Radiation Medicine Commons^™

Implementation Of Telehealth In Radiation Oncology: Rapid Integration During Covid-19 And Its Future Role In Our Practice., A. Goenka, Daniel Ma, S. Teckie, C. Alfano, B. Bloom, J. Hwang, L. Potters

Journal Articles

Introduction: The widespread coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has resulted in significant changes in care delivery among radiation oncology practices and demanded the rapid incorporation of telehealth. However, the impact of a large-scale transition to telehealth in radiation oncology on patient access to care and the viability of care delivery are largely unknown. In this manuscript, we review our implementation and report data on patient access to care and billing implications. As telehealth is likely to continue after COVID-19, we propose a radiation oncology-specific algorithm for telehealth.

Material and Methods: In March 2020, our department began to use telehealth for all …

Treating Covid-19 Positive Cancer Patients With Radiation Therapy: A Case Report From Epicenter Of The Pandemic., B. Parashar, L. Lee, C. Madu, A. Narayana, L. Potters

Journal Articles

The coronavirus disease 2019 (SARS-Cov-2 or COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in unprecedented clinical challenges across the globe. Outcomes of patients with this infection are likely dependent on underlying comorbidities that predict worse outcome in older patients. However, it is unknown whether COVID-19 infected cancer patients receiving radiation therapy (RT) have any different outcome than non-infected patients. We present the first series from our center of COVID-19 infected patients who received RT for malignancy, their outcome, and toxicities.

Development And Execution Of A Pandemic Preparedness Plan: Therapeutic Medical Physics And Radiation Dosimetry During The Covid-19 Crisis, Ac Riegel, H Chou, J Baker, J Antone, L Potters, Y Cao

Journal Articles

No abstract provided.

Development Of A Robust Treatment Delivery Framework For Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy (Sbrt) Of Synchronous Multiple Lung Lesions, Lana Catherine Critchfield

Theses and Dissertations--Radiation Medicine

Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) of lung tumors uses high doses of radiation to deliver high biological effective doses (BED) in very few fractions (1-5). With the use of highly conformal fields to cover the tumor without depositing large doses to non-cancerous structures, this technique has proven time and again to be successful at achieving high local control. However, frequently patients receiving SBRT are elderly with multiple medical comorbidities who may not tolerate long treatment times. Furthermore, many patients present with oligometastatic or multiple primary lung tumors. The success of SBRT on oligometastatic lung disease relies on physician experience with …

Effect Of Hemolysis On Fourier Transform Infrared And Raman Spectra Of Blood Plasma, Dinesh Medipally, Daniel Cullen, Valérie Untereiner, Jane Bryant, Ganesh D. Sockalingum, Thi Nguyet Que Nguyen, Emma Noone, Shirley Bradshaw, Marie Finn, Mary Dunne, Aoife M. Shannon, John Armstrong, Aidan Meade, Fiona Lyng

Articles

Hemolysis is a very common phenomenon and is referred as the release of intracellular components from red blood cells to the extracellular fluid. Hemolyzed samples are often rejected in clinics due to the interference of hemoglobin and intracellular components in laboratory measurements. Plasma and serum based vibrational spectroscopy studies are extensively applied to generate spectral biomarkers for various diseases. However, no studies have reported the effect of hemolysis in blood based vibrational spectroscopy studies. This study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of hemolysis on infrared and Raman spectra of blood plasma. In this study, prostate cancer plasma samples (n …

Spatially Fractionated Radiation Therapy: History, Present And The Future, Weisi Yan, Mohammad K. Khan, Xiaodong Wu, Charles B. Simone Ii, Jiajin Fan, Eric Gressen, Xin Zhang, Charles L. Limoli, Houda Bahig, Slavisa Tubin, Waleed F. Mourad

Department of Radiation Oncology Faculty Papers

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Interventions On Radiotherapy-Induced Skin Toxicity: A Systematic Review, Claudia R. Figueroa

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Various studies show a variety of interventions for radiotherapy-induced skin toxicity. Radiotherapy-induced skin toxicity is the most common side effect for women with breast cancer who undergo radiotherapy sessions. Intervention agents include topical creams, barrier films, oral agents, as well as laser therapy. However, despite the variety of intervention agents available, there is still a lack of accepted guidelines to manage radiotherapy-induced skin toxicity. This thesis aims to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of published randomized controlled trials with the primary purpose of exploring the available intervention methods to prevent radiotherapy-induced skin toxicity and evaluate the effects of different …

