Potential of non-Western medicines in chemoradiotherapy for cervical cancer.

This editorial explores the potential integration of non-Western medicine into radiotherapy for cervical cancer. While radiotherapy remains a radical treatment for cervical cancer, its associated toxicity and decline in quality of life can significantly impact patients' lives. Currently, most treatments are supportive, with no specific treatment options available in Western medicine.

Diagnostic Role of Endoscopic Ultrasound in Cardiac Angiosarcoma.

Primary cardiac tumors are a rare disease, with 20% of the cases being malignant. Among them, angiosarcoma is characterized by a short clinical course and poor prognosis, even after surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. We present a 67-year-old woman diagnosed with a primary malignant tumor (angiosarcoma) infiltrating the right atrial myocardium.

Mesenchymal stem cell therapies evidence in the treatment of irradiated salivary glands: A scoping review.

Background: Radiotherapy is one of the main treatments for head and neck cancer; however, due to its non-selectivity the glandular tissue can be affected. This scoping review aimed to identify the evidence about mesenchymal stem cell therapies for irradiated salivary gland regeneration.

Material And Methods: Two independent reviewers performed a literature search in MEDLINE/PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science.

Targeting CD45 by gene-edited CAR T cells for leukemia eradication and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation preconditioning.

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is widely used to treat patients with life-threatening hematologic and immune system disorders. Current nontargeted chemo-/radiotherapy conditioning regimens cause tissue injury and induce an array of immediate and delayed adverse effects, limiting the application of this life-saving treatment. The growing demand to replace canonical conditioning regimens has led to the development of alternative approaches, such as antibody-drug conjugates, naked antibodies, and CAR T cells.

Risk factors and prediction model for sub-threshold depression in young and middle-aged breast cancer patients.

Objective: To explore the current status of subthreshold depression in young and middle-aged breast cancer patients and its influencing factors, in order to guide early identification and intervention in clinical settings.

Methods: The study included 385 young and middle-aged cancer patients treated at the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University from June 2023 to June 2024. Standardized scales were used to evaluate sub-threshold depression, psychological resilience, and self-perceived burden.

Treatment of Patients With Extraskeletal Ewing Sarcoma in the Scapular and Arm Regions With Wide Resection: A Report of Two Cases and Literature Review.

Extraskeletal Ewing sarcoma (EES) is a rare and aggressive malignancy originating in soft tissues, distinct from osseous Ewing sarcoma. It commonly affects adolescents and young adults but can occur at any age. Due to its rarity and overlapping clinical features with other malignancies, EES poses significant diagnostic and therapeutic challenges.

The Incidence of Early Postoperative Complications Following Modified Radical Mastectomy in Breast Cancer Patients.

Introduction Breast cancer is considered the most common malignant tumor in women, and incidence rates have risen progressively over the last decades. Modified radical mastectomy (MRM) is an effective treatment option. This research sought to establish the frequency, causes, and distribution of postoperative complications that are associated with MRM in the Pakistani population suffering from breast cancer.

Cardiac strangulation with chronic ab-extrinseco occlusion of the left-circumflex artery from an epicardial lead: a case report.

Background: Cardiac strangulation (CS) from epicardial pacing leads (EPLs) is a rare and potentially lethal mechanical complication associated with epicardial pacemaker (PM) implantation.

Case Summary: We report a case of a 44-year-old-female patient presenting with chest and left shoulder pain in the absence of reported trauma with history of congenital atrioventricular block treated with epicardial PM implantation during the childhood and subsequent transvenous reimplantation over the years. Troponin I resulted within normal values and ECG, transthoracic echocardiography and chest X-ray documented no acute cardiopulmonary findings.

Predictive modeling of breast cancer-related lymphedema using machine learning algorithms.

Background: Breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL) is one of the common complications after breast cancer surgery. It can easily lead to limb swelling, deformation and upper limb dysfunction, which has a serious impact on the physical and mental health and quality of life of patients. Previous studies have mostly used statistical methods such as linear regression and logistic regression to analyze the influencing factors, but all of them have certain limitations.

