitomycin-C (5-FU/MMC) for localized squamous cell carcinoma of the anal canal (SCCAC). Radiotherapy (RT) with 50.

A flexible 70 MHz phase-controlled double waveguide system for hyperthermia treatment of superficial tumours with deep infiltration.

Purpose: Superficial tumours with deep infiltration in the upper 15 cm of the trunk cannot be treated adequately with existing hyperthermia systems. The aim of this study was to develop, characterise and evaluate a new flexible two-channel hyperthermia system (AMC-2) for tumours in this region.

Materials And Methods: The two-channel AMC-2 system has two horizontally revolving and height adjustable 70 MHz waveguides.

Hyperthermia and Radiation Therapy in Locoregional Recurrent Breast Cancers: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Purpose: To conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the outcome of hyperthermia (HT) and radiation therapy (RT) in locally recurrent breast cancers (LRBCs).

Methods And Materials: A total of 708 abstracts were screened from 8 databases according to the PRISMA guidelines. Single-arm and 2-arm studies, treating LRBCs with HT and RT but without surgery (for local recurrence) or concurrent chemotherapy were considered.