Cancer News Around the Web
December 21, 2017
Ruthenium brachytherapy for uveal melanomas: Factors affecting the development of radiation complications
Purpose: To investigate how treatment complications are related to dosimetric parameters after ruthenium-106 brachytherapy for uveal melanoma, in a large, clinically homogeneous population...
December 15, 2017
Use of Ruthenium-106 Brachytherapy for Iris Melanoma: The Scottish Experience
Purpose: To analyse long-term outcomes of ruthenium-106 (106Ru) plaque brachytherapy for the treatment of iris melanoma...
December 12, 2017
Low dose rate prostate brachytherapy
Low dose rate (LDR) prostate brachytherapy is an evidence based radiation technique with excellent oncologic outcomes. By utilizing direct image guidance for radioactive source placement, LDR brachytherapy provides superior radiation dose escalation and conformality compared to external beam radiation therapy (EBRT)...
November 09, 2017
Ruthenium-106 brachytherapy for iris and iridociliary melanomas
Background and purpose: To evaluate ruthenium-106 (Ru106) brachytherapy as eye-conserving treatment of iris melanomas (IMs) and iridociliary melanomas (ICMs)...
October 30, 2017
Does supplemental external beam radiation therapy impact urinary, bowel, and erectile function following permanent prostate brachytherapy?: results of two prospective randomized trials
Purpose: To evaluate the impact of supplemental external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) prior to permanent prostate brachytherapy on long term urinary, bowel, and erectile function...
October 30, 2017
What pelvic radiation disease symptoms are experienced by patients receiving external beam radiotherapy and a high-dose-rate brachytherapy boost for prostate cancer?
Purpose: Research describing proctitis or pelvic radiation disease symptoms of prostate cancer patients one year after external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) plus high-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy is limited. This study aimed to assess prostate cancer patients’ pelvic radiation disease symptoms from baseline to 12 months post-radiotherapy...
October 30, 2017
Radiation treatment of prostate cancers – the contemporary role of modern brachytherapy techniques
Life expectancy is rising and the population is ageing in most countries [1]. Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second commonest diagnosed malignancy and it is the fifth leading cause of cancer mortality in men, representing a public health burden worldwide. Furthermore, the majority of PCa (around 62%) is diagnosed in men over 65 years [2]...
October 28, 2017
Long-term outcomes of APBI via multicatheter interstitial HDR brachytherapy: Results of a prospective single-institutional registry
Purpose: Long-term outcome reports of accelerated partial-breast irradiation (APBI) are limited. Here, we report the 10-year outcomes of APBI delivered using multicatheter interstitial implant (ISI) brachytherapy...
October 23, 2017
The American Brachytherapy Society consensus statement for accelerated partial-breast irradiation
Purpose: Adjuvant radiation after breast-conserving surgery remains the standard-of-care treatment for patients with ductal carcinoma in situ and early-stage invasive breast cancer. Multiple alternatives to standard whole-breast irradiation exist including accelerated partial-breast irradiation (APBI)...
October 21, 2017
Delineating the relationship between Point A prescription dose and pelvic lymph node doses in intracavitary high-dose-rate brachytherapy treatment of cervical cancer for use in low- and middle-income countries
Purpose: To define the relationship between the Point A prescription dose and the dose delivered to various pelvic lymph node groups during high-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy treatment of cervical cancer. In less developed countries, brachytherapy is often done without three-dimensional image guidance, instead relying on plain radiography and prescription to Point A...
October 05, 2017
Choroidal melanoma: A short review with an Indian perspective
Choroidal melanoma (CM), the most common intraocular tumor in adults, is still a rarity in Asia. Having a high propensity for metastasis with a poor survival, recognizing it early is essential. Although it has typical clinical features, there are instances of simulating lesions. Fine-needle aspiration biopsy can be a valuable tool not only to confirm our clinical suspicion but also aid in prognosticating it...
September 28, 2017
ASTRO: Patient Experience of Radiation Better Than Expected
Most patients with breast cancer treated with radiation therapy report that their experience was less scary than they expected, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology, held from Sept. 24 to 27 in San Diego...
September 26, 2017
Efficacy of high-dose brachytherapy for cervical cancer differs by dose
High-dose brachytherapy delivered in four fractions of 7 Gy conferred a higher rate of 5-year tumor control than two fractions of 9 Gy among patients with cervical cancer undergoing external beam radiotherapy, according to results of a prospective...
August 30, 2017
Focal therapy for prostate cancer: the technical challenges
Focal therapy for prostate cancer has been proposed as an alternative treatment to whole gland therapy, offering the opportunity for tumor dose escalation and/or reduced toxicity. Brachytherapy, either low-dose-rate or high-dose-rate, provides an ideal approach, offering both precision in dose delivery and opportunity for a highly conformal, non-uniform dose distribution...
August 30, 2017
Prostate cancer-specific death in brachytherapy treated high-risk patients stratified by pre-treatment PSA
Purpose: To evaluate prostate-cancer specific mortality (PCSM) in a cohort of high-risk patients treated with a permanent prostate brachytherapy approach, stratified by pre-treatment PSA...
