ABSTRACT
The Diabetic Retinopathy Clinical Research Network (DRCR.net) performs studies on new treatments for diabetic retinopathy. This review aims to summarise recent findings from DRCR.net studies on the treatment of diabetic macular oedema. We performed a PubMed search of articles from the DRCR.net, which included all studies pertaining to the treatment of diabetic maculopathy. The main outcome measures were retinal thickening as assessed by central subfield thickness on optical coherence tomography and improvement of visual acuity on the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) chart. Findings from each study were divided into modalities of treatment, namely photocoagulation, bevacizumab, triamcinolone, ranibizumab and vitrectomy. While modified ETDRS focal/grid laser remains the standard of care, intravitreal corticosteroids or anti-vascular endothelial growth factor agents have also proven to be effective, although they come with associated side effects. The choice of treatment modality for diabetic macular oedema is a clinical judgement call, and depends on the patient's clinical history and assessment.
Subject(s)
Humans , Adrenal Cortex Hormones , Therapeutic Uses , Bevacizumab , Therapeutic Uses , Biomedical Research , Diabetic Retinopathy , Therapeutics , Disease Management , Disease Progression , Light Coagulation , Macular Edema , Therapeutics , Ranibizumab , Therapeutic Uses , Retina , Pathology , Tomography, Optical Coherence , Triamcinolone , Therapeutic Uses , Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A , Visual Acuity , VitrectomyABSTRACT
Radiotherapy plays a major role in the treatment of cervical cancer. A successful radiotherapy program integrates both external beam and brachytherapy components. The principles of radiotherapy are strongly based on the anatomy of the organ and patterns of local and nodal spread. However, in patients with distorted anatomy, several practical issues arise in the delivery of optimal radiotherapy, especially with brachytherapy. Müllerian duct anomalies result in congenital malformations of the female genital tract. Though being very commonly studied for their deleterious effects on fertility and pregnancy, they have not been recognized for their potential to interfere with the delivery of radiotherapy among patients with cervical cancer. Here, we discuss the management of cervical cancer among patients with Müllerian duct anomalies and review the very sparse amount of published literature on this topic.