ASTRO Journals: Recent Episodes
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Stay current with the latest studies in radiation oncology with free podcasts from the official journals of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO). The International Journal of Radiation Oncology-Biology-Physics (the Red Journal) publishes the latest clinical research related to radiation oncology, radiation biology, medical physics, education, and health policy. The overarching mission of Practical Radiation Oncology is to improve the quality of radiation oncology practice through publication of official ASTRO guidelines and white papers, discussion and illustration of new techniques, evaluation of current practices, and publication of case reports. Advances in Radiation Oncology is a wide-ranging clinical research journal whose articles are free and open for all to read. Visit www.redjournal.org, www.practicalradonc.org, and www.advancesradonc.org to learn more about ASTRO's journals.
Editor in Chief Sue Yom hosts four of our artists – Jen Bellon, our journal’s Art Editor, who was previously at Dana Farber Cancer Institute/Brigham & Women’s Hospital, and now works as an independent art consultant; Annie Lavigne, Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology at Johns Hopkins University; Josh No, Attending Physician at Kaiser Permanente; and Tony Orlina, Lead Dosimetrist at Dana Farber Cancer Center. They discuss the role of art in their lives, stories of their Red Journal cover artworks, and what they see as the role of art in medicine.
Editor in Chief Dr. Sue Yom hosts a discussion on the role of radiation for gallbladder cancer, as it is managed in India versus the U.S. Guests are Section Editor Dr. Michael Chuong, Vice Chair and Medical Director of Radiation Oncology at Miami Cancer Institute, and Dr. Sushma Agrawal, Professor from the Department of Radiotherapy at Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences in Lacknow, India, RACE-GB Principal Investigator, and first author of the primary trial report, A Randomized Study of Consolidation Chemoradiotherapy Versus Observation After First-line Chemotherapy in Advanced Gallbladder Cancers: RACE-GB Study.
In this episode of the PRO podcast, join host Michael Buckstein, MD, PhD, as he sits down with Jennifer Wo, MD and Ann Raldow, MD, MPH to discuss the latest updates to the ASTRO Rectal Cancer Guidelines. In this episode, they break down key recommendations, the evolving role of radiation in rectal cancer management, and how these guidelines impact clinical decision-making. Tune in for expert insights on the latest evidence, practical applications, and what these updates mean for patient care.
Dr. Sue Yom, Editor in Chief, co-hosts with Dr. Lachlan McDowell, Consultant Radiation Oncologist at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Queensland, Australia and our journal's Head and Neck Cancer Section Editor. Guests are Dr. Sean McBride, Radiation Oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Chief of External Beam Radiotherapy at the Manhattan site, who authored an editorial, Oligometastatic HNSCC: Is SABR the Solution?, and Dr. Juliette Thariat, Professor in Radiation Oncology at Cancer Center Baclesse in Normandy, France, Secrétaire Nationale at the GORTEC, and first author of our featured article, Survival Without Quality of Life Deterioration in the GORTEC 2014-04 "OMET" Randomized Phase 2 Trial in Patients with Head and Neck Cancer with Oligometastases using Stereotactic Ablative Radiation Therapy (SABR) alone or Chemotherapy and SABR.
In this PRO podcast, Bisham Chera MD, FASTRO, Danielle Margalit, MD, MPH, and David Sher, MD, discuss the recently published ASTRO clinical practice guideline of Radiation Therapy for HPV-Positive Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma. This manuscript was published in print in the September/October 2024 issue and was the 3rd most downloaded PRO article in 2024. Listen for their lively and meaningful discussion of the key recommendations and controversies.
Dr. Sue Yom, Editor in Chief, hosts Dr. Kristin Hsieh, radiation oncology resident at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and member of the SWRO mentorship committee; Dr. Crystal Seldon Taswell, Assistant Professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Miami and past Chair of SWRO; Dr. Jennifer Croke, radiation oncologist at Princess Margaret Cancer Center and Associate Professor and Director of Fellowship at the University of Toronto; and Dr. Reshma Jagsi, the Lawrence W. Davis Professor and Chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology at at Emory University. All were co-authors on this month's featured publication, A 5-Year, Multi-Institutional Mentorship Program in Radiation Oncology: The Society for Women in Radiation Oncology Experience.
Our Editor-in-Chief Dr. Sue Yom co-hosts with Dr. Henning Willers, our journal's Biology Section Editor and Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology at Massachusetts General Hospital. Guests are Dr. Simon Powell, Chair of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Department of Radiation Oncology, who joins us as the co-last author of a new publication, Increased synthetic cytotoxicity of combinatorial chemoradiotherapy in homologous recombination deficient tumors, and Dr. Kerstin Borkmann, Professor of Radiobiology at the University Clinic Hamburg Eppendorf and Biology Associate Editor for our journal. She is the co-author of the accompanying editorial, BRCAness identifies synthetic cytotoxicity between cisplatin and RT.
Editor-in-Chief, Robert Amdur, MD explains a relatively new form of narrative writing called the Micro-Story, which is a subset of the writing genre called Flash Fiction. The presentation is based on two papers published in the January/February 2025 issue of PRO (2025, Issue 1, January/February). One paper is the first Micro-Story ever published in PRO with title: "The Black Car (Children Playing)." The second paper is an accompanying Editorial titled "Flash and FLASH: In Short, an Imaginary Bridge."
Dr. Sue Yom, Editor in Chief, hosts guests Dr. Cristian Udovicich, a Fellow in Radiation Oncology at the University of Toronto's Sunnybrook Odette Cancer Centre, and Dr. Angela Jia, Assistant Professor and Assistant Residency Program Director at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, who were the first and second authors of "Evolving Paradigms in Prostate Cancer: The Integral Role of Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography in Primary Staging and Therapeutic Decision-Making." In addition, we review long-term SBRT results with Dr. Andrew Loblaw, Full Professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology and Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at Sunnybrook Health Science Center at the University of Toronto and supervising author of "Stereotactic Radiation Therapy for Localized Prostate Cancer: 10-Year Outcomes From Three Prospective Trials," and Dr. Constantinos Zamboglou, Deputy Medical Director at the German Oncology Center in Limassol, Cyprus and first author of an accompanying editorial, "Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy for Prostate Cancer is Getting Mature: 10-Year Outcomes From Three Prospective Trials."
This podcast discussed the topic of "Improving consistency and reducing human bias for physicians’ target contouring using AI auto-segmentation." Experts joining the discussion include Steve Jiang, PhD, Professor and Vice Chair in Department of Radiation Oncology at University of Texas Southwestern and Director of Medical Artificial Intelligence and Automation Lab, Nathan Yu, MD, Assistant Professor in Department of Radiation Oncology, Mayo Clinic Arizona, and Yi Rong, PhD, Professor and Lead photon physicist in Department of Radiation Oncology at Mayo Clinic Arizona. This podcast focused on the utility of AI in automatic segmentation of medical imaging and the challenges related to physician variability in clinical practice. We discussed various strategies for addressing these challenges, including developing physician-style aware AI models and balancing standardization with personalization in AI tool development and deployment. The emphasis is on the feasibility and clinical utility of using AI to improve the accuracy and efficiency of medical image segmentation while respecting the art and personalization inherent in clinical medicine.
Editor in Chief Dr. Sue Yom and Associate Editor Dr. Neil Taunk, Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology and Chief of the Gynecologic Radiation Service at the University of Pennsylvania, co-host a podcast on "Biomarker expression and impact on clinical outcomes in an international study of chemoradiation and MRI-based image-guided brachytherapy for locally advanced cervical cancer: BIOEMBRACE," with guests Dr. Supriya Chopra, Professor at Tata Memorial Centre in Mumbai, India, and Dr. Remi Nout, Professor and Head of the Department of Radiotherapy of the Erasmus Medical Center, University Medical Center, in Rotterdam, Netherlands, who were the first and last authors and both principal investigators of the BIOEMBRACE study.
Editor-in-Chief, Robert Amdur, MD and Resident Physician, Daniela Martir, MD discuss Partially Ablative Body Radiotherapy for Locally Advanced Unresectable Tumor. The discussion is based on a paper in PRO titled “Partially Ablative Body Radiotherapy (PABR): A Widely Applicable Planning Technique for Palliation of Locally Advanced Unresectable Tumors” (PMID 39393770).
Editor-in-Chief Dr. Sue Yom hosts Dr. Mai Anh Huynh, Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology at the Brigham and Women's Hospital / Dana-Farber Cancer Center who wrote an editorial this month, "The Hidden Benefits of Palliative Radiotherapy: When Radiation of Metastatic Disease is Not "Just" Palliative," Dr. David Palma, a Radiation Oncologist at the London Health Sciences Centre who co-authored, "Ablative Radiation Therapy to Restrain Everything Safely Treatable (ARREST): A Phase I Study of Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy for Poly-metastatic Disease", and Dr. Ethan Ludmir, Assistant Professor in the Departments of Gastrointestinal Radiation Oncology and Biostatistics at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and supervising author of "Off-Protocol Radiotherapy in Phase III Metastatic Solid Tumor Trials." The group also discusses an article from this month's issue, "Is Local Ablative Stereotactic Radiation Therapy a Valuable Rescue Strategy for Time on Drug in Patients Enrolled in Phase I Trials?"
In this podcast, we discuss the The Society of Thoracic Surgeons/American Society for Radiation Oncology Updated Clinical Practice Guidelines on Multimodality Therapy for Locally Advanced Cancer of the Esophagus or Gastroesophageal Junction. Joining in the discussion are Dr. Stephanie Worrell, Associate Professor and Thoracic Section Chief in the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the University of Arizona College of Medicine, and Dr. Karyn Goodman, Professor and Vice Chair for Research and Quality at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and Associate Director for Clinical Research at The Tisch Cancer Institute, who served as chair and co-chair of the guideline panel, respectively. Together, we cover important updates and recommendations that incorporate surgical aspects into the multi-disciplinary management of this disease along with practical considerations for everyday practice. Additionally, we discuss in depth the recently presented ESOPEC trial presented at the 2024 ASCO annual meeting and how it has impacted the standard of care for esophageal cancers.
In this podcast, we discuss the The Society of Thoracic Surgeons/American Society for Radiation Oncology Updated Clinical Practice Guidelines on Multimodality Therapy for Locally Advanced Cancer of the Esophagus or Gastroesophageal Junction. Joining in the discussion are Dr. Stephanie Worrell, Associate Professor and Thoracic Section Chief in the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the University of Arizona College of Medicine, and Dr. Karyn Goodman, Professor and Vice Chair for Research and Quality at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and Associate Director for Clinical Research at The Tisch Cancer Institute, who served as chair and co-chair of the guideline panel, respectively. Together, we cover important updates and recommendations that incorporate surgical aspects into the multi-disciplinary management of this disease along with practical considerations for everyday practice. Additionally, we discuss in depth the recently presented ESOPEC trial presented at the 2024 ASCO annual meeting and how it has impacted the standard of care for esophageal cancers.