August 02, 2017
Long-term oncological outcomes and toxicity in 597 men aged ≤60 years at time of low-dose-rate brachytherapy for localised prostate cancer
Objectives: To report oncological and functional outcomes of men treated with low-dose-rate (LDR) prostate brachytherapy aged ≤60 years at time of treatment...
August 02, 2017
Partial-breast radiotherapy after breast conservation surgery for patients with early breast cancer (UK IMPORT LOW trial): 5-year results from a multicentre, randomised, controlled, phase 3, non-inferiority trial
Background: Local cancer relapse risk after breast conservation surgery followed by radiotherapy has fallen sharply in many countries, and is influenced by patient age and clinicopathological factors. We hypothesise that partial-breast radiotherapy...
July 28, 2017
Brachytherapy patient safety events in an academic radiation medicine program
Purpose: To describe the incidence and type of brachytherapy patient safety events over 10 years in an academic brachytherapy program...
July 16, 2017
Brachytherapy improves outcomes in young men (≤60 years) with prostate cancer: A SEER analysis
The authors regret that the following details in the published paper need to be corrected. The corrections in texts and revised Table 1, Table 2, Table 3, Table 4, Table 5 shown...
June 30, 2017
INTERACTS (INTERventional Radiotherapy ACtive Teaching School) guidelines for quality assurance in choroidal melanoma interventional radiotherapy (brachytherapy) procedures
Purpose: Ocular melanoma represents the second most common type of melanoma after cutaneous form. It generally originates from uvea (82.5% of the cases), and is the first primary intraocular malignancy with an incidence that varies between 2 cases per million in the Southern Europe and 8 per million in the Northern Europe...
June 27, 2017
Single-dose high-dose-rate brachytherapy compared to two and three fractions for locally advanced prostate cancer
Background: Single-dose high-dose-rate brachytherapy (HDR-BT), in a Phase-II study, was compared to two or three fractions in intermediate and high-risk localized prostate cancer...
June 23, 2017
Focal brachytherapy for localized prostate cancer: Urinary toxicity depends on tumor location
Purpose: To evaluate whether patients with prostate cancer have worse functional urinary recovery with focal brachytherapy (FBT) at the base versus the apex of the prostate...
June 16, 2017
High-dose-rate brachytherapy as salvage modality for locally recurrent prostate cancer after definitive radiotherapy
Purpose: To review the current status of interstitial high-dose-rate brachytherapy as a salvage modality (sHDR BRT) for locally recurrent prostate cancer after definitive radiotherapy (RT)...
June 14, 2017
Long-term prognostic significance of rising PSA levels following radiotherapy for localized prostate cancer – focus on overall survival
Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the long-term prognostic significance of rising PSA levels, particularly focussing on overall survival...
June 14, 2017
The Bebig Valencia-type skin applicators: Dosimetric study and implementation of a dosimetric hybrid technique
Purpose: To determine the relative dose rate distribution in water for the Bebig 20 mm and 30 mm skin applicators and report results in a form suitable for potential clinical use. Results for both skin applicators are also provided in the form of a hybrid Task Group 43 (TG-43) dosimetry technique...
June 02, 2017
Patterns of Care Related to Post-Operative Radiotherapy for Patients with Prostate Cancer among Canadian Radiation Oncologists and Urologists
The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) and American Urological Association (AUA) developed post-prostatectomy radiotherapy (RT) guidelines to aid patient counseling on adjuvant (ART) and salvage radiotherapy (SRT)...
June 01, 2017
Breast Cancer Disparities at Home and Abroad: A Review of the Challenges and Opportunities for System-Level Change
Sizeable disparities exist in breast cancer outcomes, both between Black and White patients in the United States, and between patients in the United States and other high-income countries compared with low- and middle-income countries (LMIC)...
May 29, 2017
Pattern of Local Recurrence After I-125 Episcleral Brachytherapy for Uveal Melanoma in a Spanish Referral Ocular Oncology Unit
Purpose: To describe the time, frequency, and clinical characteristics of treatment failure after I-125 brachytherapy in patients with uveal melanoma treated and followed in a Spanish referral ocular oncology unit...
May 15, 2017
Analysis of immune status after iodine-125 permanent brachytherapy in prostate cancer
Background: Permanent prostate brachytherapy (PPB) is an effective treatment choice for low and intermediate risk prostate cancer (PCa). However, the impact of PPB on tumor immune status is still poorly understood. This study aimed to assess the immune status in PCa patients before and at different time points after PPB (1, 3, 6, and 12 months)...
May 09, 2017
Second malignancies after permanent implant prostate cancer brachytherapy: A single-institution study of 675 patients treated between 1999 and 2003
Purpose: To analyse the rate of secondary malignancies observed in a series of 675 prostate cancer patients who underwent a permanent implant brachytherapy between 1999 and 2003, and to compare the incidence with the expected rate in a matched general French population...
