Radiation Proctitis

Pelvic radiotherapy (RT) has become a vital component of curative treatment for various pelvic malignancies. The fixed anatomical position of the rectum in the pelvis and the close proximity to the prostate, cervix, and uterus, makes the rectum especially vulnerable to secondary radiation injury resulting in chronic radiation proctitis (CRP). Clinical symptoms associated with CRP are commonly classified by the EORTC/RTOG late radiation morbidity scoring system. Rectal bleeding is the most frequent symptom of CRP occurring in 29–89.6% of patients. Endoscopy is essential to determine the extent and severity of CRP as well as to exclude other possible causes of inflammation or malignant disease. Typical endoscopic findings of rectal mucosal damage in the course of radiation-induced proctitis include friable mucosa, rectal mucosal hypervascularity, and telangiectases. There is no consensus available for the treatment of CRP, and different modalities present a recurrence rate varying from 10 to 30%. CRP can be managed conservatively, and also includes ablation (formalin enemas, radiofrequency ablation, YAG laser or argon plasma coagulation) as well as some patients require surgery. Although modifications of radiation techniques and doses are continually being studied to decrease the incidence of CRP, trials investigating preventive methods have been disappointing to date

Conventional and/or laparoscopic rectal cancer surgery: what is the current evidence?

Despite many years of experience with laparoscopic procedures in rectal cancer, the superiority of minimally invasive approaches has been questioned especially in recent years. This article is a short review of the current knowledge about laparoscopic approaches in comparison to conventional modalities in patients with rectal cancer. To present the current state of the knowledge, we focused on reports that were published in the last few years and compared them to multicenter trials and meta-analyses published last year. Our analysis mainly applied to the primary end-points of these trials. We also included expert opinions that have been published in the last several months

Right- and left-sided colon cancer – clinical and pathological differences of the disease entity in one organ

Introduction: Some researchers suggest that cancers located in the right vs. the left side of the colon are different and they can be regarded as distinct disease entities. The aim of this study was to analyze differences in clinical, epidemiological and pathological features of patients with right-sided (RCC) and left-sided (LCC) colon cancer. Material and methods : One thousand two hundred and twenty-four patients were operated on due to colorectal cancer. A group of 477 patients (254 women, mean age 65.5 ±11 for the whole group) with colon cancer was included (212 RCC vs. 265 LCC). Results : Right colon cancer patients were older (67.8 ±11.3 vs. 63.2 ±11.2; p = 0.0087). Left colon cancer patients underwent surgery for urgent indications more often (17.0% vs. 8.5%; p = 0006). Tumor diameter was greater in the RCC group (55 ±60 mm vs. 38 ±21 mm; p = 0.0003). Total number of removed lymph nodes was higher in the RCC group (11.7 ±6 vs. 8.3 ±5; p = 0.0001). Lymph node ratio was higher in the LCC group (0.45 ±0.28 vs. 0.30 ±0.25; p = 0.0063). We found a strong positive correlation between tumor diameter and the number of removed lymph nodes in the LCC group (r = 0.531). Conclusions : These differences may result from the fact that RCC patients are diagnosed at an older age. The smaller number of removed lymph nodes in LCC patients may result in incorrect staging. It is still necessary to find other biological dissimilarities of adenocarcinoma located on different sides of the colon

The Small Acceptance Vertex Detector of NA61/SHINE

Charmonium production in heavy ion collisions is considered as an important diagnostic probe for studying the phase diagram of strongly interacting matter for potential phase transitions. The interpretation of existing data from the CERN SPS is hampered by a lack of knowledge on the properties of open charm particle production in the fireball. Moreover, open charm production in heavy ion collisions by itself is poorly understood. To overcome this obstacle, the NA61/SHINE was equipped with a Small Acceptance Vertex Detector (SAVD), which is predicted to make the experiment sensitive to open charm mesons produced in A-A collisions at the SPS top energy. This paper will introduce the concept and the hardware of the SAVD. Moreover, first running experience as obtained in a commissioning run with a 150 AGeV/c Pb+Pb collision system will be reported.ISSN:2100-014XISSN:2101-627