Deputy Editor Salma Jabbour hosts Dr. Christopher Anker, Professor of Radiation Oncology and Program Co-Leader in the Cancer Host and Environment program at the University of Vermont Cancer Center, and Dr. Leila Tchelebi, Associate Professor of Radiation Medicine at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, respectively the first and second authors of a guideline published in this issue, Executive Summary of the American Radium Society Appropriate Use Criteria for Non-Operative Management for Rectal Adenocarcinoma: Systematic Review and Guidelines
Editor in Chief Dr. Sue Yom co-hosts with Dr. Nicholas Zaorsky, an Associate Editor at the Journal and Associate Professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology at Case Western University Hospitals. We discuss three articles that are publishing rapid online for this meeting including Bladder Adjuvant RadioTherapy (BART): Acute and Late Toxicity from a Phase III Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial, with the Principal Investigator Dr. Vedang Murthy, Professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology at Tata Memorial Centre in Mumbai, and its accompanying editorial, Adjuvant Radiation Therapy for Locally Advanced Bladder Cancer: A Safe and Promising Emerging Treatment Option, with first author Dr. Brian Baumann, Radiation Oncologist at Springfield Clinic in Illinois. Relevant to this discussion is a paper appearing in this month's issue, The Value and Safety of Adjuvant Radiation Therapy After Radical Cystectomy in Locally Advanced Urothelial Bladder Cancer: A Controlled Randomized Study and its accompanying editorial, Is It Time to Reconsider the Place of Adjuvant Radiation Therapy After Radical Cystectomy? Finally, our third rapid online paper is Setting the Stage: Feasibility and Baseline Characteristics in the Prostate Advanced Radiation Technologies Investigating Quality of Life (PARTIQoL) Trial Comparing Proton Therapy vs. IMRT for Localized Prostate Cancer, with Principal Investigator Dr. Jason Efstathiou, Professor of Radiation Oncology at Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital.
Dr. Sue Yom, Editor in Chief, hosts Ms. Nina Levin, a Medical Physicist and PhD Candidate and Dr. Bjørn Grønberg, Professor and Consultant in medical oncology and radiotherapy, from the Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, and Dr. Megan Daly, Professor from the University of California Davis and an Associate Editor at our journal. We discuss Ms. Levin’s and Dr. Grønberg’s article, Evaluation of radiotherapy treatment plans in a randomized phase II trial comparing two schedules of twice-daily thoracic radiotherapy in limited stage small-cell lung cancer, and its accompanying editorial, Toward the Optimal Delivery of Twice-Daily Thoracic Chemoradiation in Limited-Stage Small Cell Lung Cancer, as well as an article from the August 2024 issue, Long-Term Outcomes After Concurrent Once- or Twice-Daily Chemoradiation in Limited-Stage Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Brief Report From the CONVERT Trial.
Ronald Chen, MD, MPH, FASTRO, hosts a conversation on the background, methodology, primary recommendations, and implications of the updated External Beam Radiation Therapy for Palliation of Symptomatic Bone Metastases: An ASTRO Clinical Practice Guideline. Alongside Tracy Balboni, MD, MPH, and Sara Alcorn, MD, they discuss recent data and changes to practice patterns such as increased use of advanced treatment approaches (e.g., stereotactic radiation) and reirradiation. The guidelines address five key questions in this context, built upon a systematic review of the available literature and with assessment of evidence quality and recommendation strength.
Our Editor in Chief Sue Yom hosts a discussion of two related articles, "Diagnostic CT-Enabled Planning (DART): Results of a Randomized Trial in Palliative Radiation Therapy" and its accompanying editorial, "'Sim-free' Palliative Radiation Therapy Greatly Reduces Time Burden for Patients." Guests are Melissa O'Neil, MSc, MRT(T), an Advanced Practice Radiation Therapist and Leader of the Rapid Response Clinic at London Health Sciences Center in Canada, who was the first author of the DART trial publication, as well as Dr. Katrina Woodford, Lead Radiation Therapist Clinician Scientist at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Honorary Senior Fellow at the University of Melbourne and Adjunct Senior Lecturer at Monash University, and first author of the accompanying editorial.
Practical Radiation Oncology associate editor Laura Dover, MD, MSPH of Birmingham, Alabama hosts a conversation on the recent past, the realized present and the aspirational future of the American Board of Radiology (ABR) certifying exams for Radiation Oncology. Her guests are the Radiation Oncology Associate Executive Director at the ABR Michael Yunes, MD and the Director of Communications for the ABR David Laszakovits, MBA.
Sue Yom, our Editor in Chief, hosts a discussion of two related articles, Temporal Evolution and Diagnostic Diversification of Patients Receiving Proton Therapy in the United States: A Ten-Year Trend Analysis (2012-21) from the National Association for Proton Therapy and Improving Access to Proton Therapy in the United States and Around the World, from the July 15, 2024 issue. Guests are first authors Dr. William Hartsell, former Medical Director of the Northwestern Medicine Proton Center, now practicing in the Advocate and Alexian systems in the Chicago area, and Dr. Derek Tsang, Associate Professor at the University of Toronto and Clinician Investigator in the Radiation Medicine Program at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre.
Editor-in-Chief, Robert Amdur, MD, discusses lymph node management in patients with vulvar cancer. The foundation for this discussion is a paper published in the May 2024 issue of PRO titled "Navigating the Complexities of Lymph Node Management in Vulvar Cancer: Insights and Perspectives." (2024, Issue 3, May/June, PMID: 38336276). This paper is a Topic Discussion that summarizes key studies and then explains the authors current policy regarding radiotherapy to the regional lymphatics in operable and inoperable cases.
Related articles
Contouring Inguinal and Femoral Nodes; How Much Margin is Needed Around the Vessels?
Consensus Recommendations for Radiation Therapy Contouring and Treatment of Vulvar Carcinoma
Editor in Chief Sue Yom hosts a discussion of An Economic Analysis of SC.24: A Randomized Study of SBRT Compared with Conventional Palliative RT for Spinal Metastases. Guests are first and second author Dr. Marc Kerba, clinical associate professor in the Department of Oncology at the University of Calgary and radiation oncologist at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre, and Dr. Richard De Abreu Lourenco, Professor with the Centre for Health Economics Research and Evaluation at the University of Technology Sydney.
Practical Radiation Oncology associate editor Majid Al-Othman, MD, of Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare hosts a conversation on Summary of Cardiac Computed Tomographic Imaging in Cardio-Oncology: An Expert Consensus Document of the Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography. Two of the authors, Sarah A. Milgrom, MD, of University of Colorado and Jean L. Wright, MD, Johns Hopkins University to highlight the practical aspects of the paper for clinicians and recommendations that are relevant to radiation oncology.
Sue Yom, our Editor in Chief, leads a discussion of Overview and Recommendations for Prospective Multi-institutional Spatially Fractionated Radiation Therapy Clinical Trials, a critical review from AAPM and NRG Oncology. Guests are first author Dr. Heng Li, Associate Professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology and Molecular Radiation Sciences at Johns Hopkins University and Chief Proton Physicist of the Johns Hopkins National Proton Center, supervising author Dr. Stanley Benedict, Professor and Vice Chair of Clinical Physics in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of California Davis, and co-author Dr. Nina Mayr, Professor in the College of Human Medicine at Michigan State University.
Editor-in-Chief, Robert Amdur, MD, discusses using SBRT dose schedules to re-irradiate large volume recurrences of locally advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer that has progressed following high-dose radiotherapy with conventional fractionation. The discussion is based on a paper published in the May 2024 issue of PRO titled "Thoracic Reirradiation with Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT) for Recurrent Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC)” (2024, Issue 3, May/June, PMID 38387781).
Editor-in-Chief Sue Yom hosts Dr. Ralph Ermoian, Associate Professor from the University of Washington and Dr. Kilian Salerno, Associate Research Physician from the National Cancer Institute, our two successive Pediatric/Sarcoma Section Editors who supervised the PEdiatric Normal Tissue Effects in the Clinic (PENTEC) peer review process for our journal. We also welcome two representatives from the PENTEC group, Dr. Louis Constine, Professor of Radiation Oncology and Pediatrics and Vice Chair in Radiation Oncology from the University of Rochester and Dr. Soren Bentzen, Professor and Division Director of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics in Epidemiology and Public Health at the University of Maryland. We discuss several papers from this landmark 12-year effort, including Comparison of Risks of Late Effects from Radiotherapy in Children versus Adults: Insights from the QUANTEC, HyTEC and PENTEC Efforts; Neurocognitive Effects and Necrosis in Childhood Cancer Survivors Treated with Radiotherapy: A PENTEC Comprehensive Review; Risks of Spinal Abnormalities and Growth Impairment After Radiation to the Spine in Childhood Cancer Survivors: A PENTEC Comprehensive Review; and Risk of Subsequent Neoplasms in Childhood Cancer Survivors after Radiation Therapy: A Comprehensive PENTEC Review.
Editor-in-Chief, Robert Amdur, MD, discusses two papers published in PRO related to the question of using a vaginal dilator during radio-chemotherapy for carcinoma of the anus: "Daily Vaginal Dilator Use During Radiation for Women With Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Anus: Vaginal Wall Dosimetry and Patient-Reported Sexual Function” (2024, Volume 14, Issue 2, PMID 37898354) and “ECOG-ACRIN Guideline for Contouring and Treatment of Early Stage Anal Cancer Using IMRT/IGRT” (2022, Volume 12, Issue 4, PMID 35717050).
Editor-in-Chief Sue Yom hosts a British-American conversation about brachytherapy. Guests include Dr. Mahbuba Choudhury, Clinical Oncology Registrar and Stereotactic Radiotherapy Fellow at Imperial College London NHS Trust, and Dr. Imtiaz Ahmed, Consultant Clinical Oncologist and Clinical Lead at Southend University Hospital in the UK, first and supervising authors on this month’s paper, Timing of High-Dose Rate Brachytherapy with External Beam Radiotherapy in Intermediate and High-Risk Localized Prostate Cancer Patients and Its Effects on Toxicity and Quality of Life: A Randomized Controlled Trial, as well as Dr. Akila Viswanathan, Professor and Chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology at Johns Hopkins University, supervising author of two papers publishing together this month, Updated Trends in the Utilization of Brachytherapy in Cervical Cancer in the U.S.: A Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End-Results Study and Updated Trends in Brachytherapy Utilization and Disparities in the United States from 2004 to 2020.
Editor-in-Chief, Robert Amdur, MD, discusses a paper from the March 2024 issue of PRO: “Dose-Volume Predictors of Radiation Pneumonitis After Thoracic Hypofractionated Radiation Therapy” (Volume 14 Issue 2, PMID 37984711). This paper suggests V5, V20, and Mean Lung Dose values to minimize grade ≥2 pneumonitis when treating lung cancer with the moderate hypofractionation programs of 60 or 72 Gy at 4 Gy per treatment. The values they propose are lower than those stated in consensus group guidelines.
