Dose escalation is now the standard of care for the treatment of prostate cancer with radiation therapy. However, the rectum tends to be the dose-limiting structure when treating prostate cancer, given its close proximity. Early and late toxicities can occur when the rectum receives large doses of radiation therapy. New technologies allow for prevention of these toxicities. In this review, we e...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The aim was to evaluate the impact of a spacer gel on the dose distribution, applying three-dimensional conformal (3D CRT) and intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) planning techniques. MATERIAL AND METHODS The injection of a spacer gel (10 ml SpaceOAR™) was performed between the prostate and rectum under transrectal ultrasound guidance in 18 patients with prostate ca...

OBJECTIVE The aim of this report is to discuss whether or not rectal levodopa administration is useful in some situations. BACKGROUND In situations where oral intake of levodopa formulations is not possible, the treatment options of Parkinson's disease patients are limited. The literature describes no or low rectal absorption of levodopa. CASE DESCRIPTION A patient with an ileus was unable ...

Despite the increasing use of the rectal balloon in prostate cancer radiotherapy, many issues still remain to be verified objectively including its positional reproducibility and relevance to treatment morbidity. We have developed a custom rectal balloon that has a scale indicating the depth of insertion and dilates symmetrically ensuring positional reproducibility. Fifty patients with prostate...

BACKGROUND Fibroma, the most common benign pelvic tumor in women, affects 25 to 30% of women of reproductive age. Primary treatment for patients with symptomatic or large fibroma is surgery. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a single rectal dose of Misoprostol on bleeding during abdominal hysterectomy. METHODS This double blind randomized clinical trial wa...

The healing of colorectal anastomoses after irradiation therapy continues to be a major concern. The authors evaluated the healing of rectal anastomoses in a rat model after a preoperative 500-cGy dose of cobalt60 irradiation. Thirty-six male Wistar rats were divided into two equal groups: control (group A), and irradiation group (group B). Group B received a single 500-cGy dose of irradiation,...

Pyrexia and inflammation are indicatives of various disorders. Modern medicines are available for treatment of pyrexia, but they have few side effects. Several studies are ongoing Worldwide to search natural antipyretic agents with better efficacy and fewer or no side effects. This study was aimed at evaluating the antipyretic activity of Moringa oleifera bark in rabbits against E. coli induced...

Aims and background: we evaluate CT-3Tesla MRI fusion in conformal radiotherapy for localized prostate cancer.Methods: 18 consecutive patients underwent a 3T MRI scan under radiotherapy planning conditions, after the CT scan. Bowel and bladder preparation were prescribed. CT and MR images were automatically fused; prostate and seminal vesicles were contoured on CT and on MRI, organs at risk wer...

Eight healthy Vietnamese male subjects received 400 mg artemisinin formulated into fatty suppositories (FS), and six different subjects received 500 mg of artemisinin formulated in polyethylene glycol suppositories (PEGS). Plasma concentrations were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection; concentration versus time curves were analyzed with nonparametri...

PURPOSE A major concern in prostate brachytherapy is rectal toxicity, which mainly depends on the dose and volume of rectum involved by radiation. We hypothesize that the rectal distension, as produced by constipation, influences the dosimetric parameters of the rectum and other pelvic organs. MATERIAL AND METHODS An open, controlled, prospective, paired trial (pre-post test) was designed and...