Evaluación de fechas de siembra de cártamo en el sudoeste de Buenos Aires (Argentina)

Safflower is a minor oilseed crop that can be  included in the rotation with cereal winter crops in semiarid regions such as the southwest of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Breeding or introduction of  genotypes require the development of agronomic practices adjusted to the region where they are to be implemented. The objective of the present work was to evaluate the phenology, some morphological traits, the oil content, the fruit yield and some yield components of three contrasting safflower genotypes sown under six sowing dates  between May and July in two locations. Fruit yield  under the three earliest sowing dates was the  highest, but diverse responses were seen among  combinations of genotypes and locations.  Anthesis in early sowing dates was not advanced compared to later sowing dates, but the  vegetative stage was extended and it occurred under smoother climate conditions. Fruit yield and oil content both decreased when the sowing date was delayed. The number of capitula of the top five branches and the capitulum diameter were tightly related to the fruit yield variation. Generally, under the assayed conditions, fruit yield was maximum under late May sowing date, which depends on the cold tolerance of the genotypes and the environmental conditions. El cártamo es un cultivo oleaginoso alternativo  ideal para la rotación con cereales invernales en regiones semiáridas como el sudoeste  bonaerense argentino. El mejoramiento o  introducción de genotipos debe combinarse con el desarrollo de técnicas de manejo óptimas para el ambiente donde se quieren difundir. El objetivo  del presente trabajo fue evaluar la fenología, las características morfológicas, la materia grasa, el  rendimiento y sus componentes en tres genotipos de cártamo contrastantes, en seis fechas de siembra establecidas entre fines de mayo y fines  de julio, en dos localidades del sudoeste  bonaerense. El rendimiento fue mayor bajo las tres fechas de siembra más tempranas, y varió  según el genotipo y la localidad. Bajo fechas tempranas la floración no se adelantó, pero se  extendió el período vegetativo, el cual transcurrió bajo condiciones de balance hídrico positivo. En fechas más tardías disminuyó el rendimiento y la  materia grasa de los frutos. El número de  capítulos en las cinco ramificaciones superiores y  el diámetro de capítulo fueron las principales  variables de ajuste del rendimiento. En general, la  fecha de siembra de fines de mayo maximizó el  rendimiento, comportamiento que está sujeto al grado de tolerancia al frío del genotipo y las características del ambiente

Vaginal toxicity management in patients with locally advanced cervical cancer following exclusive chemoradiation—a nationwide survey on knowledge and attitudes by the Italian Association of Radiotherapy and Clinical Oncology (AIRO) Gynecology Study Group

Background and Objective: Exclusive radiotherapy, including external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) and interventional radiotherapy/brachytherapy (IRT/BT), with concurrent cisplatin-based chemotherapy, represents the standard of care in patients with locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC). The emerging topic of vaginal toxicity has become a key endpoint in LACC management, although different approaches and non-standardized procedures were available. Our aim was to analyze a nationwide study of the attitudes of Italian gynecological radiation oncology teams in the management of LACC patients' vaginal toxicities. Methods: A nationwide survey of radiation oncologists specializing in the treatment of gynecological malignancies was performed, using the free SurveyMonkey platform, consisting of 26 items. The questionnaire was proposed by the Italian Association of Radiation Oncologists (AIRO) gynecological working group to all 183 Italian radiation oncology institutions, as per AIRO's website. Results: Fifty-eight questionnaires (31%) were completed and returned. The assessment of acute and late vaginal toxicities was systematic in 32 (55.2%) and 26 (44.8%) centers, respectively. In the case of EBRT, 70.7% of centers, according to the contouring and treatment plan data, did not contour the vagina as an organ at risk (OAR). Vaginal dose constraints were heterogeneous for both EBRT and IRT/BT. Local treatment to prevent vaginal toxicity was prescribed by 60.3% of radiation oncologists, mostly vaginal hyaluronic acid cream, and one center recommended vaginal estrogen preparations. During follow-up visits, vaginal toxicity was considered an issue to be investigated always (n = 31) or in sexually active women only (n = 11). Conclusions: This survey showed that wide variation exists with regard to recording and treating vaginal toxicity after exclusive chemoradiation for cervical cancer, underscoring the need to develop more comprehensive guidelines for contouring e-dose reporting of the vagina, so as to implement clinical approaches for vaginal toxicity

