International journal of radiation oncology, biology, physics
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Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. · Jul 2012
Projected second tumor risk and dose to neurocognitive structures after proton versus photon radiotherapy for benign meningioma.
To calculated projected second tumor rates and dose to organs at risk (OAR) in patients with benign intracranial meningioma (BM), according to dosimetric comparisons between proton radiotherapy (PRT) and photon radiotherapy (XRT) treatment plans. ⋯ Compared with XRT, PRT for BM decreases the risk of RT-associated second tumors by half and delivers significantly lower doses to neurocognitive and critical structures of vision and hearing.
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Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. · Jul 2012
A specific miRNA signature correlates with complete pathological response to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy in locally advanced rectal cancer.
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, noncoding RNA molecules that can be down- or upregulated in colorectal cancer and have been associated to prognosis and response to treatment. We studied miRNA expression in tumor biopsies of patients with rectal cancer to identify a specific "signature" correlating with pathological complete response (pCR) after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy. ⋯ A set of 13 miRNAs is strongly associated with pCR and may represent a specific predictor of response to chemoradiotherapy in rectal cancer patients.
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Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. · Jul 2012
Comparative StudyA comprehensive comparison of IMRT and VMAT plan quality for prostate cancer treatment.
We performed a comprehensive comparative study of the plan quality between volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT) and intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) for the treatment of prostate cancer. ⋯ Considering the superior plan quality as well as the delivery efficiency of VMAT compared with that of IMRT, VMAT may be the preferred modality for treating prostate cancer.
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Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. · Jul 2012
Quality of life in patients with brain metastases using the EORTC QLQ-BN20+2 and QLQ-C15-PAL.
The 20-item European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Brain Neoplasm (QLQ-BN20) is a validated quality-of-life (QOL) questionnaire for patients with primary brain tumors. The European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 15 Palliative (QLQ-C15-PAL) core palliative questionnaire is a 15-item version of the core 30-item QLQ-C30 and was developed to decrease the burden on patients with advanced cancer. The combination of the QLQ-BN20 and QLQ-C30 to assess QOL may be too burdensome for patients. The primary aim of this study was to assess QOL in patients before and after treatment for brain metastases using the QLQ-BN20+2 and QLQ-C15-PAL, a version of the QLQ-BN20 questionnaire with 2 additional questions assessing cognitive functioning that were not addressed in the QLQ-C15-PAL. ⋯ After radiation, the questionnaires showed maintenance of QOL and improvement of QOL scores such as future uncertainty, which featured prominently in this patient population. It is proposed that the 37-item QLQ-BN20+2 and QLQ-C15-PAL, as opposed to the 50-item QLQ-BN20 and QLQ-C30, may be used together as a universal QOL assessment tool in this setting.