Silymarin-based cream Leviaderm(®) may be a promising and effective treatment for the prevention of acute skin lesions caused by RT of breast cancer patients. To confirm the results of this nonrandomized, observational trial, this component should be tested in larger multicenter studies in this setting.
A significant reduction and association of heart and coronary artery (LAD) doses using inspiratory gating was shown. However, in free-breathing plans commonly measured dose constraints do not allow precise estimation of the dose to the coronary arteries.
Background: Human papilloma virus (HPV) infection, p16 expression and hypoxia may play important roles in the carcinogenesis, treatment response and toxicities of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). The aim of this analysis was to assess whether there is any correlation between pre-radiotherapy (RT) anemia, p16 expression and toxicities and local control for patients undergoing definitive therapy. Methods: 79 HNSCC patients who had undergone radiochemotherapy (RCT) or RT-antibody therapy were retrospectively analyzed. p16 (INK4A) expression was detected by immunohistochemical analysis. Factors predisposing for acute side effects were examined by uni- and multivariate analysis. Results: p16 overexpression was detected in 32 cases. Pretreatment anemia was present in one third of patients. Only 5% of patients were characterized by both pre-RT anemia and p16 overexpression. p16 expression was significantly associated with acute grade 3 toxicity. 47% of p16-positive patients developed grade ≥ 3 radiodermatitis compared to 26% of p16-negative patients (p = 0.04). A reduced risk of severe skin toxicities was noted for patients with hypoxic blood values before RT. p16 expression was significantly correlated with local control (p = 0.002). Conclusions: p16 expression is associated with better response to definitive combined treatment (RCT, RT + cetuximab), but also significantly related to acute high-grade toxicity.
BackgroundReporting the experiences and satisfaction of patients, as well as their quality of care scores is an emerging recommendation in health care systems. Many aspects of patients’ experience determine their overall satisfaction. The aim of this evaluation was to define the main factors contributing to the satisfaction of patients undergoing radiotherapy in an outpatient setting.Patients and methodsA total of 1,710 patients with a histologically proven cancer, who were treated in our department between 2012 and 2014, were recruited for this prospective evaluation. At the end of therapy, each patient was asked to grade the skills and the care provided by radiation therapists, physicians, and physician’s assistants, as well as the overall satisfaction during therapy. Statistical analysis was performed to determine which parameters had the greatest influence on overall satisfaction.ResultsOverall satisfaction with the provided care was high with a mean satisfaction score of 1.4. Significant correlations were found between overall satisfaction and each of the following survey items: courtesy, protection of privacy, professional skills and care provided by the radiation therapists and physicians, accuracy of provided information, and cleanliness. Linear regression analysis demonstrated that courteous behavior and the protection of privacy were the strongest predictors for overall satisfaction (P<0.001), followed by care and skills of physicians and radiation therapists. Patients suffering from head and neck cancer expressed lower overall satisfaction.ConclusionBased on our prospectively acquired data, we were able to identify and confirm key factors for patient satisfaction in an outpatient radiooncological cancer center. From these results, we conclude that patients want most importantly to be treated with courtesy, protection of privacy and care.
Gastric cancer is the fourth most common malignant tumour and the second-most common cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Multidisciplinary care and stage-specifi c treatment lead to improvements of this very aggressive disease. Accurate staging should include high-resolution computed tomography. Localised disease should also be staged with endoscopic ultrasound. In mucosal gastric cancer, endoscopic resection can replace surgical resection if specifi c criteria are present. In cancer infi ltrating the submucosal layer or beyond, surgical resection including resection of the D2 lymph nodes is regarded as standard of care. In the stages II and III, perioperative chemotherapy has been studied with positive results. In the metastatic setting, treatment goals are palliative. Chemotherapy can prolong survival, improve symptoms and can maintain a better quality of life. Combination chemotherapy including a platinum compound and a fl uoropyrimidine is the current standard. 22% of gastric cancers exhibit overexpression of the growth factor receptor Her2. Trastuzumab is a monoclonal antibody directed against Her2 and has shown to prolong survival when combined with cisplatin and fl uoropyrimidines in the treatment of Her2-positive gastric cancer. Th e current role of other biologically targeted therapies like anti-EGFR directed treatment still needs to be established.
Introduction
Since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, COVID-19 has changed the medical landscape. International recommendations for localized prostate cancer (PCa) include deferred treatment and adjusted therapeutic routines.
Materials and methods
To longitudinally evaluate changes in PCa treatment strategies in urological and radiotherapy departments in Germany, a link to a survey was sent to 134 institutions covering two representative baseline weeks prior to the pandemic and 13 weeks from March 2020 to February 2021. The questionnaire captured the numbers of radical prostatectomies, prostate biopsies and case numbers for conventional and hypofractionation radiotherapy. The results were evaluated using descriptive analyses.
Results
A total of 35% of the questionnaires were completed. PCa therapy increased by 6% in 2020 compared to 2019. At baseline, a total of 69 radiotherapy series and 164 radical prostatectomies (RPs) were documented. The decrease to 60% during the first wave of COVID-19 particularly affected low-risk PCa. The recovery throughout the summer months was followed by a renewed reduction to 58% at the end of 2020. After a gradual decline to 61% until July 2020, the number of prostate biopsies remained stable (89% to 98%) during the second wave. The use of RP fluctuated after an initial decrease without apparent prioritization of risk groups. Conventional fractionation was used in 66% of patients, followed by moderate hypofractionation (30%) and ultrahypofractionation (4%). One limitation was a potential selection bias of the selected weeks and the low response rate.
Conclusion
While the diagnosis and therapy of PCa were affected in both waves of the pandemic, the interim increase between the peaks led to a higher total number of patients in 2020 than in 2019. Recommendations regarding prioritization and fractionation routines were implemented heterogeneously, leaving unexplored potential for future pandemic challenges.
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