Pre-implant magnetic resonance and transrectal ultrasound imaging in high-dose-rate prostate brachytherapy : comparison of prostate volumes, craniocaudal extents, and contours

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare the prostate contours drawn by two radiation oncologists and one radiologist on magnetic resonance (MR) and transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) images. TRUS intra- and inter-fraction variability as well as TRUS vs. MR inter-modality and inter-operator variability were studied. Material and methods: Thirty patients affected by localized prostate cancer and treated with interstitial high-dose-rate (HDR) prostate brachytherapy at the National Cancer Institute in Milan were included in this study. Twenty-five patients received an exclusive two-fraction (14 Gy/fraction) treatment, while the other 5 received a single 14 Gy fraction as a boost after external beam radiotherapy. The prostate was contoured on TRUS images acquired before (virtual US) and after (real US) needle implant by two radiation oncologists, whereas on MR prostate was independently contoured by the same radiation oncologists (MR1, MR2) and by a dedicated radiologist (MR3). Absolute differences of prostate volumes ( 06V) and craniocaudal extents ( 06dz) were evaluated. The Dice's coefficient (DC) was calculated to quantify spatial overlap between MR contours. Results: Significant difference was found between Vvirtual and Vlive (p < 0.001) for the first treatment fractions and between VMR1 and VMR2 (p = 0.043). Significant difference between cranio-caudal extents was found between dzvirtual and dzlive (p < 0.033) for the first treatment fractions, between dzvirtual of the first treatment fractions and dzMR1 (p < 0.001) and between dzMR1 and dzMR3 (p < 0.01). Oedema might be responsible for some of the changes in US volumes. Average DC values resulting from the comparison MR1 vs. MR2, MR1 vs. MR3 and MR2 vs. MR3 were 0.95 \ub1 0.04 (range, 0.82-0.99), 0.87 \ub1 0.04 (range, 0.73-0.91) and 0.87 \ub1 0.04 (range, 0.72-0.91), respectively. Conclusions: Our results demonstrate the importance of a multiprofessional approach to TRUS-guided HDR prostate brachytherapy. Specific training in MR and US prostate imaging is recommended for centers that are unfamiliar with HDR prostate brachytherapy

Primer informe de virus infectando cártamo en Argentina

PosterEl cártamo (Carthamus tinctorius L.) es una oleaginosa anual de ciclo inverno-primaveral, adaptada a condiciones de aridez y reconocida por la calidad de su aceite. En Argentina el cártamo se cultiva principalmente en la región del noroeste, y en Buenos Aires y La Pampa en menor medida. Aunque se han informado varios virus infectando esta especie, en Argentina no existen reportes al respecto. En plantaciones experimentales de cártamo realizadas en Bahía Blanca, provincia de Buenos Aires, en el año 2019 se muestrearon plantas con mosaico, necrosis y deformación en distintos órganos, que en algunos casos terminó con la muerte de la planta (Fig. 1). El objetivo fue identificar al agente causal de los síntomas observados.Instituto de Patología VegetalFil: Cabrera Mederos, Dariel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Unidad de Fitopatología y Modelización Agrícola (UFyMA); ArgentinaFil: Cabrera Mederos, Dariel. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Patología Vegetal; ArgentinaFil: Cerrotta, A. Centro de Recursos Naturales Renovables de la Zona Semiárida (CERZOS). Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Lindström, L.I. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Agronomía; ArgentinaFil: Trucco, Veronica Milagros. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Patología Vegetal; ArgentinaFil: Trucco, Veronica Milagros. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Unidad de Fitopatología y Modelización Agrícola (UFyMA); ArgentinaFil: Castellanos Collazo, Onias. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Patología Vegetal; ArgentinaFil: Giolitti, Fabian. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Patología Vegetal; ArgentinaFil: Giolitti, Fabian. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Unidad de Fitopatología y Modelización Agrícola (UFyMA); Argentin