Conversion Therapy for Stage IV Gastric Cancer: Report From the Expert Consensus Meeting at KINGCA WEEK 2024.

Conversion therapy is a treatment strategy that shifts from palliative systemic therapy to curative surgical treatment for primary and/or metastatic stage IV gastric cancer (GC). To address its clinical statements, the Korean Gastric Cancer Association aims to present a consensus on conversion therapy among experts attending KINGCA WEEK 2024. The KINGCA Scientific Committee and Development Working Group for Korean Practice Guidelines prepared preformulated topics and 9 clinical statements for conversion therapy.

A 37-Year Retrospective Analysis Reveals a High Rate of Cutaneous Angiosarcoma of the Scalp in Okinawa, Japan.

Angiosarcoma (AS) is a rare, aggressive malignancy originating from vascular or lymphatic endothelial cells. Despite its severity, little is known about its epidemiology, and no geographical regions have previously been identified as having an exceptionally high incidence. We retrospectively analyzed medical records spanning 37 years (1987-2023) in Okinawa, Japan, identifying 135 cases of AS that were used to calculate its incidence.

Boric acid impedes glioblastoma growth in a rat model: insights from multi-approach analysis.

Limited advancements in managing malignant brain tumors have resulted in poor prognoses for glioblastoma (GBM) patients. Standard treatment involves surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, which lack specificity and damage healthy brain tissue. Boron-containing compounds, such as boric acid (BA), exhibit diverse biological effects, including anticancer properties.

Can PSMA PET detect intratumour heterogeneity in histological PSMA expression of primary prostate cancer? Analysis of [Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 and [F]PSMA-1007.

Purpose: Prostate-specific membrane-antigen positron emission tomography (PSMA PET) is a promising candidate for non-invasive characterization of prostate cancer (PCa). This study evaluated whether PET with tracers [Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 or [F]PSMA-1007 is capable to depict intratumour heterogeneity of histological PSMA expression.

Methods: Thirty-five patients with biopsy-proven primary PCa without evidence of metastatic disease nor prior interventions were prospectively enrolled.

Total Pancreatectomy for Locally Advanced Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma with Coeliac Trunk Resection and Retrograde Gastric Revascularization Through Aorto-Hepato-Spleno Allograft.

Background: Locally advanced pancreatic adenocarcinomas (LA-PDAC) are more frequently operated now than in the past because of new regimen chemotherapy and improvement in surgical technique. Resection of the coeliac trunk (CT) during pancreatoduodenectomy (PD) or total pancreatectomy (TP) is not routinely done owing to the risk of liver and gastric ischaemia. In this video, a patient with LA-PDAC underwent TP with CT resection and retrograde gastric revascularization through the distal splenic artery.

Analysis of radiation oncology integration within general practitioners' daily patient care: a cross-sectional survey in Germany.

Purpose: General practitioners (GPs) play a crucial role in providing interdisciplinary care for radiation oncology patients. This study aims to understand the specific needs and challenges faced by general practitioners in Germany when treating oncology patients.

Methods: A comprehensive web-based questionnaire with 24 items was disseminated to GPs in Germany via email using survio.

Evaluating the impact of COVID-19 protection measures and staff absence on radiotherapy practice: A simulation study.

Background: Radiotherapy practice for cancer treatment is resource-intensive and demands optimised processes for patient throughput while guaranteeing the quality and safety of the therapy. With the COVID-19 pandemic, ad-hoc changes in the operation of radiotherapy centres became necessary to protect patients and staff. This simulation study aimed to quantify the impact of designated COVID-19 protection measures and pandemic-related staff absence on patient waiting times and throughput.

Unusual variability of isomers in copper(II) complexes with 1,8-bis(2-hydroxybenzyl)-cyclam.

Copper isotopes and their complexes are intensively studied due to their high potential for applications in radiodiagnosis and radiotherapy. Here, we study the Cu complex of 1,8-bis(2-hydroxybenzyl)-cyclam (HL), which forms an unexpected variety of isomers differing in the mutual orientation of the substituents on the cyclam nitrogen atoms, the protonation of the phenolate pendant, and the ligand denticity. The interconversion of the isomers is rather slow, which made the isolation, identification and investigation of some of the individual species possible.

Environmental maternal exposures and the risk of premature birth and intrauterine growth restriction: The Generation Gemelli study protocol of newborn exposome.

Background: The study of women exposures and child outcomes occurring in the first 1,000 days of life since conception enhances understanding of the relationships between environmental factors, epigenetic changes, and disease development, extending beyond childhood and spanning the entire lifespan. Generation Gemelli is a recently launched case-control study that enrolls mother-newborns pairs in one of the largest university hospitals in Italy, in order to examine the association between maternal environmental exposures and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and the risk of premature birth. The study will also evaluate the association of maternal exposures and the health and growth of infants and children up to 24 months of age.

Physiopathological effects of entrance versus distal spread-out Bragg peak on mouse spinal cord neurons.

Recent investigations into radiation-induced side effects have focused on understanding the physiopathological consequences of irradiation on late-responding tissues like the spinal cord, which can lead to chronic progressive myelopathy. Proton therapy, an advanced radiation treatment, aims to minimize damage to healthy tissues through precise dose deposition. However, challenges remain, particularly regarding the variation in dose distribution, characterized by maximum deposition at the end of the proton range, known as the distal fall-off of a spread-out Bragg peak.

Feasibility of a comprehensive supervised exercise program during and after treatment of head and neck cancer: a mixed-methods study.

Purpose: This study evaluates the feasibility of a comprehensive supervised exercise program (CSEP) for head and neck cancer (HNC) patients during and after (chemo)radiotherapy, integrating quantitative and qualitative data to identify participation barriers and facilitators.

Methods: To investigate the feasibility of the CSEP, a mixed-method study was performed. For the quantitative part, first, adherence to and safety of the CSEP were considered as quantitative feasibility outcome measures.

Digital redesign of the radiotherapy course for medical students with a blended learning approach.

Purpose: Due to the need for high-quality teaching, we present a new blended learning concept combining digital modules, interactive seminars, and clinical experience. Furthermore, we evaluated its acceptance among students.

Methods: A new concept for teaching was applied to the radiotherapy module and made available via the Hannover Medical School (MHH) learning management system as part of a blended learning concept with educational films, multimedia learning modules, online seminars, and onsite practical training.

NOD2 expression in psoriasis before and after treatment with Narrowband Ultraviolet B phototherapy.

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin condition characterized by hyperproliferation of keratinocytes and immune dysregulation. Narrow band ultraviolet B (NB-UVB) phototherapy is a common treatment for psoriasis due to its efficacy and safety profile. NOD2 is an intracellular pattern recognition receptor involved in immune responses and inflammation, and its expression is elevated in psoriatic skin.

Patient experience in a radiation therapy department pre- and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Purpose: Longitudinal collection of patient experience data promotes continual high-quality care and guides quality improvement (QI) work. The purpose of this study was to investigate patient experience in the radiation department during COVID-19 and compare results to previous data collected in 2019.

Methods: Patient experience data was collected using the Your Voice Matters (YVM) survey.

Exploiting somatic oncogenic driver alterations in a patient with Li-Fraumeni syndrome- paving the path towards precision medicine: a case report.

Background: Li-Fraumeni syndrome (LFS) is an autosomal dominant tumor predisposition syndrome characterized by a high familial incidence of various malignancies. It results from pathogenic/likely pathogenic heterozygous constitutional variants of the TP53 gene. Due to impaired DNA damage repair, conventional cytotoxic therapies or radiotherapy should be avoided whenever feasible to mitigate the high incidence of treatment-related secondary malignancies in these patients.