82 results match your criteria: "Mid-North Coast Cancer Institute[Affiliation]"

Article Synopsis
  • Radiotherapy processes are prone to errors involving staff and equipment, but Cone-beam CT (CBCT) allows for final checks and corrections before treatment.
  • Statistical Process Control (SPC) techniques, commonly used in various industries, were applied to CBCT results in a study of Head and Neck patient treatments over 12 years, demonstrating sensitivity to changes.
  • The study found a reduction in random patient setup errors, but systematic errors remained stable, while an increase in errors correlated with the COVID-19 pandemic, and challenges in using SPC for retrospective data analysis were discussed.
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Granular cell tumour is a rare, mostly benign, soft tissue, neuroectodermal tumour, most commonly seen in the skin and peripheral soft tissue. There are no publications to date of PSMA-PET avidity in a granular cell tumour. In this 60 year old male, staging PSMA-PET for a localized intermediate risk prostate cancer incidentally identified a PSMA-avid left supraspinatus lesion, which was subsequently biopsy-proven as a granular cell tumour.

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Federated Learning Survival Model and Potential Radiotherapy Decision Support Impact Assessment for Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Using Real-World Data.

Clin Oncol (R Coll Radiol)

July 2024

South Western Sydney Clinical Campus, School of Clinical Medicine, UNSW, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, Liverpool, New South Wales, Australia; South Western Sydney Cancer Services, NSW Health, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; Institute of Medical Physics, School of Physics, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

Aims: The objective of this study was to develop a two-year overall survival model for inoperable stage I-III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients using routine radiation oncology data over a federated (distributed) learning network and evaluate the potential of decision support for curative versus palliative radiotherapy.

Methods: A federated infrastructure of data extraction, de-identification, standardisation, image analysis, and modelling was installed for seven clinics to obtain clinical and imaging features and survival information for patients treated in 2011-2019. A logistic regression model was trained for the 2011-2016 curative patient cohort and validated for the 2017-2019 cohort.

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Background: Elevated circulating growth differentiation factor (GDF15/MIC-1), interleukin 4 (IL4), and IL6 levels were associated with resistance to docetaxel in an exploratory cohort of men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). This study aimed to establish level 2 evidence of cytokine biomarker utility in mCRPC.

Methods: IntVal: Plasma samples at baseline (BL) and Day 21 docetaxel (n = 120).

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Introduction: Concurrent chemoradiotherapy is the standard of care in the curative intent treatment of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the anus. Volumetric arc therapy (VMAT) is a highly conformal radiation therapy technique that has been implemented to reduce toxicity for these patients. However, there are few reports evaluating the long-term outcomes of VMAT.

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Background: Health literacy (HL) comprises skills and knowledge required to understand, access, and make decisions about healthcare. Our aim was to examine associations between patient HL and time intervals (defined in the Aarhus statement) along the pathway to treatment of head and neck cancer (HNC).

Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted from October 2018 to March 2020.

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Objectives: To review the outcomes of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) treatment of advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC) outside clinical trials.

Study Design: Retrospective observational study; review of patient records in fifteen Australian institutions.

Setting, Participants: All Australian adults with locally advanced or metastatic CSCC not amenable to curative surgery or radiotherapy treated with ICIs, 5 May 2017 - 23 May 2022, through a cemiplimab compassionate access scheme (Therapeutic Goods Administration Special Access Scheme) or who personally covered the cost of pembrolizumab prior to the start of the access scheme.

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Article Synopsis
  • - Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) is the most common blood cancer in Australia and New Zealand, with significant advancements in diagnosis and treatment in the past decade.
  • - New technologies like next-generation sequencing and flow cytometry help doctors predict outcomes and monitor treatment responses more effectively, while new therapies have improved care for patients, especially those with high-risk genetic issues.
  • - Given the unique healthcare landscape in Australasia, experts have created a consensus practice statement to provide standardized guidelines for CLL diagnosis and management, keeping in mind public health concerns like the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Regression fitting megavoltage depth dose curves to determine material relative electron density in radiotherapy.

Phys Eng Sci Med

December 2023

Western Cancer Centre Dubbo, Dubbo Base Hospital, Western NSW Local Health District, Dubbo, NSW, 2830, Australia.

The relative electron density (RED) parameter is ubiquitous throughout radiotherapy for clinical dosimetry and treatment planning purposes as it provides a more accurate description of the relevant radiological properties over mass density alone. RED is in practice determined indirectly from calibrated CT Hounsfield Units (HU). While CT images provide useful 3D information, the spectral differences between CT and clinical LINAC beams may impact the validity of the CT-ED calibration, especially in the context of novel tissue-mimicking materials where deviations from biologically typical atomic number to atomic weight ratios 〈Z/A〉 occur and/or high-Z materials are present.

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Kearns-Sayre syndrome (KSS) is a rare mitochondrial disorder, and the effects of radiotherapy on such a population group are unknown. A 60-year-old male with a history of KSS was diagnosed with locally advanced basal cell carcinoma along the left inner canthus. He was treated at our institution with curative intent radiotherapy alone and tolerated it well with no major acute or late toxicities.

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SABR for Early Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Changes in Pulmonary Function, Dyspnea, and Quality of Life.

Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys

December 2023

Sydney West Radiation Oncology Network (SWRON), Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; Westmead Institute of Medical Research, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to report pulmonary function tests (PFTs) and clinician-reported and patient-reported quality-of-life (QoL) outcomes on a cohort of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with SABR.

