Tumori
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Definition of the optimal treatment schedule for high-risk prostate cancer is under debate. A combination of photon intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) on pelvis with a carbon ion boost might be the optimal treatment scheme to escalate the dose on prostate and deliver curative dose with respect to normal tissue and quality of dose distributions. In fact, carbon ion beams offer the advantage to deliver hypofractionated radiotherapy (RT) using a significantly smaller number of fractions compared to conventional RT without increasing risks of late effects. ⋯ The present clinical trial aims at improving the current treatment for high-risk prostate cancer, evaluating safety and feasibility of a new RT mixed-beam scheme including photons and carbon ions. Encouraging results are coming from carbon ion facilities worldwide on the treatment of different tumors including prostate cancers. Carbon ions combine physical properties allowing for high dose conformity and advantageous radiobiological characteristics. The proposed mixed beam treatment has the advantage to combine a photon high conformity standard of care IMRT phase with a hypofractionated carbon ion RT boost delivered in a short overall treatment time.
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Multicenter Study
Male breast cancer: clinical features and multimodal treatment in a retrospective survey analysis at Italian centers.
We report a collection of data about early breast cancer in male patients from 13 Italian institutions. ⋯ We identified a correlation between relapse and hormone receptor expression, as is the case in female breast cancer.
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Multicenter Study
GHPSS multicenter Italian survey: smoking prevalence, knowledge and attitudes, and tobacco cessation training among third-year medical students.
Healthcare professionals have an important role to play both as advisers - influencing smoking cessation - and as role models. The aims of this study were to examine smoking prevalence, knowledge and attitudes among Italian university students attending medical schools using the Global Health Professions Student Survey (GHPSS) approach. ⋯ This Italian multicenter survey found that one fifth of future medical doctors are smokers. There is a need to adopt a standard undergraduate curriculum containing comprehensive tobacco prevention and cessation training to improve their effectiveness as role models.
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Multicenter Study
An evaluation of half-body irradiation in the treatment of widespread, painful metastatic bone disease.
Evaluation of analgesic uptake, pain intensity, and quality-of-life changes after half-body irradiation of patients with bone metastases. ⋯ Half-body irradiation of cancer patients suffering from painful multiple bone dissemination is an effective and simple treatment modality that affords significant quality-of-life improvement and pain relief, thus allowing for a reduction in the use of strong analgesics.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Life tables for world-wide comparison of relative survival for cancer (CONCORD study).
The CONCORD study compares population-based relative survival from cancer using data from cancer registries in five continents. To estimate relative survival, general mortality life tables are required. Available statistics are incomplete, so various approaches are used to construct complete life tables. This article outlines how the life tables were constructed for CONCORD; it compares life expectancy at birth between 101 populations covered by cancer registries in 31 countries and compares the impact of two approaches to the deployment of life tables in relative survival analysis. ⋯ International variation in background mortality by geographic area, calendar time, race, age and sex is wide. We suggest that in international comparisons of cancer relative survival, complete life tables that are specific for cancer registry area, calendar year and race should be used.