Sue Yom, our Editor-in-Chief, co-hosts with Dr. Salma Jabbour, Deputy Editor at the Red Journal and Professor, Vice Chair of Clinical Research and Faculty Development, and Clinical Chief of the Department of Radiation Oncology at Rutgers University. Guests include Drs. Amar Kishan, Professor, Vice Chair of Clinical and Translational Research, and Chief of the Genitourinary Oncology Service, and Minsong Cao, Professor, Vice Chair of Academic Mission Development, and Director of the Medical Physics Residency Training Program, who were supervising authors on a new study published this month, Quantifying Intrafraction Motion and the Impact of Gating for Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Guided Stereotactic Radiation therapy for Prostate Cancer: Analysis of the Magnetic Resonance Imaging Arm From the MIRAGE Phase 3 Randomized Trial. We also welcome Dr. Lauren Henke, Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology and Director of Gastrointestinal Radiation Oncology at the University Hospitals, Case Western Reserve University, who authored an editorial this month entitled Undoing the Layers: Magnetic Resonance Imaging/Advanced Image Guidance and Adaptive Radiation Therapy.
Editor-in-Chief, Robert Amdur, MD, discusses using molecular markers to make decisions about adjuvant radiotherapy for Endometrial Cancer. The main references for the podcast are the PROshot article in the January 2024 issue of PRO (2024, Issue 1, January/February) and a Topic Discussion paper currently published online ahead of print with title “Path to Precision: Refining Radiation Therapy Guidelines for Early-Stage Endometrial Cancer Through Incorporation of Primary Tumor Size, Lower Uterine Segment Invasion, and Molecular Markers” (PMID 38048989).
Editor-in-Chief Sue Yom hosts Dr. Lachlan McDowell, a consultant Radiation Oncologist at the Princess Alexandra Hospital and the first author of a new paper this month, "A longitudinal study evaluating sexual health outcomes and prioritization in patients undergoing chemoradiation for human papillomavirus-associated oropharyngeal cancer," Dr. Jie Deng, Professor of Nursing, Senior Fellow at the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, and Faculty Director of the Laboratory of Innovative & Translational Nursing Research at the University of Pennsylvania, and Dr. Barbara Murphy, Professor of Medicine, Hematology and Oncology Division Director, and Director of the Pain and Symptom Management Oncology Services at Vanderbilt University. Drs. Deng and Murphy were the first and last authors on a second paper this month, Longitudinal Pattern of Lymphedema and Fibrosis in Patients with Oral Cavity or Oropharyngeal Cancer: A Prospective Study.
Editor-in-Chief Sue Yom co-hosts with Dr. Thomas Zilli, Associate Editor at the Red Journal and Professor and Director of the Department of Radiation Oncology at the Oncology Institute of Southern Switzerland. Dr. Zilli was co author on Prostate Bed Delineation Guidelines for Postoperative Radiation Therapy: On Behalf Of The Francophone Group of Urological Radiation Therapy, published in the April 2021 issue of the Red Journal. Guests include Dr. Alan Dal Pra, Associate Professor and Director of Clinical Research in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Miami, who first authored the ESTRO ACROP 2023 guideline and with colleagues at UCLA has worked on patterns of prostate bed recurrence on PSMA-PET in relation to the RTOG guidelines, as well as Dr. Floor Staal, PhD candidate at the University of Groningen, who is focused on the study of salvage radiotherapy treatment and is coordinator of the PSMA-PET Guided Hypofractionated Salvage Prostate Bed Radiotherapy (or PERYTON) trial. She first authored an article publishing this month, PSMA PET/CT based clinical target volume delineation guideline for postprostatectomy salvage radiation therapy: the PERYTON-Guideline.
Editor-in-Chief, Robert Amdur, MD, discusses the issues related to using a rectal spacer with prostate radiotherapy that is both radiopaque and viscous. The foundation of the discussion is a paper published in the 2024 January/February issue of PRO: “Application of a Radiopaque Viscous Hydrogel Spacer for Prostate Cancer Radiation Therapy: A Prospective Phase 2 Study” with PMID 37791943. A related paper “Barrigel Spacer Injection Technique” with PMID 37657504 was also published in the issue of PRO.
Editor-in-Chief Sue Yom co-hosts with Dr. Jose Bazan, Red Journal Associate Editor and Associate Professor and Director of Breast Radiation Oncology and Radiation Oncology Quality and Safety at City of Hope. Dr. Bazan first authored an editorial this month, Surgical De-Escalation in Breast Cancer: Qualitative Research Introduces Hope for Patients and Illuminates a Blind Spot within Blinded Studies. Guests include Dr. Alexander Stessin, Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology and Pharmacology at Stony Brook University Medical Center and supervising author on the first article, Utility of Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy in Establishing Local Control for Invasive Breast Cancer Patients Not Undergoing Definitive Surgery, as well as Dr. Simona Shaitelman, Professor of Radiation Oncology at MD Anderson Cancer Center, and Dr. Henry Kuerer, the Robinson Endowed Distinguished Professor of Surgery and Cancer Research and Executive Director of the MD Anderson Cancer Network Breast programs. Drs. Shaitelman and Kuerer were supervising authors on another article this month, Patient Interest in Exploring Non-Surgical Treatment Approaches for Early Stage Breast Cancer: A Qualitative Study. The group also summarizes a new article from Practical Radiation Oncology, Locoregional Ablative Radiotherapy for Breast Cancer Patients Unsuitable for Surgical Resection.
Editor-in-Chief, Robert Amdur, MD, reviews the evidence for treating Low-Intermediate Risk prostate cancer with Ultra Hypofractionated SBRT. This discussion was stimulated by a paper published in the November/December 2023 issue of PRO titled “Long-Term Outcomes of a Prospective Study on Highly Hypofractionated Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy for Localized Prostate Cancer for 3 Weeks” with PMID 37414247. However, the majority of the podcast will focus on data supporting 5 Fraction SBRT, including the most recent report from the PACE-B trial (Abstract only from the 2023 ASTRO annual Meeting).
Additional Article:
Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy: A Radiosurgery Society Guide to the Treatment of Localized Prostate Cancer Illustrated by Challenging Cases
Practical Radiation Oncology associate section editor, Sandra Meyers, PhD of University of California, San Diego, hosts a conversation on online adaptive radiotherapy, or the use of imaging to adapt radiation treatments to the anatomy observed each day. Lauren Henke, MD of University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center and Bin Cai, PhD of UT Southwestern Medical Center discuss their clinical experience with both cone-beam CT and MR-based online adaptive radiotherapy. Benefits and challenges of online adaptive compared to conventional radiotherapy are discussed, as well as strategies for success when implementing this technologically.
Sue Yom, Editor-in-Chief, co-hosts with Dr. Michelle Kim, Professor and Co-Chair of the Cancer Center's Neuro-Oncology Clinical Research Team at the University of Michigan, and our journal’s section lead for the CNS section. Our guests are Dr. Joshua Palmer, Associate Professor at Ohio State University and supervising author on the article, Dose/volume tolerance of the brain and predictors of radiation necrosis after three fraction radiosurgery for brain metastases: A large single-institutional analysis, and Dr. Arjun Sahgal, Chair and Professor at the Odette Cancer Centre of the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, and supervising author on the article, Systematic Review Informing The Management of Symptomatic Brain Radiation Necrosis after Stereotactic Radiosurgery and International Stereotactic Radiosurgery Society (ISRS) Recommendations.
Editor-in-Chief Sue Yom hosts Dr. Karin Lindberg, a Clinical Oncologist at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden and the supervising author of a new paper this month, "Expanded HILUS trial - a pooled analysis of risk factors for toxicity from SBRT of central and ultra-central lung tumors," and Dr. David Palma, a Radiation Oncologist at the London Health Sciences Centre who co-authored the accompanying editorial, "Beyond the HILUS Trial: How Can We Improve the Safety of SABR for Ultra-Central Thoracic Tumors?" Dr. Palma also describes the design and findings of the new clinical trial SUNSET, which he presented in the Multidisciplinary Thoracic Cancer Symposium plenary session simultaneously with this podcast release.
Editor-in-Chief Sue Yom co-hosts with Dr. Jean Wright, Breast Section Editor and Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology and Director of the radiation oncology Breast Cancer Program at Johns Hopkins University. Joining is Dr. Juliane Hörner-Rieber, Managing Senior Physician and Associate Professor at the Department of Radiation Oncology of Heidelberg University Hospital, who was supervising author of an article published this month, "Non-inferiority of Local Control and Comparable Toxicity of Intensity-modulated Radiotherapy With Simultaneous Integrated Boost in Breast Cancer: 5-year Results of the IMRT-MC2 Phase III Trial." Also joining is is Dr. Danielle Rodin, Associate Section Editor, radiation oncologist at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, and Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto, who first-authored our Oncology Scan this month, "The Internal Mammary Node Irradiation Debate in Node-Positive Breast Cancer: Case Closed."
Dr. Sue Yom hosts Dr. Charles "Chuck" Mayo, Professor and Director of Radiation Oncology Informatics and Analytics at the University of Michigan and first author of an article in this month's issue, Operational Ontology for Oncology (O3) – A Professional Society-Based, Multi-Stakeholder, Consensus-Driven Informatics Standard Supporting Clinical and Research Use of "Real-World" Data from Patients Treated for Cancer, and Dr. Ying Xiao, Professor of Radiation Oncology at the University of Pennsylvania and supervising author of this same article, who also issued an accompanying explanatory editorial. Our group discusses the status and potential of oncology data standardization and its practical implementation through O3.
Editor-in-Chief, Robert Amdur, MD, explains the main values used to evaluate conformality and dose gradient in treatment plans with high intensity hypofractionated dose schedules as are used in radiosurgery or stereotactic body radiotherapy. The basis for the discussion is a paper published in the September 2023 issue of PRO titled
Editor-in-Chief Dr. Sue Yom is joined this month by co-host Dr. Danielle Margalit, the Red Journal's Head and Neck Section Editor and Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology at Harvard Medical School. Guests are Dr. Adam Garden, Professor of Radiation Oncology at UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, who is the first author of an article in this month's issue, "Final Report of NRG Oncology RTOG 0022: A Phase 1/2 Study of Conformal and Intensity Modulated Radiation for Oropharyngeal Cancer"; Dr. Michelle Echevarria, Assistant Member in the Department of Radiation Oncology at Moffitt Cancer Center and first author of another article printing this month, "Phase 1 Dose Escalation of Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy and Concurrent Cisplatin for Reirradiation of Unresectable, Recurrent Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck"; and Dr. Robert Chin, Associate Professor at UCLA Radiation Oncology and supervising author of a third article in the October issue, "High Recurrence for HPV-Positive Oropharyngeal Cancer With Neoadjuvant Radiation Therapy to Gross Disease Plus Immunotherapy: Analysis From a Prospective Phase Ib/II Clinical Trial."
