The impact of the haemoglobin level on the response to radiotherapy

Purpose: To define the impact of preradiotherapy haemoglobin (Hb) levels on the response rate of radiotherapy in patients with head and neck, uterine cervix and lung cancer. Patients and methods: One hundred thirteen patients - 38 with head and neck cancer, 43 with carcinoma of the uterine cervix and 32 with lung cancer - were retrospectively evaluated to determine the correlation between tumor response and preradiotherapy Hb levels. Hb level of 11 g/dl was taken as cut-off value for anemia. Patients were divided in two groups according to their objective response to radiotherapy. Results: Histologically 30 of the head and neck cancers, 36 of the cervical cancers and 17 of the lung cancers were squamous-cell carcinomas. Tumor response of the epidermoid carcinomas were significantly correlated with preradiotherapy Hb levels (p < 0.001). Tumor response in patients with head and neck and cervical cancers was significantly correlated with pretreatment Hb levels while in patients with lung cancer this correlation did not reach statistical significance (p=0.059). Conclusion: Preradiotherapy Hb level is an important factor in determining the efficacy of radiotherapy. Raising the Hb level before radiotherapy may have a beneficial impact on the response to radiotherapy

Daily workflow and workload of radiation oncology specialists in Turkey [Türkiye’de radyasyon onkolojisi uzmanlarının günlük uygulama akışı ve iş yükü]

OBJECTIVES This study aimed to research the effort required by patient evaluation, radiotherapy planning and treatment processes in the daily applications of radiation oncology in terms of time, and to use this effort as the primary source for human power and infrastructure planning required in radiotherapy. METHODS The surveys carried out by Turkish Radiation Oncology Association Proficiency Board, Curriculum Preparation and Evaluation Commission on Education Institutions, Surveys delivered to the officers of the center via electronic mail, were answered and evaluated in accordance with the data of 2012. RESULTS 26 University and 8 Ministry of Health Hospitals participated in the study. The total number of specialists employed in the participant centers, were 227. For per specialist, 383 hours in a year were spent for the patients at follow-up, 334 hours were spent for the patients that were in treatment, and 950 hours were spent for planning and treatment set-ups. It was determined that the time spent for per patient in intensity modulated radiotherapy technique, was 2-3 times more when compared to the location of tumor, which is a conformal technique. It was observed that this duration was much longer in special radiotherapy applications such as brachytherapy, total body irradiation and radiosurgery. CONCLUSION Technological advancements in radiotherapy, require more effort and working time for new job descriptions and in daily practice. © 2015 Turkish Society for Radiation Oncology

Reactions of pentachloro-2-nitrobutadiene with some aliphatic and heterocyclic thiols and a crystallographic study

In this study, S-, S,S- and S,O-substituted novel nitrodiene compounds were synthesized. Cyclization products were formed when difunctional nucleophiles were used. The stereoisomerism of a heterocyclic nitrodiene is discussed with the help of XRD studies. The structures of all compounds were characterized by spectroscopic methods (FT-IR, H-1 NMR, C-13 NMR, F-19 NMR, MS) and microanalysis