Development And Dosimetric Verification Of 3d Customized Bolus In Radiotherapy, Nichakan Chatchumnan

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Bolus is a tissue equivalent material that is commonly used to reduce the skin-sparing effect in radiotherapy. The commercial flat bolus cannot form perfect contact with the irregular surface of the patient's skin, resulting in an air gap, especially in irregular surface shape. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of two types of silicone rubber bolus, RA-00AB, and RA-05AB that were made as to the fabricated flat and 3D customized bolus using 3D printing technology. The 1 cm thick boluses were made from two types of silicone rubber solutions. The point dose and planar dose differences …

High Lymph Node Positive To Sampled Ratio As A Potential Indication For Postoperative Radiation Therapy In Patients With Pn2 Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer, Nikhil P Mankuzhy, Muayad F Almahariq, Craig W Stevens, Thomas J Quinn

Articles

Background: The role for postoperative radiation therapy (PORT) for patients with non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with mediastinal lymph node (LN) involvement (pN2 disease) is controversial. We performed a SEER analysis comparing surgery alone with PORT among patients with pN2 NSCLC. As we await the final results of the LUNG ART trial, a subset of patients with a high LN positive to sampled (LPR) ratio may benefit from PORT. Patients/methods: Patients with pN2 NSCLC, ranging from 1989-2016, were assessed from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database. A propensity score (PS)-matched, inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) analysis was conducted …

The Labeling Of 99mtc-Psma-Hbed-Cc For Prostate Cancer Imaging, Benchamat Phromphao

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second most common cancer and the fifth leading cause of death worldwide in 2018 (1). Initially, PCa diagnosis is based on Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) blood test, which is low sensitivity and low specificity, and sonography guided needle biopsy, which is invasive. Therefore, molecular imaging recently enrolls as an important technique in PCa diagnosis using some small molecules which are well developed to bind to overexpressed Prostate Specific Membrane Antigen (PSMA). The small molecules, for example PSMA-HBED-CC, PSMA I&T, can be chelated with Ga-68 for diagnostic purpose using positron emission tomography (PET) scan. Even though …

Surface And Build-Up Region Dose Measurement In Head And Neck Region Using Radio - Photoluminescent Glass Dosimeter, Sonam Choki

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

The use of commercially available radio-photoluminescent glass dosimeter (RPLGD) for radiation measurement has increased in recent years. It has been shown to have superior dosimetric characteristics as compared to other dosimeters. The purpose of this research is to evaluate the suitability of the GD-302M glass dosimeter for surface and build-up region dose measurement in head and neck region. The glass dosimeter was analyzed for its dosimetric properties in photon beam. Then, the study was performed for surface and build-up region dose comparison between EBT3 film and RPLGD in solid water phantom at 0, 2, 3, 5, 10 and 15mm depths …

Determination Of Field Output Correction Factors Of Radiophoto Luminescent Glass Dosimeter In 6 Mv Small Photon Beams, Sumalee Yabsantia

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

The objective of this study was to determine the field output correction factors of radiophotoluminescent glass dosimeter (RPLGD) for 6 MV photon beams by using Monte Carlo (MC) simulation. The ratios of absorbed dose of water and RPLGD were calculated using egs_chamber code for 6 MV, 90-cm SSD, 10-cm depth, and field size range from 0.5 × 0.5 to 10 × 10 cm2. Then the field output correction factors of RPLGD in perpendicular and parallel orientations were determined. Also, the volume averaging correction factors were discovered for supporting our results. Moreover, the comparison of measurement field output factors of RPLGD …

Patient-Specific Organ Dose Calculated By Dose Tracking Software Based On Monte Carlo Simulation In Pediatric Abdominal Ct, Yuparak Innan

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

This study aimed to determine the patient-specific organ doses using Radimetrics dose tracking software in pediatric abdominal CT at Praram9 Hospital. The organ doses were measured using the anthropomorphic Rando phantom inserted with radiophotoluminescent glass dosimeters (RPLGDs) to verify the organ doses calculated by Radimetrics program. The retrospective data were collected from pediatric abdominal CT 164 studies (78 patients), age range 0-15 years-old), who underwent single phase abdominal CT at Praram9 Hospital. The tube voltages ranged between 80 and 135 kVp were adjusted according to the size and age of patients, and rotation time 0.35-0.5 sec. All patients were acquired …