Editor-in-Chief Dr. Sue Yom hosts a discussion this month on audiovisual technology in the service of patients, along with Pediatrics/Sarcoma Section Editor Dr. Ralph Ermoian, Associate Professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Washington School of Medicine. Joining the discussion are Dr. Susan Hiniker, Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology at Stanford University, who is the supervising author of an article in this month's issue, Feasibility of the Audio-Visual Assisted Therapeutic Ambience in Radiotherapy (AVATAR) System for Anesthesia Avoidance in Pediatric Patients: A Multicenter Trial. We also welcome Dr. Jee Suk Chang, Assistant Professor at Yonsei University in Korea, currently on sabbatical at BC Cancer in Vancouver, who is (co) first author on an article in press that has just issued online, An Investigation of the Impact of Virtual Reality on Alleviating Anxiety in Patients with Breast Cancer Undergoing Radiotherapy: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
Editor-in-Chief, Robert Amdur, MD, discusses misinformation about cancer treatment. The discussion is based on a paper published in the July 2023 issue of PRO titled “Identifying Cancer Treatment Misinformation and Strategies to Mitigate Its Effects With Improved Radiation Oncologist−Patient Communication” (2023, Issue 4, July/August, PMID: 36736620).
Editor-in-Chief, Robert Amdur, MD, discusses RT before, rather than after, mastectomy in patients with locally advanced breast cancer being treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The discussion is based on a paper published in the July 2023 issue of PRO titled “Pathologic Complete Response and Oncologic Outcomes in Locally Advanced Breast Cancers Treated With Neoadjuvant Radiation Therapy: An Australian Perspective” (2023, Issue 4, July/August, PMID: 36599393).
Editor-in-Chief Dr. Sue Yom hosts a discussion this month on the role of radiotherapy in the optimal treatment of recurrent and refractory lymphoma. Guests include Dr. Belinda Campbell, the journal’s Section Editor of lymphoma and hematologic malignancies, Honorary Clinical Associate Professor at The University of Melbourne, and Deputy Director of Radiotherapy at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. We are joined by Dr. Mario Levis, Assistant Professor in the Department of Oncology from the University of Turin and first author of a paper in this month’s issue, Peri-transplant radiotherapy in refractory or relapsed Hodgkin lymphoma patients undergoing autologous stem cell transplant: long term results of a retrospective study of the Fondazione Italiana Linfomi. Our other guest is Dr. Jennifer Peterson, Associate Professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology at Mayo Clinic Florida, who is the supervising author of another paper this month, Don’t put the CART before the horse: The role of radiation therapy in peri-CAR T-cell therapy for aggressive B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Editor-in-Chief Dr. Sue Yom and Physics Section and Executive Editor Dr. David Carlson, Professor, Vice Chair, and Director of Medical Physics at Yale University, host a discussion of current research frontiers in particle therapy. Our guests (calling in from PTCOG!) are Dr. Tracy Underwood, Senior Physicist at Leo Cancer Care and one of the supervising authors of Proposing a Clinical Model for RBE Based on Proton Track-End Counts, and Dr. Andrea Mairani, Group Leader of Biophysics at Heidelberg Ion Beam Therapy Center and supervising author of Commissioning of Helium Ion Therapy and the First Patient Treatment With Active Beam Delivery.
Editor-in-Chief, Robert Amdur, MD, discusses radiotherapy dose prescription to positive pelvic or paraaortic nodes when treating a cervix cancer patient with primary chemo-radiotherapy. The discussion is based on a paper published in the May 2023 issue of PRO titled “Management of Radiographically Positive Pelvic and/or Para-aortic Lymph Nodes During Primary Chemoradiation Therapy for Cervix Cancer” (2023, Issue 3, May/June, PMID: 35529239). In this paper, three radiation oncologists with subspecialty experience in GYN oncology summarize relevant studies and then list the dose schedules they currently use.
Practical Radiation Oncology associate section editor Ashley Weiner, MD, PhD, of University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill hosts a conversation on the ASTRO Radiation Therapy Summary of the ASCO Guideline on Management of Stage III Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. Two of the authors, Charles Simone MD, of the New York Proton Center and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and George Rodrigues, MD, PhD of the London Health Sciences Center and University of Western Ontario discuss the updated guidelines and review specific questions related to the management of patients with Stage III NSCLC. They focus on the key clinical questions around neoadjuvant therapy, adjuvant therapy, and definitive chemoradiotherapy for Stage III lung cancer with a thorough review of the guidelines and insights into their own clinical expertise in the multidisciplinary management of NSCLC.
Genitourinary Section Editor Alison Tree, Consultant Clinical Oncologist at the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, hosts a discussion this month on genomic classifiers in prostate cancer. Guests are Paul Nguyen, Vice-Chair for Clinical Research and Genitourinary Disease Center Leader at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital's Department of Radiation Oncology and first author of "Analysis of a Biopsy-Based Genomic Classifier in High-Risk Prostate Cancer: Meta-Analysis of the NRG Oncology/Radiation Therapy Oncology Group 9202, 9413, and 9902 Phase 3 Randomized Trials"; Neil Desai, Associate Professor and Director of Clinical Research in the Department of Radiation Oncology at UT Southwestern Medical Center and first author of "Passing the Kool-Aid Point: mRNA Expression-Based Risk Classifiers in Localized Prostate Cancer Treatment Decision Making"; and Simon Spohn, Resident in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University Medical Center Freiburg and first author of "Genomic Classifiers in Personalized Prostate Cancer Radiation Therapy Approaches: A Systematic Review and Future Perspectives Based on International Consensus".
Deputy Editor Dr. Curtiland Deville, Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology at Johns Hopkins University and ASTRO HEDI Council Vice Chair, conducts a discussion this month on diversity and inclusion in professional selection and development. Guests include Dr. Rachel Jimenez, Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology at Harvard Medical School, President of the Association for Directors of Radiation Oncology Programs, and first author of an article in this month’s issue, "Using Holistic Residency Applicant Review and Selection in Radiation Oncology to Enhance Diversity and Inclusion-An ASTRO SCAROP-ADROP-ARRO Collaboration"; Dr. Iris Gibbs, ASTRO HEDI Council Chair, Professor of Radiation Oncology and Associate Dean of Admissions at Stanford University School of Medicine, and co-last author for this article with Dr. Deville; Dr. Sophia Kamran, Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology at Harvard Medical School, Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Department of Radiation Oncology at Massachusetts General Hospital, Associate Member of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, and first author on another article published this month, "Demographic Trends Among American Society for Radiation Oncology Clinical Practice Guideline Task Force Participants From 2010 to 2022"; and Dr. Alvin Cabrera, Radiation Oncologist at Kaiser Permanente Washington in Seattle and Chair of the ASTRO Guidelines Subcommittee.
Editor-in-Chief Dr. Sue Yom hosts a discussion this month on geospatial health disparity analysis and Spanish language equity. Guests include Associate Section Editor Dr. Sara Alcorn, Vice Chair of Clinical Strategy in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Minnesota and the supervising author of Radiotherapy Deserts: Impact of Race, Poverty and the Rural-Urban Continuum on Density of Providers and Utilization of Radiotherapy in the United States. We also host Dr. Idalid “Ivy” Franco, Director of Equity, Access, and Inclusion and Attending Physician in the Department of Radiation Oncology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Mr. Santiago Avila, fourth-year medical student at the University of Chicago, co-first authors of Spanish Adaptation and Evaluation of Clinical Discussion Guides: Communicating the External Beam Radiotherapy Experience (CEBRE) en Español. We additionally welcome Dr. Pilar Ortega, Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), Clinical Associate Professor in Emergency Medicine at the University of Illinois College of Medicine, and supervising author of this article.
Editor-in-Chief Dr. Sue Yom hosts a discussion this month on the status of radiopharmaceutical therapy (RPT) in radiation oncology. Guests include Dr. Jeff Michalski, President of ASTRO and Carlos Perez Distinguished Professor and Vice Chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology at Washington University in St. Louis, and supervising author of an editorial we are publishing this month, "Radiation Oncology and Radiopharmaceuticals: Making our own history while learning from the past – An editorial response." We also host Dr. Paul Wallner, Senior Vice President of Medical Affairs at GenesisCare USA and first author of another editorial this month, "Radiation Oncologists and Therapeutic Radiopharmaceuticals: Will History Repeat Itself?" We’ve also invited Dr. Thomas Boike, the US Chief Medical Officer for Theranostics for GenesisCare, to discuss with us the real-world experience of bringing RPT into radiation oncology practices.
Dr. Sue Yom, our Editor-in-Chief, hosts Dr. Meredith Giuliani, Thoracic Section Editor, Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology, and Associate Dean of Postgraduate Medical Education at the University of Toronto, practicing at the Princess Margaret Cancer Center; Dr. Sung-Ja Ahn, Professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology of Chonnam National University Medical School and corresponding author for our new publication this month, "Randomized, Multicenter, Phase 3 Study of Accelerated Fraction Radiation Therapy With Concomitant Boost to the Gross Tumor Volume Compared With Conventional Fractionation in Concurrent Chemoradiation in Patients With Unresectable Stage III Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: The Korean Radiation Oncology Group 09-03 Trial"; and Dr. Megan Daly, Professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of California Davis, Associate Section Editor at our Journal, and supervising author of an article publishing next month, "Four-Dimensional Computed Tomography Ventilation Image Guided Lung Functional Avoidance Radiation Therapy: A Single-Arm Prospective Pilot Clinical Trial". We also discuss another trial published this month, "STereotactic Ablative RadioTherapy in NEWly Diagnosed and Recurrent Locally Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients Unfit for ConcurrEnt RAdio-Chemotherapy: Early Analysis of the START-NEW-ERA Non-Randomised Phase II Trial".
Editor-in-Chief Dr. Sue Yom discusses electronic patient-reported outcomes (ePROs) with Dr. Kaitlyn Lapen, a radiation oncology resident at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center who was first author of an article describing ePRO implementation in a November 2021 article, "Development and Pilot Implementation of a Remote Monitoring System for Acute Toxicity Using Electronic Patient-Reported Outcomes for Patients Undergoing Radiation Therapy for Breast Cancer"; and Dr. Patricia Holch, Reader in Applied Health Psychology from Leeds Beckett University and Dr. Galina Velikova, Professor of Psychosocial and Medical Oncology from Leeds University and the Leeds Teaching Hospital NHS Trust, who first- and last-authored an article this month describing a randomized study of ePROs versus usual care among patients receiving pelvic radiotherapy, entitled "Online Symptom Monitoring During Pelvic Radiation Therapy: Randomized Pilot Trial of the eRAPID Intervention". We review major findings from these two publications and anticipated future developments in ePROs.
