The effect of the RadioProtect cosmetic formulation on the skin of oncological patients treated with selected cytostatic drugs and ionizing radiation.

Introduction: According to the Polish Central Statistical Office and the National Cancer Registry, cancer is the main cause of death in the world. Every year over 8 million people die from cancer worldwide, while in Poland the disease kills nearly 100,000 people. The group of patients analysed in this study suffered from breast, colorectal and lung cancers, and underwent radio- and chemotherapy. The patients were treated with a cosmetic formulation to accelerate the healing of their skin and improve the functioning of the hydrolipidic barrier. Aim: To examine oncological patients' skin and to improve its biophysical parameters with a specialized cosmetic preparation. Material and methods: The study was conducted on 60 female cancer patients treated at the University Hospital in Zielona Gora, Poland. The patients volunteered for in vivo tests of the cosmetic formulation. Results: The emulsions applied to the patients undergoing chemotherapy significantly increased the hydration of their epidermis. After 4 months of regular use of the preparation, their skin hydration level increased by 22%. The skin hydration of the patients undergoing radiotherapy increased by 3%, as compared with the levels at the beginning of the study. Conclusions: Cosmetic formulations for oncological patients restore the adequate level of skin hydration, aid the reconstruction of the skin and its protective barrier, soothe irritations, accelerate the healing of pathological lesions and prevent their development. Adverse effects may delay or prevent further treatment. Therefore, appropriately tailored care is very important and should not be overlooked.

Does the radiation approach affect acute toxicity in prostate cancer patients? A comparison of four radiation techniques.

INTRODUCTION: Prostate cancer is treated with increasingly sophisticated radiation techniques. The aim of the study is to compare acute toxicity in patients managed with different therapeutic modalities. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 60 patients irradiated between 2012 and 2016 were analyzed: A. conformal 3D - 11, B. intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) 20, C. image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT) - 19 and D. volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) - 10. Patients' age ranged from 46 to 85 years (median 70.5), prostate-specific antigen values at the time of diagnosis were in the range of 3.54-154 ng/ml (median 15.9). Acute toxicity from the genitourinary (GU) and gastrointestinal (GI) tracts according to the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) /Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) grading system were assessed. RESULTS: All irradiation techniques were well tolerated and neither 3 nor 4 degrees acute toxicity was observed. Importantly, IGRT and IMRT did not lead to Grade 2 GI acute toxicity. There was no relationship between the severity of GU acute toxicity depending on the irradiation technique used (p = 0.8), but a trend towards a significant relationship was noted for GI acute toxicity (p = 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: All assessed irradiation methods do not lead to severe acute adverse effects. Importantly, patients treated with IGRT and IMRT had only minor GI toxicity.

The role of a template-assisted cognitive transperineal prostate biopsy technique in patients with benign transrectal prostate biopsies: a preliminary experience.

INTRODUCTION: Urologists are commonly facing the dilemma of elevating prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels despite a series of negative prostate biopsy results. Although fusion biopsies are being used increasingly, they are not available in many centers. We evaluated the prostate cancer detection rate using transperineal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) template-guided cognitive biopsy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Twenty-two patients with a suspicious lesion on MRI were enrolled into this study and underwent a repeated biopsy. All procedures were done under anesthesia and with antibiotic prophylaxis. Brachytherapy template was applied in each case. RESULTS: The median age, PSA and prostate volume were 67 years, 9.2 ng/ml, and 65 ml, respectively. The average number of biopsy cores was 24. Nine patients (41%) were diagnosed with prostate cancer. The grade distribution was Gleason score 7 for 5 patients, and Gleason score 6 for 4 patients. No major complications occurred. CONCLUSIONS: Transperineal MRI template-guided cognitive prostate biopsy appears to be a safe procedure, which helps to detect significant cancer. The biopsy-associated adverse events are negligible.

[Stereotactic extracranial radiosurgery of liver tumors using respiratory gating--the method presentation]. / Stereotaktyczna pozaczaszkowa radiochirurgia guzów watroby z bramkowaniem oddechowym wiazki promieniowania--prezentacja metody.

Radiotherapy has not been widely accepted in the treatment of primary and secondary liver tumors due to its limited efficacy. This is caused by insufficient radiation doses and suboptimal techniques, which were used in the past. However, a present technological progress in radiotherapy has led to the application of modern and sophisticated radiation techniques into the treatment of liver tumors. The excellent example of such progress is stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) (or radiosurgery), with respiratory gating. Such treatment method enables delivery of high radiation doses precisely to the tumor with sparing of surrounding critical tissues. It is possible by application of multiple beams and a narrow margin around the tumor considering its respiratory movement. This method of treatment may be applied under the condition of very precise radiological imaging and accurate patients' immobilization. The study presents a method of stereotactic body radiation therapy with respiratory gating introduced in the MSC Cancer Center and Institute of Oncology in Gliwice. The treatment criteria are as follows: patients in good general condition with inoperable primary and secondary tumors, 1-3 lesions with a maximal diameter of 6 cm. The fractionation schedule consists of three doses of 12 Gy delivered in weekly intervals to the total dose of 36 Gy normalized to the minimum in the PTV. Pre-treatment preparation procedures included: patient immobilization in a vacuum pillow, monitoring of respiratory cycle, the choice of respiratory phase suitable for irradiation and computed tomography (CT) for treatment planning. After preparation of treatment plan, the X-ray simulation is performed with verification of the position of isocenter. A respiratory tracking is performed during simulation. At the last stage, patient is immobilized at the couch of linear accelerator, the verification of the isocenter position using MV or kV images is performed and respiratory tracking is once again conducted. Irradiation delivered intermittently in the selected respiratory phase using automatical connection between respiratory tracking system and accelerator. The SBRT with respiratory gating appears to be a promising method of local treatment in patients with inoperable liver tumors.