April 28, 2017
Use of ultrasound in image-guided high-dose-rate brachytherapy: enumerations and arguments
Inherently, brachytherapy is the most conformal radiotherapeutic technique. As an aid to brachytherapy, ultrasonography (USG) serves as a portable, inexpensive, and simple to use method allowing for accurate, reproducible, and adaptive treatments...
April 28, 2017
Second salvage high-dose-rate brachytherapy for radiorecurrent prostate cancer
Purpose: Local recurrent prostate cancer after primary radiotherapy is a significant clinical problem. Approximately, half of all patients with high-risk prostate cancer experience a recurrence within 10 years post treatment [1,2]...
April 23, 2017
Prostate brachytherapy, either alone or in combination with external beam radiation, is associated with longer overall survival in men with favorable pathologic Group 4 (Gleason score 8) prostate cancer
Purpose: Conventional prostate cancer risk stratification results in considerable heterogeneity within each prognostic group. Men with pathologic grade Group 4 (Gleason score 8) but otherwise low-risk features have been identified as a favorable subset of high-risk prostate cancer. Given recent randomized data supporting improved cancer outcome with brachytherapy...
April 19, 2017
Health-related quality of life outcomes from a contemporary prostate cancer registry in a large diverse population
Objective: To assess the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of patients with prostate cancer up to 24 months after treatment in a contemporary large diverse population...
April 17, 2017
125I brachytherapy in younger prostate cancer patients
Purpose: To evaluate local recurrence in younger men treated with low-dose-rate (LDR) 125I brachytherapy (BT) for localized prostate cancer...
April 01, 2017
Adherence to guidelines and breast cancer patients survival: a population-based cohort study analyzed with a causal inference approach
Purpose: There is a lack of real-world studies evaluating the impact on survival of an evidence-based pathway of care in breast cancer. The aim of this work is to investigate the effect of adherence to guidelines on long-term survival for a cohort of Italian breast cancer patients...
March 30, 2017
How one institution overcame the challenges to start an MRI-based brachytherapy program for cervical cancer
Purpose: Adaptive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based brachytherapy results in improved local control and decreased high-grade toxicities compared to historical controls. Incorporating MRI into the workflow of a department can be a major challenge when initiating an MRI-based brachytherapy program...
March 27, 2017
Brachytherapy for Patients With Prostate Cancer: American Society of Clinical Oncology/Cancer Care Ontario Joint Guideline Update
Purpose: To jointly update the Cancer Care Ontario guideline on brachytherapy for patients with prostate cancer to account for new evidence.
Methods: An Update Panel conducted a targeted systematic literature review and identified more recent randomized controlled trials comparing dose-escalated external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) with brachytherapy in men with prostate cancer...
March 25, 2017
Three-dimensional-guided perineal-based interstitial brachytherapy in cervical cancer: A systematic review of technique, local control and toxicities
Objective: To evaluate local control and toxicities of perineal-based interstitial brachytherapy (P-ISBT) in cervical cancers treated with three-dimensional (3D) image-based planning through a systematic review. The secondary objective of this review is to summarize the implant and dosimetric techniques in 3D P-ISBT...
February 28, 2017
Staged reconstruction brachytherapy has lower overall cost in recurrent soft-tissue sarcoma
Purpose: The treatment of extremity soft tissue sarcoma (STS) was historically driven by radical compartmental resections. The gold standard of treatment has shifted towards a multidisciplinary approach, utilizing adjuvant radiation (RT), and less radical surgery, to improve limb function and quality of life [1,2,3,4,5]...
February 28, 2017
High biologically effective dose radiation therapy using brachytherapy in combination with external beam radiotherapy for high-risk prostate cancer
High-risk prostate cancer is a category of prostate cancer that includes an aggressive tumor and/or a high tumor burden [1,2]. Importantly, inadequate local control in the management of the high-risk prostate cancer patients leads to metastasis or death...
January 13, 2017
Late side-effects and cosmetic results of accelerated partial breast irradiation with interstitial brachytherapy versus whole-breast irradiation after breast-conserving surgery for low-risk invasive and in-situ carcinoma of the female breast
Background: We previously confirmed the non-inferiority of accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) with interstitial brachytherapy in terms of local control and overall survival compared with whole-breast irradiation for patients with early-stage breast cancer who underwent breast-conserving surgery in a phase 3 randomised trial...
January 06, 2017
US cancer death rate drops 25% since 1991
The cancer death rate in the United States has dropped 25 per cent from a peak in 1991, mainly due to a steady decline in smoking and advances in early detection and treatment of tumors, new research released Thursday shows...
January 04, 2017
ASTRO Expands Guidelines for Treatment of Breast Cancer with Accelerated Partial Breast Irradiation
According to the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) younger patients with early stage breast cancer and individuals with low-risk ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) can appropriately be treated with accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI)...
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GEC-ESTRO Handbook of Brachytherapy:
ABS Brachytherapy Guidelines and Consensus Statements:
