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Purpose: To report our initial experience with 1.5 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) linear accelerator (LINAC) in prostate cancer radiotherapy in terms of its use in a radiation oncology clinic., Methods: The medical records of 14 prostate cancer patients treated with MRI-guided radiotherapy were retrospectively evaluated. The fraction time, adapt-to-position (ATP):adapt-to-shape (ATS) usage rate, machine-associated treatment interruption rate, median gamma pass rate, the percentage of planning target volume receiving at least 95% of the prescription dose coverage value of each ATS fraction, the effect of the learning curve on the fraction time and radiation-related acute gastrointestinal and genitourinary toxicities were evaluated., Results: Fourteen patients have completed their treatment receiving a total of 375 fractions. Six patients (42%) were treated with the moderately hypofractionated regimen, five patients (36%) with conventionally fractionated, and three patients (22%) with the ultra-hypofractionated radiotherapy regimens. The ATP : ATS usage ratio was 3:372. The median fraction time was 46 min (range, 24-81 min). For the 3%/3 mm criterion, median gamma pass rate was 99.4% (range, 94.6-100%). Machine-related treatment interruptions were observed in 11 (2.9%) of 375 fractions, but this interruption rate decreased from 4.1% to 0.8%, after an upgrade. Three patients (22%) had gastrointestinal and five patients (36%) had genitourinary toxicity. No ≥grade 3 toxicity was observed., Conclusion: 1.5 T MRI-LINAC device could be used as a conventional LINAC device, when the conditions of the radiotherapy center are appropriate. MRI-guided prostate radiotherapy is safe and feasible, and high-quality studies with a larger number of patients and long-term results are needed to better evaluate this new technology., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Turkkan, Bilici, Sertel, Keskus, Alkaya, Tavli, Ozkirim and Fayda.)

Background: The aim of this study is to determine the prognostic significance of weight loss (WL) on overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with locally advanced unresectable laryngeal carcinoma undergoing definitive radiotherapy (RT) or chemo-RT (CRT) in a single institution., Patients and Methods: One hundred and thirty-two patients with newly diagnosed locally advanced laryngeal carcinoma were included in this study retrospectively. All patients were treated with definitive RT or CRT. The tumor and metastatic lymph nodes received 70 Gy. Subclinical disease (low-risk and high-risk area) was irradiated 50-60 Gy prophylactically. Unintentional WL ≥5% was defined as the "critical level." Bodyweight was evaluated on the 1 st day of RT and once a week during RT. Caloric needs were calculated as 25-30 kcal/kg/day., Results: Median follow-up was 17.8 months (range: 2.35-85 months). During treatment, there was a statistically significant WL in patients (P = 0.004). WL was ≥5% in 62 (47%) of the patients. There was a statistically significant relationship between WL and tumor differentiation (P = 0.004), completion of treatment (P = 0.004), WHO performance status (P < 0.0001), T stage (P = 0.003), N stage (P = 0.049), and supraglottic tumor location (P = 0.005). In the univariate analysis, WL, WHO performance status, T stage, N stage, tumor localization, and tumor differentiation, were seen to affect OS. Additionally, WL, WHO performance status, N stage, and tumor differentiation were prognostic factors for PFS. In the multivariate analysis, it was observed that only WL and WHO performance status were significant factors for both OS (P = 0.001, and P < 0.01) and PFS (P < 0.001, and P < 0.001), respectively. Three-year OS and PFS was 50.3% and 19.5% for patients with WL versus 77.8% and 49.0% for patients without WL., Conclusions: It is clear that WL has prognostic significance in patients who have undergone definitive RT or CRT due to locally advanced laryngeal carcinoma. In particular, it should be taken into consideration that patients with supraglottic tumor, lymph node involvement, and poor performance status are at greater risk for WL., Competing Interests: None

In this study, we report the fabrication of a nanocomposite consisting of Co 3 O 4 nanoparticles (Co 3 O 4 NPs) and electrochemically reduced graphene oxide (ERGO) on a screen-printed electrode (SPE) and its sensing performance in the electrochemical detection of uric acid (UA). The surface modification of the electrode was confirmed by using a variety of characterization techniques (FE-SEM, XRD, AFM, EDX, WCA, FTIR, and Raman spectroscopy). In addition, the surface modification was electrochemically characterized step by step through CV, EIS and DPV techniques, and the results showed that the Co 3 O 4 -ERGO nanocomposite exhibited highly sensitive and selective sensing performance towards the oxidation of UA in 0.1 M (pH 7.0) phosphate buffer solution (PBS). The sensor (Co 3 O 4 -ERGO/SPE) signals were observed to be linear to the UA concentration in the range of 5 μM to 500 μM ( R 2 = 0.9985). After revealing its other performance characteristics, such as repeatability, reproducibility, stability, sensitivity, and selectivity, the sensor was successfully applied to the analysis of UA in artificial saliva samples.

