The objective of this study was to assess late toxicity and quality of life (QOL) for patients receiving definitive intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT) with regard to normal tissue sparing objectives. Three hundred and seventy-two consecutive men treated with definitive IMRT for prostate adenocarcinoma. Toxicity was graded by CTC v3.0 genitourinary ...

BACKGROUND The benefits of adjuvant radiotherapy in rectal carcinoma are well known. However, there is still considerable uncertainty about the optimal radiation treatment. There is an ongoing debate about the choice between very short treatments immediately followed by surgical resection and prolonged treatments with delayed surgery. In this paper, we describe an interim analysis of a non-cont...

AIM The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of rectal ozone on portal vein oxygenation and the pharmacokinetic changes of propranolol in patients with liver cirrhosis. METHODS Fifteen patients with liver cirrhosis were included They were given a fixed oral dose of propranolol 80mg on the morning of day 1 after overnight fasting. Blood samples were collected at fixed time intervals...

Paracetamol is usually given in adults at a dose of 10-20 mg kg(-1) orally or rectally. Work in children suggests that doses of 40 mg kg(-1) are needed to provide therapeutic concentrations when this drug is used by the rectal route. We have investigated the dose of rectal paracetamol needed to achieve serum concentrations within the accepted therapeutic range of 10-20 microg ml(-1) in adults. ...

BACKGROUND There are increasing concerns about treatment failure following treatment for rectal chlamydia with 1 g of azithromycin. A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to investigate the efficacy of 1 g of azithromycin as a single dose or 100 mg of doxycycline twice daily for 7 days for the treatment of rectal chlamydia. METHODS Medline, Embase, PubMed, Cochrane Controlled Tri...

PURPOSE To determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of continuous oral capecitabine plus oxaliplatin and pre-operative pelvic radiotherapy (XELOX-RT). PATIENTS AND METHODS Patients with clinically unresectable rectal cancer or for whom resection with histologically clear (R0) surgical margins was unlikely received continuous capecitabine (500-825 mg/m2 twice daily, 7 days/week), oxaliplatin...

PURPOSE To evaluate the effect of common three photon energies (6-MV, 10-MV, and 15-MV) on intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) plans to treat prostate cancer patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS Twenty patients with prostate cancer treated locally to 81.0 Gy were retrospectively studied. 6-MV, 10-MV, and 15-MV IMRT plans for each patient were generated using suitable planning objectives, ...

The increased use of herbal remedies combined with their increasing availability in pharmacies, beauty and nutrition shops and supermarkets necessitates the evaluation of their efficacies and safety. The objective of the present study is to evaluate the safety of the rectal administration of the dry leaf extract of witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana L. Family: Hamamelidaceae), one of the traditi...

BACKGROUND Surgical attempts for locally recurrent rectal cancer often fail due to local re-recurrence and distant metastasis. Preoperative chemoradiation may enhance better local control and survival. The aim of this study was to assess the safety of oral uracil and tegafur (UFT) plus leucovorin (LV), and irinotecan combined with radiation and determine the maximum-tolerated dose (MTD) and dos...