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Full-Text Articles in Medical Specialties
A Method For Predicting Dose Changes For Hn Treatment Using Surface Imaging, Sarah E. Holler
A Method For Predicting Dose Changes For Hn Treatment Using Surface Imaging, Sarah E. Holler
Theses and Dissertations
Head and neck cancer is commonly treated with a six- to seven-week course of radiotherapy, during which a patient’s anatomy may change substantially, due to target reduction or weight loss. Anatomical changes lead to reduction in treatment quality due to decreased setup reproducibility and altered dose deposition compared to the original plan. Few clinics have developed a standard method for triggering resimulation and replan due to anatomic changes. This work investigates a new method for determining when to resimulate and replan HNC patients by utilizing their topographic anatomical changes to predict differences in planned versus delivered dose distributions. The first …
Exosomal Mirnas As Biomarkers For Radiation Toxicity In Breast Cancer Patients, Mina V. Mcginn
Exosomal Mirnas As Biomarkers For Radiation Toxicity In Breast Cancer Patients, Mina V. Mcginn
Theses and Dissertations
Radiotherapy (RT) is a standard treatment for most breast cancer patients (BCPs), but is often accompanied by acute and late toxic effects in normal tissue. Exosomes are nano vesicles about 30-150nm in size that originate from the endosomal network and are found in most body fluids. Exosomes are a fundamental driver of intercellular communication by transferring proteins, lipids and microRNA (miRNA). Exosomal miRNA (Exo-miRNA) signatures may serve as non-invasive prediction biomarkers of post-radiation toxicities of BCPs. Eighty six BCPs treated in the Radiation Oncology Department were enrolled in an IRB approved study. BCPs were evaluated weekly during RT and at …
Reducing Uncertainty In Head And Neck Radiotherapy With Plastic Robotics, Mark R. Ostyn
Reducing Uncertainty In Head And Neck Radiotherapy With Plastic Robotics, Mark R. Ostyn
Theses and Dissertations
One of the greatest challenges in achieving accurate positioning in head and neck radiotherapy is that the anatomy at and above the cervical spine does not act as a single, mechanically rigid body. Current immobilization techniques contain residual uncertainties that are especially present in the lower neck that cannot be reduced by setting up to any single landmark. The work presented describes the development of a radiotherapy friendly mostly-plastic 6D robotic platform for positioning independent landmarks, (i.e., allowing remote, independent positioning of the skull relative to landmarks in the thorax), including analysis of kinematics, stress, radiographic compatibility, trajectory planning, physical …
Impaired Cardiorespiratory Fitness Following Thoracic Radiotherapy, Justin M. Canada
Impaired Cardiorespiratory Fitness Following Thoracic Radiotherapy, Justin M. Canada
Theses and Dissertations
Cancer (CA) is the second leading cause of death in the United States preceded only by cardiovascular disease (CVD). Over the past 30 years, the 5-year survival rate for all cancers combined has increased by more than 20%. This improved survival rate is due to early diagnosis and advances in treatment involving a multimodality treatment approach that includes radiotherapy [RT] with about half of all CA patients receiving some type of RT sometime during the course of their treatment. Cardiotoxicity is one of the most important adverse reactions of RT and leads to a meaningful risk of CVD-related morbidity and …