Evaluation of dosimetric and volumetric changes in target volumes and organs at risk during adaptive radiotherapy in head and neck cancer: A prospective study.

BACKGROUND: During radiation therapy for head and neck malignancies, most patients experience significant anatomical alterations due to loss of weight, changes in tumor volumes, and immobilization issues. Adaptive radiotherapy adapts to the patient's actual anatomy through repetitive imaging and replanning. In the present study, dosimetric and volumetric changes in target volumes and organs at risk during adaptive radiotherapy in head and neck cancer was evaluated. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Thirty-four locally advanced Head and neck carcinoma patients with histologically proven Squamous Cell Carcinoma for curative treatment were included. Rescan was done at the end of 20 fractions of treatment. All quantitative data were analyzed with paired t-Test and Wilcoxon Signed Rank (Z) test. RESULTS: Most patients had oropharyngeal carcinoma (52.9%). There were significant volumetric changes in all the parameters - GTV-primary (10.95, p < 0.001), GTV- nodal (5.81, p = 0.001), PTV High Risk (26.1, p < 0.001), PTV - Intermediate Risk (46.9, p = 0.006), PTV - Low Risk (43.9, p = 0.003), lateral neck diameter (0.9, p < 0.001), right parotid volumes (6.36, p < 0.001) and left parotid volumes (4.93, p < 0.001). Dosimetric changes in the organs at risk were non-significant. CONCLUSION: Adaptive replanning has been seen to be labour intensive. However, the changes in the volumes of both target and the OARs credit a mid-treatment replanning to be done. Long term follow-up is required to assess locoregional control after adaptive radiotherapy in head and neck cancer.

Corneal confocal microscopy identifies greater corneal nerve damage in patients with a recurrent compared to first ischemic stroke.

OBJECTIVES: Corneal nerve damage may be a surrogate marker for the risk of ischemic stroke. This study was undertaken to determine if there is greater corneal nerve damage in patients with recurrent ischemic stroke. METHODS: Corneal confocal microscopy (CCM) was used to quantify corneal nerve fiber density (CNFD), corneal nerve branch density (CNBD), corneal nerve fiber length (CNFL) and corneal nerve fiber tortuosity (CNFT) in 31 patients with recurrent ischemic stroke, 165 patients with a first acute ischemic stroke and 23 healthy control subjects. RESULTS: Triglycerides (P = 0.004, P = 0.017), systolic BP (P = 0.000, P = 0.000), diastolic BP (P = 0.000, P = 0.000) and HbA1c (P = 0.000, P = 0.000) were significantly higher in patients with first and recurrent stroke compared to controls. There was no difference in age, BMI, HbA1c, total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL, HDL, systolic and diastolic BP between patients with a first and recurrent ischemic stroke. However, CNFD was significantly lower (24.98±7.31 vs 29.07±7.58 vs 37.91±7.13, P<0.05) and CNFT was significantly higher (0.085±0.042 vs 0.064±0.037 vs 0.039±0.022, P<0.05) in patients with recurrent stroke compared to first stroke and healthy controls. CNBD (42.21±24.65 vs 50.46±27.68 vs 87.24±45.85, P<0.001) and CNFL (15.66±5.70, P<0.001 vs 17.38±5.06, P = 0.003) were equally reduced in patients with first and recurrent stroke compared to controls (22.72±5.14). CONCLUSIONS: Corneal confocal microscopy identified greater corneal nerve fibre loss in patients with recurrent stroke compared to patients with first stroke, despite comparable risk factors. Longitudinal studies are required to determine the prognostic utility of corneal nerve fiber loss in identifying patients at risk of recurrent ischemic stroke.

Dermatomyositis associated with adenocarcinoma of the lung: A case report.

The association of dermatomyositis and underlying malignancies, especially small cell and squamous cell carcinoma of the lung, has been recognized a long time ago. We report the case of a 63-year-old male chronic smoker with adenocarcinoma lung associated with dermatomyositis. The occurrence of dermatomyositis should be considered as a potential presentation of paraneoplastic syndromes and physicians encountering similar clinical situations should perform extensive diagnostic work-up to exclude underlying neoplastic lesions.

Air leak: An unusual manifestation of organizing pneumonia secondary to bleomycin.

Organizing pneumonia (OP) is a less common interstitial lung disease with varying clinical picture. The development of pulmonary air leak in a case of OP is an extremely rare complication. Here, we report the case of a 46-year-old female with carcinoma ovary, postchemotherapy who developed respiratory distress with pneumomediastinum, and subcutaneous emphysema. Lung biopsy showed evidence of OP. This turned out to be a rare case of OP, secondary to bleomycin chemotherapy, presenting with pulmonary air leak.

Idiopathic intracranial hypertension presenting as postpartum headache.

Postpartum headache is described as headache and neck or shoulder pain during the first 6 weeks after delivery. Common causes of headache in the puerperium are migraine headache and tension headache; other causes include pre-eclampsia/eclampsia, post-dural puncture headache, cortical vein thrombosis, subarachnoid hemorrhage, posterior reversible leukoencephalopathy syndrome, brain tumor, cerebral ischemia, meningitis, and so forth. Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) is a rare cause of postpartum headache. It is usually associated with papilledema, headache, and elevated intracranial pressure without any focal neurologic abnormality in an otherwise healthy person. It is more commonly seen in obese women of reproductive age group, but rare during pregnancy and postpartum. We present a case of IIH who presented to us 18 days after cesarean section with severe headache and was successfully managed.

Twin Pregnancy with a Complete Hydatidiform Mole and a Coexisting Live Fetus: Rare entity.

A hydatidiform mole with a coexisting live fetus is a rare occurrence and the optimal management for this condition is not yet known. We report the case of a 32-year-old woman (gravida 3, para 2) who presented to the Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Muscat, Oman, in March 2012 at 13 gestational weeks with abdominal pain and vaginal bleeding. An ultrasound examination revealed a hydatidiform mole pregnancy coexisting with a live fetus. After extensive counselling, the patient and her husband opted for a conservative management approach. Unfortunately, a hysterotomy had to be performed at 17 gestational weeks due to severe haemorrhage. The postoperative period was uneventful and histopathology results confirmed one complete mole with a coexisting fetus and normal placenta. The patient's serum ß-human chorionic gonadotropin level remained normal for 18 months following her surgery.