Dr. Sue Yom, Editor in Chief, hosts Dr. Horatio "Tio" Thomas, who is completing radiation oncology residency at UCSF and is first author of an article describing an ACGME-led reform process in our January issue, "Milestones 2.0: Refining the Competency-Based Assessment of Radiation Oncology Medical Residents"; Dr. Neha Vapiwala, Professor and Vice Chair of Education in Radiation Oncology and Dean of Admissions at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, who first-authored an article this month related to accreditation changes at the ACGME, entitled "The ACGME’s Recent Changes to Radiation Oncology Training Program Standards: Raising the Bar for Postgraduate Training Quality to Better Reflect Our Specialty and Better Serve Our Patients"; Dr. Anna Lee, Assistant Professor from the Department of Radiation Oncology at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, who first authored an article this month called, "Characteristics of the ARRO Educator of the Year Award Recipients"; and Dr. Emma Fields, Associate Professor and Residency Program Director of Radiation Oncology at Virginia Commonwealth University, who co-authored an editorial this month detailing principles of "The ASTRO Workforce Statement, on behalf of the ASTRO workforce subcommittee and also acted as the coordinating author on the ACGME milestones project along with Dr. Thomas.
The James Cancer Hospital and Ohio State Comprehensive Cancer Center FLASH research team review ultra-high dose rate radiation delivery and measurement and share insight from developing a FLASH research program. Advances in Radiation Oncology associate section editor, Ashley Cetnar, PhD, leads a discussion with Arnab Chakravarti, MD, Nilendu Gupta, PhD, Ahmet Ayan, PhD, and Jessica Fleming PhD.
Dr. Sue Yom, Editor in Chief, hosts Dr. Scott Soltys, Professor of Radiation Oncology from Stanford University and outgoing Section CNS Section Editor, along with Dr. Daniel Trifiletti, Associate Professor at Mayo Clinic Florida and CNS Associate Section Editor who first-authored this month’s OncoScan, entitled "Novel Applications of Stereotactic Radiosurgery Beyond Oncology: Prospective Trials in Functional Radiosurgery," and Dr. Valentina Pinzi, Senior Assistant in the Department of Neurosurgery Radiotherapy Unit of the Neurological Institute Carlo Besta in Milan, who is the lead author of an article in this month’s issue, "Hypofractionated Radiosurgery for Large or in Critical-Site Intracranial Meningioma: Results of a Phase 2 Prospective Study."
Practical Radiation Oncology section editor, Minsun Kim, Ph.D. of University of Washington, hosts a conversation on automated treatment planning to improve plan quality beyond human intuition. A senior author on the paper published in PRO: “Clinical acceptability of automated radiation treatment planning for head and neck cancer using the radiation planning assistant”, Beth Beedle, MD, of Stanford University and the chair of the AAPM TG 308: "Clinical implementation of data-driven quality control and automated treatment planning", of University of California, San Diego, Kevin Moore, Ph.D. discuss the current status and recommendations for automated treatment planning approaches to ensure patient safety.
Editor-in-Chief Dr. Sue Yom hosts Dr. Shankar Siva, Associate Professor and Radiation Oncologist from the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Australia and the supervising author of "Cost-Effectiveness of Single- versus Multi-Fraction SABR for Pulmonary Oligometastases - The SAFRON II Trial"; Dr. David Sher, Professor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and the Red Journal's Methodology Section Editor who first-authored this month's OncoScan "The Cost-Effectiveness of Consolidative Radiation Therapy in Oligometastatic Disease: High-Value Proposition or Wishful Thinking?"; and Dr. Aisling Barry, Professor and Chair of Radiation Oncology at University College Cork and Cork University Hospital, Ireland, who first-authored "The Impact of Disease Progression on Health-Related Quality of Life Outcomes in Patients with Oligo-Metastatic Disease at 12-Months post Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy."
Editor-in-Chief, Robert Amdur, MD, reviews a paper published in the November/December 2022 issue of PRO that presents the latest guidelines on CTV definition with postoperative radiotherapy for bladder cancer: “International Consensus Guidelines for Adjuvant Radiation Therapy for Bladder Cancer After Radical Cystectomy: Update From an IBIS Workgroup.”
Editor-in-Chief, Robert Amdur, MD, explains the 2021 World Health Organization Classification of Adult Brain Gliomas and then comments on the guideline paper published in the September/October 2022 issue of PRO: “Radiation Therapy for IDH-Mutant Grade 2 and Grade 3 Diffuse Glioma: An ASTRO Clinical Practice Guideline.”
Deputy Editor Dr. Salma Jabbour, Vice Chair of Clinical Research and Faculty Development and Clinical Chief in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, hosts Dr. Matthias Guckenberger, Chairman and Professor of the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University Hospital Zurich and University of Zurich, discussing a new article from his European team, "Completeness of reporting oligometastatic disease characteristics in the literature and influence on oligometastatic disease classification using the ESTRO/EORTC nomenclature," and Dr. David Palma, Clinician Scientist II at the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, Radiation Oncologist at the London Health Sciences Center, and Associate Professor at Western University, who was the supervising author on the 5-year update of the SABR-COMET trial, " Stereotactic Radiation for the Comprehensive Treatment of Oligometastases (SABR-COMET) – Extended Long-Term Outcomes."
Dr. Jeffrey Olsen, Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology at the University of Colorado and section editor of our gastrointestinal section, co-leads a discussion along with our Editor-in-Chief Editor-in-Chief Dr. Sue Yom hosts Dr. Sara Alcorn, Associate Editor and Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology at the University of Minnesota, who first-authored this month’s Oncology Scan, Toxicity and Timing of Breast Radiotherapy with Overlapping Systemic Therapies and Dr. Jennifer Bellon, Section Editor for breast cancers. Director of Breast Radiation Oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and first author of a Red Journal paper from May 2022 called Local Therapy Outcomes and Toxicity From the ATEMPT Trial (TBCRC 033), a Phase II Randomized Trial of Adjuvant T-DM1 vs. TH in Women With Stage I HER2 Positive Breast Cancer, as well as Dr. Jeffrey Cao, Provincial Breast Tumour Team Lead for Alberta Health Services and Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Calgary, who supervised a new article in this month’s issue, Radiation Therapy With Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 4/6 Inhibitors: A Multi-institutional Safety and Toxicity Study.
Editor-in-Chief, Robert Amdur, MD, reviews a Topic Discussion paper from the September/October issue of PRO, "Variation in Routine Use of a 60-63 Gy Intermediate Dose CTV with Primary Radiotherapy for Mucosal Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck." This paper summarizes major published guidelines on the use of an intermediate risk target volume and the current practice of four clinicians that specialize in head and neck radiotherapy.
Practical Radiation Oncology associate section editor Debra Nana Yeboa, MD, of MD Anderson Cancer Center, hosts a conversation on ASTRO clinical practice guideline on radiation therapy for IDH-Mutant Grade 2 and Grade 3 Diffuse Glioma. Two of the guideline authors, Lia M. Halasz, MD, of University of Washington and Helen A. Shih, MD, MS, MPH, of Massachusetts General Hospital discuss the development process of the guideline and the evidence for the recommendations.
Dr. Jeffrey Olsen, Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology at the University of Colorado and section editor of our gastrointestinal section, co-leads a discussion along with our Editor-in-Chief Dr. Sue Yom, with Dr. Nima Nabavizadeh, Associate Professor of Radiation Medicine at the Oregon Health and Science University, the supervising author of "Low Utilization of External Beam Radiation Therapy for Patients With Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma: An Analysis of the United Network for Organ Sharing Database" and Dr. Michael Buckstein, Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology at Mount Sinai Medical Center, also an editor at the Red Journal and the lead author of "Combination Transarterial Chemoembolization and Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy for Unresectable Single Large Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Results From a Prospective Phase 2 Trial." We discuss indications for EBRT/SBRT for hepatocellular carcinoma in the contemporary context of collaborating and competing liver-directed therapies.
Editor-in-Chief, Robert Amdur, MD, reviews two PRO papers that discuss the risk of serious esophageal damage from Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy to a vertebral body. One article is a Morbidity and Mortality Conference paper titled : “Esophageal Damage from Thoracic Spine SBRT” and the other is a Technical Report titled “Efficacy of an Esophageal Spacer for Spine Radiosurgery: First Experience”.
Additional article: A Story of Hypofractionation and the Table on the Wall!
Reimbursement and Payment Models in Radiation Oncology. Our Editor-in-Chief Dr. Sue Yom hosts a discussion of reimbursement and the application of alternative payment models to radiation oncology. Guests are Dr. Brian Baumann, Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology and Chief of the Genitourinary Service at Washington University in St. Louis, and Fellow of the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics at the University of Pennsylvania, and Dr. James Yu, Professor and Executive Vice Chair of Radiation Oncology at Columbia University, who specializes in genitourinary and brain malignancies and is an expert in population-based data and comparative effectiveness research. We discuss three articles, "Association of the Oncology Care Model with Value-Based Changes in Use of Radiation Therapy", "Decreases in Radiation Oncology Medicare Reimbursement over Time: Analysis by Billing Code", led by Dr. Baumann, and "The RO-APM: The Wrong Solution to the Wrong Problem", written by Dr. Yu. We review the recent history of payment models for radiation oncology and what this new research tells us about the ability of these models to affect the value or quality of radiation oncology care.
Practical Radiation Oncology deputy editor James B. Yu, MD, Columbia University Irvine Center hosts a conversation on ASTRO clinical practice guideline on radiation therapy for Brain Metastases. Eric Chang MD of the Keck School of Medicine of USC and Veronica Chiang, MD, of Yale University School of Medicine discuss the recommendations in the four key areas: what are the indications for radiosurgery alone for brain metastases, what should be done before or after surgical resection of brain metastases, when and how should we do whole brain radiation, and what are the risks of radionecrosis. Two of the guideline authors, Jona A. Hattangadi‐Gluth, MD of the University of California, San Diego and Vinai Gondi, MD of Northwestern Medicine Cancer Center and Proton Center discuss the development process of the guideline and the evidence for the recommendations.
August 1, 2022 RJ podcast: This month, Dr. Lucinda Morris, Consultant Radiation Oncologist at St George & The Sutherland Hospital in New South Wales, Australia and expert in geriatric cancer care, and our Education and Profession Section Editor Dr. Paris Ann Ingledew, Department Head at the British Columbia Cancer Agency in Vancouver, Canada and expert in educational frameworks and curricula, join our Editor-in-Chief Dr. Sue Yom, to review a new article in this month’s issue led by Dr. Morris, "An International Expert Delphi Consensus to Develop Dedicated Geriatric Radiation Oncology Curriculum Learning Outcomes". We discuss the increasing importance of geriatric expertise in the practice of radiation oncology and potential solutions to the knowledge and education deficits in this area.
Editor-in-Chief, Robert Amdur, MD, explains the group of six papers on radiopharmaceutical therapy published in the July/August issue of Practical Radiation Oncology. These papers summarize the information clinicians need to know to direct radiopharmaceutical therapy in their clinic. Two papers explain background information and four focus on patient selection and the details of administration when using Lutetium-177 DOTATATE for neuroendocrine cancer, and Lutetium-177 PSMA or Radium- 223 for prostate cancer.