Introduction: Bicalutamide is widely used in the treatment of prostate cancer. Among its side effects, central nervous system disorders are relatively rare, and the information about bicalutamide-associated hallucinations is limited., Case Report: We report an uncommon case of a patient with metastatic prostate cancer, who had hallucinations due to the use of bicalutamide., Management and Outcome: The patient accepted to receive only hormonal therapy (bicalutamide and leuprolide acetate). But he developed hallucinations due to bicalutamide use. His hallucinations disappeared after discontinuation of bicalutamide. A good response was obtained with the use of luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone agonist monotherapy., Discussion: The pathophysiology of bicalutamide-induced hallucinations is unclear. We hypothesize that antiandrogens can indirectly cause hallucinations through changes in plasma testosterone and cerebral reelin expression. Additionally, luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone agonist monotherapy is a good option in metastatic prostate cancer patients who have intolerable side effects due to the use of antiandrogens.

Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare malignant tumor of the skin. The development of MCC on non-sun-exposed skin is extremely rare, with few cases reported in the literature. The present authors aimed to highlight the characteristic features and treatment options of this tumor. The present authors present a 50-year-old man who developed MCC on the left gluteal region (non-sun-exposed skin). After surgery with clear margins, adjuvant radiotherapy was given. Three months after radiotherapy, lymphatic recurrence was observed and he was treated with chemotherapy. On follow-up, systemic metastases were found and palliative treatment was planned., (© 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Introduction: Among head and neck cancers, those of the oral cavity and oropharynx are the second most prevalent following the larynx. This study aimed to research immunohistochemical expression of survivin, HPV positivity and microvessel density in tumors and their relationships with prognosis., Material and Methods: Pathological materials and demographic properties of 46 patients were retrospectively evaluated. Survivin, HPV and CD34 (for microvessel density evaluation) antibodies were applied tumoral tissues. Survival times, clinical stage and differentiation were evaluated., Results: In univariate analysis, we observed that survivin, microvessel density and stage were significantly associated with survival time ( p < 0.05). In multivariate analysis, only survivin and microvessel density were associated with survival time ( p < 0.05). But we did not find significant correlation between neither tumor differentiation nor HPV positivity and survival ( p > 0.05)., Conclusions: Survivin levels and microvessel density were found to be effective prognostic factors and were related to survival in oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancers. Treatments targeting survivin expression and angiogenesis might be employed against these tumor groups.

Purpose: To compare the effects of different fractionated doses of abdominal radiation therapy on acute histopathological responses of testicular tissues in rats., Methods: Thirty-three 3-week-old Wistar albino rats were randomized into 6 groups: group 1 (n = 5), control; group 2 (n = 4), hypofractionated total abdominal irradiation (TAI) of 6 Gy/1 fraction/day for 2 days; group 3 (n = 6), hypofractionated TAI of 4 Gy/1 fraction/day for 3 days; group 4 (n = 6), hypofractionated TAI of 3 Gy/1 fraction/day for 4 days; group 5 (n = 6), conventionally fractionated TAI of 2 Gy/1 fraction/day for 6 days; group 6 (n = 6), conventionally fractionated TAI of 1.7 Gy/1 fraction/day for 7 days. Mean epithelial length and diameter of seminiferous tubules of testicular tissues were determined after euthanasia., Results: Initially, a highly significant decrease in both the mean tubular diameter and epithelial height of the seminiferous tubules was demonstrated in all irradiated rats compared with the control group. No significant differences regarding both damage parameters were found between different hypofractionated radiation therapies. Both conventional radiation therapies reduced the epithelial height and mean diameter of the seminiferous tubules to a lesser extent when compared with 6 Gy/1 fraction/day hypofractionated therapy. It was further shown that parameter values were comparable between rats that received 3 Gy/day hypofractionated therapy and rats that received either of the two conventional therapies. Furthermore, although 4 Gy/day hypofractionation decreased tubular diameter and epithelial length to a greater degree compared with the conventional therapy of 1.7 Gy/1 fraction/day, no statistically significant difference was found when compared with conventional therapy of 2 Gy/1 fraction/day. Additionally, no statistically significant difference was demonstrated between the two types of conventional radiotherapy application., Conclusion: The present study demonstrated that hypofractionated abdominal irradiation leads to more prominent tissue damage in the testes than conventional irradiation.