Consensus Quality Measures and Dose Constraints for Lung Cancer From the Veterans Affairs Radiation Oncology Quality Surveillance Program and ASTRO Expert Panel.

Purpose: For patients with lung cancer, it is critical to provide evidence-based radiation therapy to ensure high-quality care. The US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) National Radiation Oncology Program partnered with the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) as part of the VA Radiation Oncology Quality Surveillance to develop lung cancer quality metrics and assess quality of care as a pilot program in 2016. This article presents recently updated consensus quality measures and dose-volume histogram (DVH) constraints.

A Reflection and Discussion Exercise on Racial Justice and Equity.

Background: Residents have valuable perspectives about diversity and equity in medical training, yet many graduate medical education curricula lack dedicated activities focused on such issues.

Objectives: To describe and report feasibility and acceptability of an innovation that uses individual reflection and group discussion to create conversation in our residency program about equity and injustice through the lens of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Methods: In July 2020, we sent a survey with reflection prompts to all postgraduate year 2 and above internal medicine residents.

Consensus Quality Measures and Dose Constraints for Head and Neck Cancer with an emphasis on Oropharyngeal and Laryngeal Cancer from the Veterans Affairs Radiation Oncology Quality Surveillance Program and American Society for Radiation Oncology Expert Panel.

Purpose: Safeguarding high-quality care using evidence-based radiation therapy for patients with head and neck cancer is crucial to improving oncologic outcomes, including survival and quality of life.

Methods And Materials: The Veterans Administration (VA) National Radiation Oncology Program established the VA Radiation Oncology Quality Surveillance Program (VAROQS) to develop clinical quality measures (QM) in head and neck cancer. As part of the development of QM, the VA commissioned, along with the American Society for Radiation Oncology, a blue-ribbon panel comprising experts in head and neck cancer, to develop QM.

Pancreatic gross tumor volume contouring on computed tomography (CT) compared with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): Results of an international contouring conference.

Purpose: Accurate identification of the gross tumor volume (GTV) in pancreatic adenocarcinoma is challenging. We sought to understand differences in GTV delineation using pancreatic computed tomography (CT) compared with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Methods And Materials: Twelve attending radiation oncologists were convened for an international contouring symposium.

Self-Expanding Metal Stents Improve Swallowing and Maintain Nutrition During Neoadjuvant Therapy for Esophageal Cancer.

Background: Patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer can have significant dysphagia. Nutritional support during neoadjuvant therapy is often delivered via nasoenteric or percutaneous feeding tubes. These approaches do not allow for per-oral feeding.

Nitric oxide regulates polarity of guinea pig distal colon pellet propagation and circular muscle motor response.

Background: Peristaltic reflex does not fully explain the polarity of peristalsis. In the distal colon, we propose that the balance of circular muscle contraction proximal and distal to the pellet is a local reflex that predicts polarity of peristalsis.

Methods: Guinea pig distal colon segments were harvested, and fecal pellet transit was measured.

The role and efficacy of exercise in persons with cancer.

Improvements in cancer screening, diagnosis, and treatment have resulted in an increasing population of cancer survivors with impairments in physical function, cancer-related symptoms, and reduced quality of life. Exercise and physical activity have therapeutic value at multiple points along the cancer disease continuum, spanning disease prevention, treatment, survivorship, prognostic outcomes, and end-of-life issues. Molecular mechanisms for the influence of exercise in persons with cancer include altering tumor initiation pathways and affecting hormonal, inflammatory, immune, and insulin pathways.

Feasibility of auditory cortical stimulation for the treatment of tinnitus.

Objectives: To investigate the feasibility and safety of an implantable epidural cortical stimulator for the treatment of severe tinnitus.

Study Design: Prospective, controlled, single-blinded study of cortical stimulation for 4 weeks, and then an open-label stimulation period.

Setting: Tertiary care referral center.

Pain with no gain: allodynia following neural stem cell transplantation in spinal cord injury.

Transplantation of neural stem cells (NSCs) in the injured spinal cord has been shown to improve functional outcome; however, recent evidence has demonstrated forelimb allodynia following transplantation of embryonic NSCs. The aim of this study was to investigate whether transplantation of murine C17.2 NSCs alone or transfected with glial-derived neurotrophic factor (C17.