The Study Of Local Diagnostic Reference Levels At Unit Of Vascular And Interventional Radiology, King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Kornkamol Prajamchuea

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Interventional Radiology (IR) procedures are minimally invasive surgery using angiographic equipment which the patients and staffs may receive high radiation dose. DRLs, based on 75th percentile of the median dose for a sample of standard sized of patients, are an effective tool for optimization of protection in the medical exposure of patients for diagnostic and interventional procedures (ICRP Publication 135, 2017). The objective of this study is to establish the local DRLs distribution of patient radiation dose and related parameters in interventional radiology procedures in standard-sized of Thai patients. Local DRLs of radiation dose and related parameters of patients (45-75kg …

Evaluation Of Patient Doses From 177lu-Psma In Metastases Prostate Cancer Treatment At King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Kotchakorn Chatachot

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

177Lu-PSMA I&T has increasingly used for targeted radionuclide therapy of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Dosimetric calculation, therefore, is critical to achieve the optimal therapeutic activity while sparing side effects to the normal tissues. The purpose of this study was to determine the radiation dosimetry for metastases prostate cancer patients treated by 177Lu-PSMA I&T at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital (KCMH). Whole-body planar images were acquired in eight patients (12 treatment cycles) at immediately, 4 and 24 h after 177Lu-PSMA I&T injection (range 4.36 to 8.58 GBq). Region of interests (ROIs) were manually contoured on the whole-body, liver, spleen, urinary bladder, …

Evidence Of Y Chromosome Long Non-Coding Rnas Involved In The Radiation Response Of Male Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Cells, Tayvia Brownmiller

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the number one cause of cancer related mortality in the United States and worldwide. Advanced and therapeutically resistant lung tumors contribute to the high rate of mortality from NSCLC, therefore there is a need for new methods of diagnosing and treating this disease. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been shown to be a crucial component of human molecular biology, regulating nearly every cellular pathway from chromatin condensation to transcription and translation. Furthermore, many lncRNAs have been classified as oncogenes or tumor suppressors, highlighting the various molecular mechanisms they are involved in regarding the formation …

Phase Iib, Randomized, Double-Blind Trial Of Gc4419 Versus Placebo To Reduce Severe Oral Mucositis Due To Concurrent Radiotherapy And Cisplatin For Head And Neck Cancer., Carryn M. Anderson, Christopher M Lee, Deborah P. Saunders, Amarinthia Curtis, Neal Dunlap, Chaitali Nangia, Arielle S. Lee, Sharon M. Gordon, Philip Kovoor, Roberto Arevalo-Araujo, Voichita Bar-Ad, Abhinand Peddada, Kyle Colvett, Douglas Miller, Anshu K. Jain, James Wheeler, Dukagjin Blakaj, Marcelo Bonomi, Sanjiv S. Agarwala, Madhur Garg, Francis Worden, Jon Holmlund, Jeffrey M. Brill, Matt Downs, Stephen T. Sonis, Sanford Katz, John M. Buatti

Department of Radiation Oncology Faculty Papers

PURPOSE: Oral mucositis (OM) remains a common, debilitating toxicity of radiation therapy (RT) for head and neck cancer. The goal of this phase IIb, multi-institutional, randomized, double-blind trial was to compare the efficacy and safety of GC4419, a superoxide dismutase mimetic, with placebo to reduce the duration, incidence, and severity of severe OM (SOM).

PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 223 patients (from 44 institutions) with locally advanced oral cavity or oropharynx cancer planned to be treated with definitive or postoperative intensity-modulated RT (IMRT; 60 to 72 Gy [≥ 50 Gy to two or more oral sites]) plus cisplatin (weekly …

Combined Modality Therapies For High-Risk Prostate Cancer: Narrative Review Of Current Understanding And New Directions., Benjamin A. Greenberger, Victor E. Chen, Robert B. Den

Department of Radiation Oncology Faculty Papers

Despite the many prospective randomized trials that have been available in the past decade regarding the optimization of radiation, hormonal, and surgical therapies for high-risk prostate cancer (PCa), many questions remain. There is currently a lack of level I evidence regarding the relative efficacy of radical prostatectomy (RP) followed by adjuvant radiation compared to radiation therapy (RT) combined with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) for high-risk PCa. Current retrospective series have also described an improvement in biochemical outcomes and PCa-specific mortality through the use of augmented radiation strategies incorporating brachytherapy. The relative efficacy of modern augmented RT compared to RP is …

Recent Updates In The Management Of Merkel Cell Carcinoma, Ahmed Nadeem Abbasi, Syed Mustajab Ahmed, Bilal Mazhar Qureshi

Department of Radiation Oncology

Merkel cell carcinoma is an aggressive non-melanomatous cutaneous tumour of neuroendocrine origin with an increasing incidence in the recent years. It is a tumour of the elderly and immunosuppressed, which most often appears on sun-exposed areas of the body. The clinical features of the cutaneous or subcutaneous lesions hardly contribute to the diagnosis, and, hence, histopathology and immunohistochemistry play a vital role in diagnosis. The latest staging system by the American Joint Committee on Cancer includes non-nodal invasion to adjacent structures i.e. bone, muscle, fascia, or cartilage into the criteria, in additionto size and depth of invasion. The management reliesheavily …

Characterization And Longitudinal Assessment Of Daily Quality Assurance For An Mr-Guided Radiotherapy (Mrgrt) Linac, Kathryn Mittauer

All Publications

No abstract provided.

Value Of Elastography In Differentiating Benign From Malignant Breast Lesions Keeping Histopathology As Gold Standard, Faryal Farooq, Syed Mubarak, Shaista Shaukat, Noman Khan, Kahkashan Jafar, Tariq Mahmood, Muhammad Arif Saeed

Department of Radiology

Background: Breast cancer is the most common cancer in females, both in developed and developing countries. Pakistan has the highest breast cancer incidence rate in Asia. Guidelines recommend screening for detecting breast cancer with mammography and ultrasonography (US). Shear-wave elastography (SWE) is a newer technique that can aid additional characterization of breast lesions.
Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the diagnostic accuracy of breast ultrasound elastography in differentiating benign from malignant breast lesions using histology diagnosis as the gold standard.
Materials and methods: The study was conducted at the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital and Jinnah Post Graduate Medical …

Prediction Of Anal Cancer Recurrence After Chemoradiotherapy Using Quantitative Image Features Extracted From Serial (18)F-Fdg Pet/Ct, Michael Chuong

All Publications

No abstract provided.

Wilms Tumor Survivorship: Does Childhood Cancer Treatment Predict Late-Term Adverse Effects?, Ava Bibergal

Grace Peterson Nursing Research Colloquium

Abstract

Background: Wilms tumor is the leading cancer to affect the kidneys in children most commonly between the age of 3 and 5 years old. Treatment of Wilms tumor typically consists of chemotherapy, radiation, or a combination of the two – which are often successful in eradicating the cancer. However, current treatment options often leave patients with a high risk of late-term adverse effects such as cardiac diseases or secondary cancers later in life. Wilms’ tumor patients currently have a 90% survival rate from their disease, however face a future of indeterminate health problems due to their treatment regimen.

Objectives: …

Mice Exposed To Combined Chronic Low-Dose Irradiation And Modeled Microgravity Develop Long-Term Neurological Sequelae, Amber M. Paul, Eliah G. Overbey, William A. Da Silveira, Candice G.T. Tahimic, Sigrid S. Reinsch, Nathaniel Szewczyk, Seta Stanbouly, Charles Wang, Jonathan M. Galazka, Xiao Wen Mao

Publications

Spaceflight poses many challenges for humans. Ground-based analogs typically focus on single parameters of spaceflight and their associated acute effects. This study assesses the long-term transcriptional effects following single and combination spaceflight analog conditions using the mouse model: simulated microgravity via hindlimb unloading (HLU) and/or low-dose γ-ray irradiation (LDR) for 21 days, followed by 4 months of readaptation. Changes in gene expression and epigenetic modifications in brain samples during readaptation were analyzed by whole transcriptome shotgun sequencing (RNA-seq) and reduced representation bisulfite sequencing (RRBS). The results showed minimal gene expression and cytosine methylation alterations at 4 months readaptation within single …

Response Of Human Small Intestinal Epithelium To Fractionated Irradiation: Dynamical Modeling Approach, Francis A. Cucinotta, Olga A. Smirnova

Health Physics and Diagnostic Sciences Faculty Research

A biologically motivated mathematical model of the dynamics of the small intestinal epithelium in humans treated with fractionated radiotherapy has been developed and is further investigated here. This model, originating from our previous work, is implemented as a system of nonlinear ordinary differential equations, in which the variables and parameters have a clear biological meaning. The model also includes, as input, the key parameters of fractionated irradiation. The modeling results on the dynamical response of the human normal small intestinal epithelium to fractionated radiation therapy regimens were in agreement with the corresponding empirical data, which, in turn, demonstrates the capability …

Meta-Analysis Of Cognitive Performance By Novel Object Recognition After Proton And Heavy Ion Exposures, Eliedonna Cacao, Francis A. Cucinotta

Health Physics and Diagnostic Sciences Faculty Research

Experimental studies of cognitive detriments in mice and rats after proton and heavy ion exposures have been performed by several laboratories to investigate possible risks to astronauts exposed to cosmic rays in space travel and patients treated for brain cancers with proton and carbon beams in Hadron therapy. However, distinct radiation types and doses, cognitive tests and rodent models have been used by different laboratories, while few studies have considered detailed dose-response characterizations, including estimates of relative biological effectiveness (RBE). Here we report on the first quantitative meta-analysis of the dose response for proton and heavy ion rodent studies of …

Following The Growth Of Sarah's Baby: An Ipe Activity For Medical Nutrition & Diagnostic Sonography Students, Tanya M. Custer, Megan Timmerman, Cynthia M. Schmidt, Teresa L. Hartman, Harlan Sayles, Kathryn Wampler, Lea Lambing, Kim Michael

Posters and Presentations: Medical Imaging & Therapeutic Sciences

Objectives: Interprofessional education (IPE) involves collaborative learning among students from different professions. While acceptance of these types of activities is increasing, there are opportunities to expand the number of health care professions involved in IPE. The purpose of this study was to explore student perceptions and outcomes after participation in a Diagnostic Medical Sonography (DMS) and Medical Nutrition Education (MNE) interprofessional education activity centered around a clinical case study on fetal growth. Subjects & Methods: The IPE activity was administered to four student cohorts from academic years to 2015-2016 to 2018-2019. Participants included 66 students (n=39 DMS and n=27 MNE). …

Modeling Proton Relative Biological Effectiveness Using Monte Carlo Simulations Of Microdosimetry, Mark A. Newpower

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Proton therapy is a radiotherapy modality that can offer a better physical dose distribution when compared to photon radiotherapy by taking advantage of the Bragg peak, a narrow region of rapid energy loss. Proton therapy is also known to offer an enhanced relative biological effectiveness (RBE) compared to photons. In the current clinical standard, RBE is fixed at 1.1 at all points along the proton beam, meaning protons are assumed to require 10% less dose than photons to achieve target coverage and organ at risk (OAR) sparing. However, there is mounting clinical evidence, and a significant number of in vitro …

Fasting Reduces Intestinal Radiotoxicity Enabling Dose-Escalated Radiotherapy For Pancreatic Cancer, Marimar De La Cruz Bonilla

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Surgical resection is the only potentially curative treatment for pancreatic cancer, but only 15-20% of patients have resectable tumors. In unresectable cases, stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) may be used to give tumor-directed radiotherapy (RT). Unfortunately, this can cause severe gastrointestinal (GI) toxicity due to proximity of the pancreatic head to the duodenum. Protecting the intestine from the toxic side-effects of radiation may enable dose-escalation that could achieve more effective local control of disease. We and others have previously shown that a fast of 24 hours protects mice from lethal doses of the DNA-damaging agent etoposide. In this study, we demonstrate …

Impact Of Peer Review In The Radiation Treatment Planning Process: Experience Of A Tertiary Care University Hospital In Pakistan, Bilal Mazhar Qureshi, Muhammad Atif Mansha, Muneeb Uddin Karim, Asim Hafiz, Nasir Ali, Benazir Mir, Fatima Shaukat, Maria Tariq, Ahmed Nadeem Abbasi

Department of Radiation Oncology

Purpose: To evaluate and report the frequency of changes in radiation therapy treatment plans after peer review in a simulation review meeting once a week.
Materials and Methods: Between July 1 and August 31, 2016, the radiation plans of 116 patients were discussed in departmental simulation review meetings. All plans were finalized by the primary radiation oncologist before presenting them in the meeting. A team of radiation oncologists reviewed each plan, and their suggestions were documented as no change, major change, minor change, or missing contour. Changes were further classified as changes in clinical target volume, treatment field, or dose. …