Dtsch Arztebl Int
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The percentage of organ donors among the German population is very low, and the supply of organs does not meet the demand. Relatively few organ explantations are performed in Germany, compared to other countries. The central element leading up to organ explantation is the donor's consent. This can be expressed either orally or in writing, in the form of an advance directive or organ donor card. The goal of this study was to find out how many patients in hospital resuscitation rooms had organ donor cards on their person. ⋯ The organ donor card system as it currently exists in Germany is inadequate. These cards are not carried in the emergency situations for which they were developed.
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Recent advances in diagnostic methods and in radiotherapy now increasingly enable repeat radiotherapy with curative intent for the treatment of previously irradiated lesions. In this review, we present data on oncological outcomes and on acute and late sequelae, as far as these are currently known, in patients with head and neck tumors (HNT) or prostate cancer (PCa) who underwent repeat radiotherapy after prior radiotherapy with curative intent. ⋯ Although no comparative studies are available, it seems that modern external beam radiotherapy techniques can be used for repeat radiotherapy of locally recurrent head and neck tumors with curative intent after careful patient selection. Repeat radiotherapy of PCa must still be considered experimental, but initial results from small-scale trials are encouraging. The long-term adverse effects cannot yet be accessed. Patients should be selected by an interdisciplinary tumor board. This type of treatment is generally carried out in a specialized center.