Contouring of emerging organs-at-risk (OARS) of the female pelvis and interobserver variability. A study by the Italian association of radiotherapy and clinical oncology (AIRO)

Purpose: To provide straightforward instructions for daily practice in delineating emerging organs-at-risk (OARs) of the female pelvis and to discuss the interobserver variability in a two-step multicenter study.Methods and materials: A contouring atlas with anatomical boundaries for each emerging OAR was realized by radiation oncologists and radiologists who are experts in pelvic imaging, as per their knowledge and clinical practice. These contours were identified as quality benchmarks for the analysis subsequently carried out. Radiation oncologists not involved in setting the custom-built contouring atlas and interested in the treatment of gynecological cancer were invited to participate in this 2-step trial. In the first step all participants were supplied with a selected clinical case of locally advanced cervical cancer and had to identify emerging OARs (Levator ani muscle; Puborectalis muscle; Internal anal sphincter; External anal sphincter; Bladder base and trigone; Bladder neck; Iliac Bone Marrow; Lower Pelvis Bone Marrow; Lumbosacral Bone Marrow) based on their own personal knowledge of pelvic anatomy and experience. The suggested OARs and the contouring process were then presented at a subsequent webinar meeting with a contouring laboratory. Finally, in the second step, after the webinar meeting, each participant who had joined the study but was not involved in setting the benchmark received the custom-built contouring atlas with anatomical boundaries and was requested to delineate again the OARs using the tool provided. The Dice Similarity Coefficient (DSC) and the Jaccard Similarity Coefficient (JSC) were used to evaluate the spatial overlap accuracy of the different volume delineations and compared with the benchmark; the Hausdorff distance (HD) and the mean distance to agreement (MDA) to explore the distance between contours. All the results were reported as sample mean and standard deviation (SD). Results: Fifteen radiation oncologists from different Institutions joined the study. The participants had a high agreement degree for pelvic bones sub-structures delineation according to DICE (IBM: 0.9 +/- 0.02; LPBM: 0.91 +/- 0.01). A moderate degree according to DICE was showed for ovaries (Right: 0.61 +/- 0.16, Left: 0.72 +/- 0.05), vagina (0.575 +/- 0.13), bladder sub-structures (0.515 +/- 0.08) and EAS (0.605 +/- 0.05), whereas a low degree for the other sub-structures of the anal-rectal sphincter complex (LAM: 0.345 +/- 0.07, PRM: 0.41 +/- 0.10, and IAS: 0.4 +/- 0.07).Conclusion: This study found a moderate to low level of agreement in the delineation of the female pelvis emerging OARs, with a high degree of variability among observers. The development of delineation tools should be encouraged to improve the routine contouring of these OARs and increase the quality and consistency of radiotherapy planning

Adjuvant vaginal interventional radiotherapy in early-stage non-endometrioid carcinoma of corpus uteri: a systematic review