July 15, 2022 RJ podcast: Who Rescues Who? Lung Cancer Hypofractionation and Proton Therapy. The latest podcast by Sue Yom, MD, Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics addresses the status of hypofractionation in radiation therapy for locoregonally advanced lung cancer. Articles discussed include Hoppe et al.’s article "Chemoradiation with Hypofractionated Proton Therapy in Stage II-III Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Proton Collaborative Group Phase 2 Trial", Contreras et al.’s article "Phase I Study of Accelerated Hypofractionated Proton Therapy and Chemotherapy for Locally Advanced Non Small Cell Lung Cancer", and Brownstein and Salama’s editorial, "Moderately Hypofractionated Proton Beam Therapy for Locally Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A New Way Forward for Dose Escalation?" which is available in the July 15, 2022 issue.
Editor-in-Chief, Robert Amdur, MD, summarizes two essays from the Narrative Oncology section of recent issues of Practical Radiation Oncology. “The First Human Heart Transplant and Radiation Therapy” is published in the Jan/February issue and “The Gold Ring” in the May/June issue.
July 1, 2022 RJ podcast: The Role of Radiation Therapy in Diffuse Large B-cell lymphoma. The latest podcast by Sue Yom, MD, Editor in Chief of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics addresses the balance of local and systemic issues that condition the use of radiation therapy in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Articles discussed include Campbell et al.'s Oncology Scan entitled "Balancing the Therapeutic Ratio in DLBCL Requires Appropriate, Individualized Patient Selection Rather Than Broad Elimination of Radiation Therapy" and Ladbury et al.’s article "Role of Salvage Radiation Treatment of Relapses in Relapsed/Refractory Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma Post-Autologous Stem Cell Transplant."
Editor-in-Chief, Robert Amdur, MD, reviews two papers that explain how to improve OAR sparing based on more demanding dosimetry goals. One article is published in the March/April issue of PRO titled “Clinical Use of A Priori Knowledge of OAR Sparing During Radiotherapy Treatment for Oropharyngeal Cancer: Dosimetric and Patient Reported Outcome Improvements”. The other article is In Press at PRO and titled “Stricter Postoperative Oropharyngeal Cancer Radiotherapy Normal Tissue Dose Constraints Are Feasible”.
June 1, 2022 RJ podcast: Three Chippy Topics in Prostate Cancer. In this month’s podcast, two Genitourinary section editors, Dr. Alison Tree, consultant clinical oncologist at The Royal Marsden and Honorary Faculty at the Institute of Cancer Research, and Dr. Daniel Spratt, Chairman and Professor of Radiation Oncology at University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center and Case Western Reserve University, join Editor-in-Chief Dr. Sue Yom to review three articles addressing cutting-edge issues in prostate cancer. The group discusses the new oral gonadotropin-releasing hormone antagonist relugolix ("An Expert Review on the Combination of Relugolix With Definitive Radiation Therapy for Prostate Cancer" at https://www.redjournal.org/article/S0360-3016(21)03240-5/fulltext), the future of MRI-based radiation dose escalation to the dominant intraprostatic lesion ("SABR for High-Risk Prostate Cancer - A Prospective Multilevel MRI-Based Dose Escalation Trial" at https://www.redjournal.org/article/S0360-3016(21)03047-9/fulltext), and an analysis from the United Kingdom’s CHHiP trial comparing disease outcomes and sexual function among patients receiving bicalutamide versus luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone analogues ("Nonrandomized Comparison of Efficacy and Side Effects of Bicalutamide Compared With Luteinizing Hormone-Releasing Hormone (LHRH) Analogs in Combination With Radiation Therapy in the CHHiP Trial" at https://www.redjournal.org/article/S0360-3016(21)03433-7/fulltext).
May 1, 2022 RJ podcast: Leadership and Real World Practice in Lung Cancer and Head and Neck Cancer. The latest podcast by Sue Yom, MD, Editor in Chief of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics addresses: the definition and importance of leadership, radiographic followup in stage I lung cancer, maintenance immunotherapy in stage III lung cancer, and decision making with T1a glottic cancer patients.
Editor-in-Chief, Robert Amdur, MD, reviews a paper from the March/April issue of PRO, "Is elective inguinal or external iliac irradiation during neoadjuvant (chemo)radiotherapy necessary for locally advanced lower rectal cancer with anal sphincter invasion?" This paper presents a nomogram to inform the decision about targeting the inguinal and external iliac nodes for elective dose radiotherapy in patients with rectal cancer that involves the anal canal. Other links: Radiation Therapy for Rectal Cancer: Executive Summary of an ASTRO Clinical Practice Guideline
Editor-in-Chief, Robert Amdur, MD, reviews a paper from the March/April issue of PRO, "Implications of medical board certification practices on family planning and professional trajectory for early career female radiation oncologists." This paper presents the results of a national survey and requests changes in the structure of the ABR examinations. The paper is accompanied by a commentary by ABR trustees.
April 1, 2022 RJ podcast: Frequentist vs Bayesian statistics. Editor-in-Chief Dr. Sue Yom hosts a discussion of Bayesian statistics with Dr. David Sher, Statistics for the People Editor and Professor of Radiation Oncology at the University of Texas Southwestern, and Dr. Gareth Price, Senior Lecturer in the Division of Cancer Sciences at The University of Manchester and supervising author of the new Red Journal review, "Understanding the Differences Between Bayesian and Frequentist Statistics."
Practical Radiation Oncology associate section editor Leslie Ballas, MD hosts a conversation on the use of CAR-T therapy in hematologic malignancies. Dr. Ballas is joined by Joanna Yang, MD, MPH, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Brandon Imber, MD, MA, from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and John P. Plastaras, MD, PhD from the University of Pennsylvania. They provide an overview of CAR-T, how it is created and works, potential off target effects, when it is used the treatment process, and the potential immunologic benefits of adding radiation to CAR-T cell.
Check out the podcast page: https://www.practicalradonc.org/content/podcast
Radiation-Induced Senescence. Dr. Sue Yom, Editor-in-Chief, hosts a discussion of radiation-induced senescence with Dr. Marjan Boerma, Radiation Biology Section Editor at the Red Journal and Professor and Director of the Division of Radiation Health at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, and Dr. Agnès François, Research Engineer in the Radiobiology of Medical Exposure Laboratory at the Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety in Fontenay-aux-Roses, France, specializing in mouse models investigating the role of macrophages and bronchiolar epithelium in acute and late injury after focal lung irradiation. They discuss a paper recently published in the Red Journal, "Deciphering the Dynamic Molecular Program of Radiation-Induced Endothelial Senescence."
Editor-in-Chief, Robert Amdur, MD, reviews a paper from the November/December issue of PRO, "A Prospective Randomized Controlled Trial to Compare the Use of Conventional Dark-Ink Tattoo and Ultraviolet-Ink Tattoo for Patients Undergoing Breast Radiation Therapy." The term "Dark Ink" refers the standard tattoo that is visible on the skin in normal light conditions and permanent-meaning the tattoo remains visible for many years. The use of visible tattoos is still standard practice in many departments, but it has negative psychological effects in some patients and is difficulty to visualize in patients with very dark skin. The paper that Dr. Amdur reviews presents the results of study using tattoo ink that is only visible with Ultraviolet light. The tattoo material used in the study is widely available, inexpensive and easy to apply.
Check out the podcast page: https://www.practicalradonc.org/content/podcast
Editor-in-Chief, Robert Amdur, MD, discusses a topic featured in the January/February issue of PRO, the scope of practice in radiation oncology. Dr. Amdur provides an overview of the key points from ASTRO’s 2002 SCOPE Report and compares it to the current report. An example of lifelong management of patients is provided in "Caring for the Whole Patient After Breast Cancer Therapy: A Survivorship Guide for Radiation Oncologists." Additional articles referenced include "Potential Financial Implications of Substituting Cognitive Medicine for Technical Radiation Oncology Billing Services" and "Diversifying for Growth or Longing for Yesterday."
Check out the podcast page: https://www.practicalradonc.org/content/podcast
Health Services Research. The latest podcast by Sue Yom, MD, Editor in Chief of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics focuses on: health services research and breast cancer hypofractionation.
Practical Radiation Oncology section editor Daniel T. Chang, MD, hosts a conversation on the recently published ASTRO clinical practice guideline on external beam radiation therapy for primary liver cancers. Two of the guideline authors, Smith Apisarnthanarax, MD of University of Washington and Higinia Cardenes, MD, PhD of Weill Cornell, discuss the development process of the guideline and the evidence for the recommendations included.
National Workforce Surveys. Our Editor-in-Chief Sue Yom hosts a discussion of national workforce surveys with Dr. Shaun Loewen, Clinical Associate Professor and Director of the University of Calgary Radiation Oncology Residency Training Program and Chair of the Canadian Association of Radiation Oncology (CARO) Human Resources Committee, and Dr. Nicola Thorp, Consultant in Clinical Oncology at the Clatterbridge Cancer Centre and Honorary Consultant at the Christie Hospital, and Medical Director of Professional Practice in Clinical Oncology at the Royal College of Radiologists (RCR) in the U.K.
The Story of SBRT. Dr. Sue Yom introduces new initiatives for the Red Journal under her editorship and discusses the origins, establishment, and future potential of stereotactic radiotherapy with Dr. Robert Timmerman.
Parting Thoughts from Anthony Zietman. Incoming Editor in Chief of the Red Journal, Sue Yom, MD, PhD, hosts a podcast with Anthony Zietman, MD - his final episode as Editor in Chief. The conversation includes a discussion of the history of the journal, changes in scientific publishing, and memorable moments from Dr. Zietman's tenure.
Practical Radiation Oncology executive editor Sanford Meeks, PhD, hosts a conversation on the use of single-isocenter radiosurgery for multiple metastases. Dr. Meeks is joined by Richard Popple, PhD and John Fiveash, MD from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, as well as Stephen Tenn, PhD from the University of California, Los Angeles and Catherine Mercado, MD, from Orlando Health Cancer Institute. Dr. Meeks and guests discuss the changes in radiosurgery technology, features and differences of different radiosurgery systems, treatment planning procedures, and the clinical considerations when adopting these modalities.
Editor-in-Chief, Robert Amdur, MD, discusses three Practice Pearls from the most recent PROshot article: Adjuvant radiation halves the rate of ipsilateral breast recurrences at 10 and 15 years with minimal late toxicity in women with good-risk ductal carcinoma in situ; women with early-stage vulvar cancer and sentinel lymph node micrometastases (≤2 mm) can safely forgo ipsilateral completion lymph node dissection to reduce morbidity, but those with macrometastases cannot; and prophylactic cranial irradiation using hippocampal avoidance for SCLC helps preserve short-term memory.
