Clinical experience of a tattoo application device.

Introduction: The use of tattoos for radiation therapy (RT) treatment is common practice. The Comfort Marker 2.0 (CQ Medical, Iowa, USA) has been designed to apply tattoos with a controlled depth injection, potentially resulting in tattoos that fade over time.

Adapting to change: exploring perceptions and demands of the coronavirus (COVID-19) workforce changes - an Australian multi-institutional radiation oncology survey.

Objective To evaluate the perceptions of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) initiated workplace strategies implemented in radiation oncology departments across Australia. Methods A multidisciplinary team from Princess Alexandra Hospital developed a survey to address the impact of the pandemic strategies on areas such as patient care, staff education, well-being, flexible working arrangements, and research. The survey was conducted from November 2020 to April 2021.

Acute toxicity and patient-reported outcomes in anal canal cancer: results of a pilot study.

Introduction: Anal canal cancer (ACC) is uncommon. The gold standard of care is chemoradiotherapy treatment. However, this treatment is associated with considerable acute and late side effects.

A comparison of psychosis-like symptoms following self-reported and agency-notified child abuse in a population-based birth cohort at 30-year-follow-up.

There is a strong association between self-reported child abuse and subsequent psychosis in retrospective data. Prospective studies of reports to statutory agencies are less common with limited information on people in their 30s. There have also been no comparisons of the influence of self- and agency-reported abuse on psychosis in adulthood.

A Randomized Phase 3 Trial of Palliative Radiation Therapy Versus Concurrent Chemotherapy and Palliative Radiation Therapy in Patients With Good Performance Status, Locally Advanced, or Metastatic Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer With Symptoms due to Intrathoracic Disease Who are Not Suitable for Radical Chemo-radiation Therapy: Results of the Trans-Tasman Radiation Oncology Group 11.03 Trial.

Purpose: We compared intrathoracic symptom response rate, quality of life (QOL) and toxicity in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) not suitable for radical chemo-radiation therapy, experiencing symptoms from intrathoracic disease, who were randomized to receive palliative radiation therapy (PRT) or concurrent chemotherapy and PRT (C-PRT).

Methods And Materials: We included patients with stage III or IV NSCLC, with a Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance status 0 to 1, who were experiencing at least one of the following: dyspnea, cough, hemoptysis, or chest pain. The primary outcome was a change in intrathoracic response rate from baseline to 6 weeks post completion of therapy using (1) a composite measure, the Intrathoracic Symptom Burden Index(ISBI), and (2) individual symptom scores measured by the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 30 (EORTC QLQ-C30) and Quality of Life Questionnaire - Lung Cancer 13 item (QLQ-LC 13) instruments.

Biochemical evaluation of kidney disease.

Different biochemical markers exist in both blood and urine for assessing renal function. Most of these biomarkers have advantages and limitations associated with their use, which is important to consider when ordering and utilising them in the clinical setting. The ideal marker should be able to detect acute kidney injury (AKI) at the onset and be used for the diagnosis and ongoing monitoring and management of kidney disease.

Exploring the prevalence and experience of mask anxiety for the person with head and neck cancer undergoing radiotherapy.

Introduction: While use of a thermoplastic mask during radiotherapy (RT) treatment for head and neck cancer (HNC) is an essential component of safe patient care, there is little understanding of the extent to which this evokes anxiety (i.e. "mask anxiety") for the person undergoing treatment.