Methods And Materials: A total of 119 patients with NSCLC were treated with SABR in the prospective cohort SSBROC study of patients with T1-T2N0M0 NSCLC. PFTs and QoL measures were obtained at baseline pretreatment and at 6-month intervals.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of pamiparib combined with tislelizumab in patients with advanced solid tumors who had already received treatment.
  • A total of 180 patients were analyzed, revealing an overall objective response rate (ORR) of 20.0%, with the highest response seen in patients with triple-negative breast cancer (ORR: 47.4%).
  • While the combination treatment showed some antitumour activity, it also resulted in high rates of severe side effects, with 61.7% of patients experiencing grade 3 or higher adverse events.
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Introduction: The Australian Faculty of Radiation Oncology Genitourinary Group (FROGG) developed prostate bed clinical target volume (CTV) contouring guidelines which were subsequently used to develop the National EviQ guidelines for adjuvant and salvage post-prostatectomy radiotherapy (PPRT). These guidelines were based mainly upon consensus agreement. With the advent of prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) positron emission tomography (PET), sites of recurrence can now be detected with low prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels following radical prostatectomy.

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Introduction: This study aimed to investigate the patterns of practices of radiation oncologists (ROs) and urologists in Australia and New Zealand with respect to the utilisation of post-prostatectomy radiation therapy (RT) and help guide the development of an update to the existing Faculty of Radiation Oncology Genito-Urinary Group post-prostatectomy guidelines.

Methods: ROs and urologists with subspecialty practice in prostate cancer from Australia and New Zealand were invited to participate in an online survey comprised of clinical scenarios regarding post-prostatectomy RT.

Results: Sixty-five ROs and 28 urologists responded to the survey.

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Background: Optimal management of sarcoma requires multidisciplinary team input throughout the process of diagnosis, treatment and follow up. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the impact of surgery performed at specialised sarcoma centres on outcomes.

Methods: A systematic review was conducted using the population, intervention, comparison and outcome (PICO) model.

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Outcomes of dose-escalated IMRT and ADT in Octogenarians with prostate cancer.

J Med Imaging Radiat Oncol

August 2023

Department of Radiation Oncology, Mid North Coast Cancer Institute, Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, Australia.

Introduction: We evaluated long-term outcomes for octogenarians with localised prostate cancer treated using dose-escalated image-guided intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) at our institution.

Methods: The charts of octogenarians treated for localised prostate cancer were retrospectively reviewed. Overall survival (OS), prostate cancer-specific survival (PCaSS), toxicity rates and changes from baseline were collected.

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Introduction: The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists (RANZCR) Faculty of Radiation Oncology Genitourinary Group (FROGG) guidelines and online EviQ protocols incorporate prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) positron emission tomography (PET)-guided dose-escalated intensity-modulated radiation therapy (DE-IMRT) for newly diagnosed lymph node (LN) positive prostate cancer. We evaluated late toxicity and efficacy outcomes following the FROGG and EviQ approach.

Methods: Patients with LN-positive-only metastases on PSMA-PET imaging were offered curative therapy with 3 months neoadjuvant androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) followed by DE-IMRT and 3 years adjuvant ADT.

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Background: The interim analysis of the ENZAMET trial of testosterone suppression plus either enzalutamide or standard nonsteroidal antiandrogen therapy showed an early overall survival benefit with enzalutamide. Here, we report the planned primary overall survival analysis, with the aim of defining the benefit of enzalutamide treatment in different prognostic subgroups (synchronous and metachronous high-volume or low-volume disease) and in those who received concurrent docetaxel.

Methods: ENZAMET is an international, open-label, randomised, phase 3 trial conducted at 83 sites (including clinics, hospitals, and university centres) in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the UK, and the USA.

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Patients with sarcoma are best managed at specialised sarcoma centres as supported by published literature. Optimal management requires multidisciplinary team input to formulate the diagnosis and treatment sequencing taking into consideration multiple clinical and pathologic factors. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the impact on outcomes of radiotherapy at specialised sarcoma centres.

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Article Synopsis
  • Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is commonly used for high-risk prostate cancer but can negatively impact bone health.
  • A study at the Mid-North Coast Cancer Institute analyzed medical records from 188 men starting adjuvant ADT, revealing that only 14% had a DXA scan before treatment, but 71% received one afterward.
  • Results showed a significant prevalence of low bone mass, with 48% classified as osteopaenic and 24% as osteoporotic, indicating the need for regular DXA scans during ADT for effective bone health management.
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Introduction: Contouring organs at risk (OARs) is a time-intensive task that is a critical part of radiation therapy. Atlas-based automatic segmentation has shown some success at reducing this time burden on practitioners; however, this method often requires significant manual editing to reach a clinically accurate standard. Deep learning (DL) auto-segmentation has recently emerged as a promising solution.

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Background: Extrapulmonary small cell cancer (EPSCC) is a rare malignancy with an incidence of approximately 0.1%-0.4% of all cancers.

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Background: Both changes in circulating lipids represented by a validated poor prognostic 3-lipid signature (3LS) and somatic tumour genetic aberrations are individually associated with worse clinical outcomes in men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). A key question is how the lipid environment and the cancer genome are interrelated in order to exploit this therapeutically. We assessed the association between the poor prognostic 3-lipid signature (3LS), somatic genetic aberrations and clinical outcomes in mCRPC.

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