Editor-in-Chief, Robert Amdur, MD, discusses a topic featured in the November/December issue of PRO, radiation therapy for femur metastases. Two letters in the issue (Recht et al. and Tseng et al.) debate the appropriate treatment regimen for radiation therapy to the intact femur. Dr. Amdur also references an editorial by Tseng et al., previously published in PRO, summarizing a clinical practice guideline for treatment of metastatic disease of the femur from the Musculoskeletal Tumor Society.
The latest podcast by Anthony Zietman, MD, Editor in Chief of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics focuses on: Personal reflections on life and Hodgkin Lymphoma.
Editor-in-Chief, Robert Amdur, MD, discusses an article from the September/October issue of PRO, "Sparing the Larynx and Hypopharynx with Radiotherapy for Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Unknown Primary Site and Predominant Adenopathy in Level IIA" and gives his five principles for deciding which mucosal sites to treat with an unknown primary.
The latest podcast by Anthony Zietman, MD, Editor in Chief of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics focuses on the recently published paper "Practice Consolidation Among U.S. Radiation Oncologists Over Time." Authors of the paper, Dr. Michael Milligan, MD, MBA, and Miranda Lam, MD, MBA, both of Harvard Medical School, explain the method they used to calculate practice consolidation in radiation oncology, how it compares to other specialties, and the possible reasons behind consolidation. The authors also discuss how consolidation impacts patient outcomes, and what the future of radiation oncology could look like if practice consolidation continues.
Practical Radiation Oncology executive editor Julia White, MD, hosts a conversation on the use of accelerated treatment schedules for post-lumpectomy breast cancer patients. Dr. White is joined by Melissa Mitchell, MD, PhD of MD Anderson Cancer Center and Frank Vicini, MD, of GenesisCare. Dr. Mitchell and Dr. Vicini discuss the frequency and criteria for use of accelerated treatment in their practices, the available data regarding efficacy, toxicity, and cosmesis outcomes, how these treatments align with ASTRO guidelines, and what they think the future may hold for accelerated fractionation schedules.
Editor-in-Chief, Robert Amdur, MD, introduces the first PROshot article and highlights two topic discussions from the September/October issue of PRO focused on medical marijuana, Medical Marijuana for Cancer: Perspective from a Radiation Oncologist Credentialed to Certify in Pennsylvania and Medical Cannabis to Treat Symptoms from Head and Neck Radiotherapy
The latest podcast by Anthony Zietman, MD, Editor in Chief of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics focuses on the recently published consensus statement from the Particle Therapy Cooperative Group Breast Cancer Subcommittee. Dr. Robert Mutter, MD, of the Mayo Clinic and first author of the consensus statement discusses the benefits and risks of proton therapy treatment for breast cancer, the evidence behind the subcommittee’s findings, and the possible role proton therapy may play in the treatment of common cancers as more data becomes available.
The latest podcast by Anthony Zietman, MD, Editor in Chief of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics focuses on: Cardiac matters.
Practical Radiation Oncology executive editor Jeff Michalski, MD, hosts a conversation on the recently published ASTRO clinical practice guideline on radiation therapy for soft tissue sarcoma. Two of the authors of the guideline, Ashleigh Guadagnolo, MD, MPH of MD Anderson Cancer Center and Kilian Salerno, MD, of the National Cancer Institute, discuss the development process of the guideline and the evidence for the recommendations included. Matthew Spraker, MD, PhD of Washington University in St. Louis leads the discussion, asking the authors of the guideline about the use of bolus, pre-operative vs. post-operative radiation therapy, and the importance of multi-disciplinary collaborative decision making.
The latest podcast by Anthony Zietman, MD, Editor in Chief of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics focuses on: Irradiation for COVID pneumonia (again), and some practical breast cancer issues.
Editor-in-Chief, Robert Amdur, MD, discusses the future of automated treatment planning and features an article from the May/June issue of PRO.
The latest podcast by Anthony Zietman, MD, Editor in Chief of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics focuses on: Supportive care for cancers patients and the RBE of proton beam.
The latest podcast by Anthony Zietman, MD, Editor in Chief of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics focuses on: Ablating bone metastases - to fractionate or not?
Editor-in-Chief, Robert Amdur, MD, discusses the role of radiation oncology in the recently published prostate cancer guidelines and how to handle disagreements with colleagues when making decisions in a group setting.
Editor-in-Chief, Robert Amdur, MD, discusses three non-technical papers published in the May issue of Practical Radiation Oncology including the first of a new article type, Lessons from Art and Literature.
The latest podcast by Anthony Zietman, MD, Editor in Chief of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics focuses on: SBRT for bone metastases, and treatment of the elderly with bladder cancer.
Practical Radiation Oncology Senior Editor Majid Al Othman, MD, hosts a discussion on the ASTRO clinical practice guideline for basal and squamous cell cancers of the skin. Anna Likhacheva, MD, with the Sutter Medical Center in Sacramento and Christopher Barker, MD of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center join Dr. Al Othman for this episode to discuss when radiation therapy is appropriate for treatment of skin cancers, the differences in recommendations for basal vs squamous cell cancers, and the use of other modalities in addition to radiation therapy. Dr. Likhacheva and Dr. Barker are both authors on the guideline.
In this episode of the Red Journal podcast, Anthony Zietman, MD, Editor in Chief interviews members of the HyTEC steering committee: Jimm Grimm, PhD, Larry Marks, MD, Ellen Yorke, PhD, and Andrew Jackson, PhD. The panelists discuss the origins of HyTEC, the approach used to develop their reports, how the team integrated models and clinical data, and what projects following HyTEC might look like. The HyTEC special issue of the Red Journal is available now online at redjournal.org.
Editor-in-Chief, Robert Amdur, MD, introduces the first of another new article type being published in PRO: Morbidity and Mortality Conferences. The featured piece is "Early Stage Pregnancy During Radiation Therapy to the Breast."
Editor-in-Chief, Robert Amdur, MD, introduces the first of a new article type being published in PRO: Topic Discussions. The featured piece is "Postoperative Radiation Therapy to Pathologically Negative Neck Nodal Stations in Patients with Indications for Radiation Therapy at the Primary Site."
The Red Journal in coordination with its partners at the Virtual Visiting Professor Network organized a discussion of "The Big Debate: Where Must Radiation Oncology Go First in the 2020s?" This month's podcast features the five speakers: Dr. Wendy Woodward representing Molecular Biology, Dr. Chuck Mayo representing Artificial Intelligence, Dr. Dan Golden representing Education, Dr. Karen Winkfield representing Diversity/Equity/Inclusion, and Dr. Peter Maxim representing FLASH radiotherapy. The challenges, responsibilities, and special insights arising from these varied disciplines will shape the future of our specialty.
Practical Radiation Oncology Executive Editor Anamaria Yeung, MD, hosts a discussion on the ASTRO clinical practice guideline on radiation therapy for cervical cancer. Junzo Chino, MD of Duke Cancer Center and Catheryn Yashar, MD, from the University of California - San Diego join Dr. Yeung for this episode to discuss the benefits and drawbacks of external beam radiation therapy and brachytherapy for cervical cancer when compared to other treatments like surgery. Dr. Chino is the lead author on the guideline.
Editor-in-Chief, Robert Amdur, MD, discusses an article published in PRO, "Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy for Nonspine Bone Metastases: International Practice Patterns to Guide Treatment Planning." This article reports survey results regarding clinicians' preferred dose schedule for SBRT treatment of nonspine bone metastases, as well as how they feel about the dose schedules suggested by other respondents. Dr. Amdur shares four questions he uses based on this study when deciding how to treat patients in his clinic.
Practical Radiation Oncology senior editor Michael Buckstein, MD, PhD, hosts a discussion on the recently published ASTRO clinical practice guideline on radiation therapy for rectal cancer (https://www.practicalradonc.org/article/S1879-8500(20)30207-1/fulltext). Two of the authors of the guideline, Jennifer Wo, MD of Massachusetts General Hospital and Prajnan Das, MD, MS, MPH of MD Anderson Cancer Center, discuss the development process of the guideline and the evidence for the recommendations included. Brian Czito, MD, of Duke University Medical Center and an author of the associated commentary Emerging Treatment Paradigms in Localized Rectal Cancer (https://www.practicalradonc.org/article/S1879-8500(20)30270-8/fulltext), discusses some of the ongoing and upcoming paradigm shifts in the treatment of rectal cancer.
In his debut podcast as Editor-in-Chief, Robert Amdur, MD, discusses several of the new Practical Radiation Oncology journal initiatives upcoming in 2021. New projects include the establishment of a new article type, expansions of the journal’s social media presence, and an increase in regular podcasts.
As part of the new featured section of the Red Journal, Statistics for the People, Deputy Editor Sue Yom, MD, PhD, hosts an in-depth discussion on the use of propensity scores with Beow Yeap, ScD, David Cheng, PhD, and Red Journal methodology editor David Sher, MD.
Wesley Talcott, MD, and Sue Evans, MD, MPH join PRO Senior Editor Bhisham Chera, MD, to discuss their article "A Blinded, Prospective Study of Error Detection During Physician Chart Rounds in Radiation Oncology ." The authors discuss their motivation for the study, how plan review and chart rounds can be more effective, and more. Also available in the September-October 2020 issue of PRO is an accompanying editorial by Dr. Chera, "Restructuring our approach to peer review: a critical need to improve the quality and safety of radiation therapy ." For those interested in expanding their peer review pool, see the new ASTRO Peer-to-Peer Match program, a user-driven platform that facilitates the establishment of relationships for the purpose of peer review of patient cases.
As part of the Red Journal’s special issue focused on COVID-19 and its impact on Radiation Oncology, the October 2020 Issue Highlights podcast has been produced in conjunction with the Virtual Visiting Professor Network. The podcast is hosted by Editor-in-Chief Anthony Zietman, MD, FASTRO and Deputy Editor Sue Yom, MD, PhD, and features guests Paul Volberding, MD, and Daphne Haas-Kogan, MD. Drs. Volberding and Haas-Kogan share their stories of working with patients with HIV, and reflect upon parallels to today's COVID-19 pandemic.
In conjunction with the special September issue of the Red Journal, Silvia Chiara Formenti, MD, FASTRO joins Editor-in-Chief Anthony Zietman, MD, FASTRO to discuss the latest developments in immunotherapy as they relates to radiation oncology, including checkpoint inhibitors, the abscopal effect, and how these changes could affect the future of the field.