Purpose: This systematic review focused on rare histological types of corpus uteri malignancy, including uterine carcinosarcoma (UCS), uterine clear cell carcinoma (UCCC), and uterine papillary serous carcinoma (UPSC), and it is proposed to assist with clinical decision-making. Adjuvant treatment decisions must be made based on available evidences. We mainly investigated the role of vaginal interventional radiotherapy (VIRt) in UCS, UCCC, and UPSC managements. Material and methods: A systematic research using PubMed and Cochrane library was conducted to identify full articles evaluating the efficacy of VIRt in early-stage UPSC, UCCC, and UCS. A search in ClinicalTrials.gov was performed in order to detect ongoing or recently completed trials as well as in PROSPERO for ongoing or recently completed systematic reviews. Survival outcomes and toxicity rates were obtained. Results: All studies were retrospective. For UCS, the number of evaluated patients was 432. The 2- to 5-year aver- age local control (LC) was 91% (range, 74.2-96%), disease-free survival (DFS) 88% (range, 82-94%), overall survival (OS) 79% (range, 53.8-84.3%), the average 5-year cancer-specific survival (CSS) was 70% (range, 70-94%), and G3-G4 toxicity was 0%. For UCCC, the number of investigated patients was 335 (UCCC – 124, mixed – 211), with an average 5-year LC of 100%, DFS of 83% (range, 82-90%), OS of 93% (range, 83-100%), and G3-G4 toxicity of 0%. For UPSC, the number of examined patients was 1,092 (UPSC – 866, mixed – 226). The average 5-year LC was 97% (range, 87.1-100%), DFS 84% (range, 74.7-95.6%), OS 93% (range, 71.9-100%), CSS 89% (range, 78.9-94%), and G3-G4 toxicity was 0%. Conclusions: These data suggest that in adequately selected early-stage UPSC and UCCC patients, VIRt alone may be suitable in women who underwent surgical staging and received adjuvant chemotherapy. In early-stage UCS, a multidisciplinary therapeutic approach has to be planned, considering high-rate of pelvic and distant relapses

Gustavson, Marguerite May

Background: Recent studies have reported improvement of outcomes (progression-free survival, overall survival, and prolongation of androgen deprivation treatment-free survival) with stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) in non-small cell lung cancer and prostate cancer. The aim of this retrospective, multicenter study (MITO RT-01) was to define activity and safety of SBRT in a very large, real-world data set of patients with metastatic, persistent, and recurrent ovarian cancer (MPR-OC). Materials and Methods: The endpoints of the study were the rate of complete response (CR) to SBRT and the 24-month actuarial local control (LC) rate on \u201cper-lesion\u201d basis. The secondary endpoints were acute and late toxicities and the 24-month actuarial late toxicity-free survival. Objective response rate (ORR) included CR and partial response (PR). Clinical benefit (CB) included ORR and stable disease (SD). Toxicity was evaluated by the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) and the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) and Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) scales, according to center policy. Logistic and Cox regression were used for the uni- and multivariate analysis of factors predicting clinical CR and actuarial outcomes. Results: CR, PR, and SD were observed in 291 (65.2%), 106 (23.8%), and 33 (7.4%) lesions, giving a rate of CB of 96.4%. Patient aged 6460 years, planning target volume (PTV) 6418 cm3, lymph node disease, and biologically effective dose \u3b1/\u3b210 > 70 Gy were associated with higher chance of CR in the multivariate analysis. With a median follow-up of 22 months (range, 3\u2013120), the 24-month actuarial LC rate was 81.9%. Achievement of CR and total dose >25 Gy were associated with better LC rate in the multivariate analysis. Mild toxicity was experienced in 54 (20.7%) patients; of 63 side effects, 48 were grade 1, and 15 were grade 2. The 24-month late toxicity-free survival rate was 95.1%. Conclusions: This study confirms the activity and safety of SBRT in patients with MPR-OC and identifies clinical and treatment parameters able to predict CR and LC rate. Implications for Practice: This study aimed to define activity and safety of stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) in a very large, real life data set of patients with metastatic, persistent, recurrent ovarian cancer (MPR-OC). Patient age <60 years, PTV <18 cm3, lymph node disease, and biologically effective dose \u3b1/\u3b210 >70 Gy were associated with higher chance of complete response (CR). Achievement of CR and total dose >25 Gy were associated with better local control (LC) rate. Mild toxicity was experienced in 20.7% of patients. In conclusion, this study confirms the activity and safety of SBRT in MPR-OC patients and identifies clinical and treatment parameters able to predict CR and LC rate