The August 1st Red Journal podcast features a discussion of Black representation in radiation oncology. Guest panelists include Curtiland Deville, Jr., MD, of Johns Hopkins University; Iris Gibbs, MD, FACR, FASTRO, of Stanford University; Chelsea Pinnix, MD, PhD, of MD Anderson Cancer Center, and special guest Freeman Hrabowski III, PhD, president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. This wide-ranging discussion about rationale and strategies related to diversity, representation and equity is moderated by Red Journal Deputy Editor Sue Yom, MD, PhD of the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Deville and Dr. Gibbs are the first and senior authors, respectively, on a recently published article in the Red Journal, "I Can't Breathe: The Continued, Disproportionate Exclusion of Black Physicians in the United States Radiation Oncology Workforce" and co-authors of "Why Racial Justice Matters in Radiation Oncology," an article recently published in Advances in Radiation Oncology.
Thomas Eichler, MD, FASTRO discusses the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on radiation oncology clinics, providers, and patients. This podcast includes answers to some of the most frequently asked questions by ASTRO members regarding how to manage patient care, staffing concerns, and more. This information was compiled by a workgroup comprised of volunteers from academic and community cancer centers. The FAQs are available on the ASTRO website’s Daily Practice page with supporting evidence and sources linked. The ASTRO journals are also publishing papers related to COVID-19 and radiation oncology which are available as part of ASTRO’s COVID-19 resources. Please note this information is intended as guidance only and is not medical or legal advice and is not intended to be used for diagnosis or treatment of individual conditions.
There are few fully accrued contemporary studies that randomize patients to surgery or radiation for curative treatment of a solid tumor. Featured in the April 1 Oncology Scan, the ORATOR 1 clinical trial is one such study of head and neck cancer that compared primary transoral robotic surgery (TORS) versus radiation therapy (RT) for treatment of oropharynx cancer, with a patient reported quality of life primary endpoint. Join Red Journal Associate Editor Danielle Margalit, MD as she discusses the trial with authors Anthony Nichols, MD, FRCSC, FACS and David Palma, MD, PhD, FRCPC, and with special guest, Kate Hutcheson, PhD, speech pathologist and expert in patient reported outcome assessment. The ORATOR 1 trial provides information for patient counseling and decision-making when considering the 'trade-offs' of different treatment modalities.
Cancer patients often ring a bell to commemorate the end of treatment – but until now, the many effects of ringing the bell have not been studied. Patrick Williams, MD and Richard Jennelle, MD, authors of "The Cancer Bell: Too Much of a Good Thing?" discuss their recent article and the surprising results reported within. Psychologist Dr. Andrea Bonior talks about ways that emotional arousal and individual patient desires can factor into the memory of treatment distress. Cancer survivor Valerie Powell tells her story of ringing the bell, what it meant to her at the time, and how she looks back on that experience now.
Dr. Danielle Margalit of Dana-Farber Cancer Center interviews Dr. Sue Yom from University of California – San Francisco and Dr. Beth Beadle from Stanford University. This podcast features research being presented for head and neck cancers at the ASTRO Annual Meeting. The ASTRO Annual Meeting podcasts feature attendees highlighting the most exciting and impactful work being presented in specific disease sites. The ASTRO Annual Meeting podcasts are produced in partnership with the Red Journal. Music by D. Tegbaru, used with permission.
Dr. David Palma from the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research interviews Dr. Daniel Gomez of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. This podcast features research thoracic and lung cancer research being presented at the ASTRO Annual Meeting. The ASTRO Annual Meeting podcasts feature attendees highlighting the most exciting and impactful work being presented in specific disease sites. The ASTRO Annual Meeting podcasts are produced in partnership with the Red Journal. Music by D. Tegbaru, used with permission.
Dr. Tim Kruser, corresponding author of "Radiation Oncologists' Role in End-of-Life Care: A Perspective From Medical Oncologists," talks about the methods of the study, the value of qualitative data, and how challenging results can be used to improve the situation for patients. Dr. Louis Potters, one of the authors of a commentary written in reply addresses some of his concerns about how medical oncologists perceive radiation oncologists, as well as how to move forward as a specialty with this study in mind. Music by D. Tegbaru, used with permission.
ASTRO Health Policy Analyst Jessica Adams interviews Dr. Michael Roach and Dr. Najeeb Mohideen about their payment policy articles in the July 15 edition. Learn more about payment policy and how procedure codes are developed.
Narrative Oncology editor Ben Corn, MD interviews Frank Meyskens, Jr., MD, FACP, author of the recently published poem "Abscopal Outcomes: Reflections on Distant Effects." Dr. Corn initiates uplifting discussion on restoring hopefulness in everyday interactions with patients and colleagues in the field of radiation oncology. Dr. Meyskens also discusses the importance of the arts in medicine, how he got started with poetry, and one of the patients that impacted him most. Music by D. Tegbaru, used with permission.
Anthony D'Amico, MD, PhD, FASTRO shares a recording of a moving story that he recounted to students at Harvard Medical School who are also enrolled in his Tae Kwon Do class. Music by D. Tegbaru, used with permission.
Join PRO Executive Editor Suzanne Evans and negotiation and ethics professor Daylian Cain as they discuss their recent article "Why Smart Oncology Clinicians do Dumb Things: A Review of Cognitive Bias in Radiation Oncology." The article identifies many common biases in the field, factors that increase our susceptibility to bias and ways that we can combat cognitive biases. The authors explain the concepts of metacognition as well as strategies to improve our critical thinking such as "taking the opposite," "summarize aloud" and "prospective hindsight." Music by D. Tegbaru, used with permission.
In the first podcast in a series on prior authorization, ASTRO Health Policy Analyst Jessica Adams interviews Dr. Apar Gupta, MD, MBA, lead author of a paper recently accepted in the Red Journal. The study investigates prior authorization denial rates and associated treatment delays for proton beam therapy. The study also addresses possible predictors for denial and if denials aligned with the ASTRO model policy for proton beam therapy. Dr. Gupta provides perspective on how prior authorization affects all radiation therapy and how radiation oncologists can get involved individually and through ASTRO.
Todd McNutt, Ph. D, author of an article recently published in Advances, shares the process and results of using machine learning methods to identify dose patterns that predict for xerostomia in head and neck cancer patients. Dr. McNutt identifies the advantages and challenges inherent in utilizing this newer method rather than more traditional predictors. Advances associate senior editor, Matthew Studenski, Ph. D provides perspective on the growing use of machine learning and AI in medical research. Music by D. Tegbaru, used with permission.
A new article published in Advances in Radiation Oncology, an open access journal of the American Society for Radiation Oncology, shows radiation oncology ranks near the bottom in female representation relative to other specialties. In this podcast authors: Malika Siker MD, Curtiland Deville Jr. MD, Emma B. Holliday MD, and Nancy J. Tarbell MD, share their insights about ASTRO's Committee on Health Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (CHEDI), trends in gender representation, barriers to training, and leadership lessons and imperatives. The authors were also joined by Isabel L. Jackson PhD, Senior Editor of Advances in Radiation Oncology, to provide her perspective on Advances’ efforts to reduce disparities with regards to diversity and gender equity. Music courtesy of Jean-Marc Yee, used with permission.
Howard Sandler, MD, MS, FASTRO, FASCO, and Scott Morgan, MD, MSc, FRCPC, discuss moderate hypofractionation and how men with early-stage prostate cancer can benefit. Sandler and Morgan are co-chairs of the panel that authored Hypofractionated Radiation Therapy for Localized Prostate Cancer: An ASTRO, ASCO, and AUA Evidence-Based Guideline.
Dr. Shearwood McClelland III presents highlights from the first in a series of articles focused on radiation therapy access in the United States. Dr. McClelland is joined by Advances Editor-in-Chief Robert Miller, who discusses how disparities in access affect radiation oncology as a practice.
Editor Suzanne Evans, MD, and Benjamin Smith, MD, discuss ASTRO's new guideline on whole breast radiation therapy. This new guideline recommends that women with certain breast cancers can safety opt for a shorter 3-week regimen of radiation therapy vs the longer regimen of 6 to 8 weeks.
PRO Safety Editor Suzanne Evans talks with lead author Gary Ezzell of the Mayo Clinic about common error pathways discovered in the RO-ILS data and how we can make radiation therapy even safer.
Jay Harris and Benjamin Smith discuss the update of ASTRO's Accelerated Patient Breast Irradiation Consensus Statement. The recommendations in the statement provide updated clinical guidance regarding use of accelerated partial breast irradiation for radiation oncologists and other specialists participating in the care of breast cancer patients.
Online patient educational materials from academic radiation oncology Web sites are significantly more complex than recommended by NIH and HHS.
May 1, 2016, Particle Therapy at the "Tipping Point": An Introduction to the Red Journal's Special Edition
Senior author David Hoopes talks to Alicia Wood about the first year of ASTRO and AAPM’s Radiation Oncology Incident Learning System (RO-ILS). They discuss the RO-ILS background, development, structure, and workflow, as well as examples of preliminary data and lessons learned.
Lead author Stephanie Terezakis talks to Editor-in-Chief W. Robert Lee about the widely varying practices across disease sites among institutions using photon and proton IGRT in a pediatric patient population. Read the full article recently published in PRO.
Editor-in-chief W. Robert Lee talks with lead authors Ann Klopp and Akila Viswanathan about the new ASTRO evidence-based guideline for adjuvant radiation in the treatment of endometrial cancer and the accompanying editorial from the Society of Gynecologic Oncology.
Bruce Thomadsen, lead author on the ASTRO white paper on safety considerations for high-dose-rate brachytherapy, talks to editor-in-chief W. Robert Lee on the top three considerations when performing HDR brachytherapy.
Anthony Zietman, MD, FASTRO, editor-in-chief, reviews this issue's most important papers with his usual flair.
Anthony Zietman, MD, FASTRO, editor-in-chief, reviews this issue's most important papers.
In these highlights, editor-in-chief Anthony Zietman reviews some of the most intriguing articles in this issue.
Editor-in-chief Anthony Zietman highlights some of the most intriguing articles in this issue.
Editor-in-chief Anthony Zietman talks to lead author Rich Valicenti about the new ASTRO/AUA guideline for the use of radiation therapy after prostate cancer surgery.
Lead author David Jaffray speaks with editor-in-chief W. Robert Lee about the new white paper giving radiation oncology physicians, physicists, dosimetrists and administrators practical guidance on safely integrating image guided radiation therapy into the clinic.
Editor-in-Chief W. Robert Lee talks with author Larry Marks about peer review to improve clinic safety.
Lanea Keller and Gary Freedman talk with W. Robert Lee, Editor-in-Chief, about this article recently published in PRO on using custom bras for breast cancer set-up.
Author Michael Zelefsky talks to Anthony Zietman about the benefits of prophylactic sildenafil citrate.
Lead author Nitin Ohri talks with Anthony Zietman about his plenary abstract presented at ASTRO's 2012 annual meeting
Authors Marc Moote and James Hayman talk with W. Robert Lee, Editor-in-Chief, about this article recently published in PRO.
Authors May Tsao and Eric Chang talk with W. Robert Lee, Editor-in-Chief, about this guideline recently published in PRO.
Editor-in-Chief Anthony Zietman, MD, FASTRO, discusses changes made to the Red Journal since he took over as editor in 2012.