0 cm mean separation between selleck compound the prostate and rectum, resulting in a decrease in the maximum and mean rectal dose by 11.5% and 30.0%, respectively with rectal wall V70 decreasing by 19.8%, respectively (33). The group from Johns Hopkins injected PEG into 10 cadavers and were able to generate 1.25 cm of space between the prostate and rectum, which reduced the theoretical rectal V70 from IMRT from 19.9% to 4.5% (p < 0.05) (34). Pinkawa et al. (35) reported on pilot study results from a single site (Aachen) of a multisite investigation of a PEG spacing biomaterial. Before receiving IMRT in doses up to 78 Gy in 2 Gy fractions, 18 patients were injected with the hydrogel under ultrasound (transrectal

ultrasound) guidance after dissecting the space between the prostate and rectum

with saline. Injecting the hydrogel resulted in a prostate to rectum distance of 10 ± 4 mm at the base, 9 ± 3 mm in the midplane, and 11 ± 7 mm at the apex. The portion of the rectum within the 75 Gy, 70 Gy, and 60 Gy isodose was decreased by 76%, www.selleckchem.com/products/MDV3100.html 59%, and 36% on average, respectively. Patients who develop a local recurrence or a new diagnosis of prostate cancer after prior pelvic radiotherapy have few good options for local salvage therapy. Salvage brachytherapy has been associated with a risk of rectal complications, including fistula. PEG hydrogel was used in the current case to create 1.5 cm of space PFKL between the prostate and rectum, allowing the rectal dose to be significantly lower than previously published dosimetric goals with HDR salvage brachytherapy. Prostate–rectal spacing with absorbable spacer material may allow for safer administration of salvage brachytherapy in select patients with locally recurrent prostate cancer or a new diagnosis after prior pelvic radiotherapy. This work was supported by a grant from an anonymous Family Foundation, David and Cynthia Chapin, and a Prostate Cancer Foundation Young Investigator Award. “
“Nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) is highly prevalent in provinces of Southern China (e.g., Hong Kong), with an incidence

rate of up to 20 per 100,000 inhabitants (1). In contrast, it is a relatively rare disease entity in the Netherlands, with an incidence of close to 1 per 100,000. Some of the countries of the Mediterranean Basin report an incidence rate in between 1 and 5 per 100,000 (2). The nasopharynx is a midline-located cuboidal-shaped cavity, anatomically located posteriorly to the nasal cavity and cranial posteriorly bordered by the base of skull. It is heavily infested with lymphoid tissue and surrounded by a network of critical structures. Laterally, a close anatomic relationship exists with the parapharyngeal space, containing critical structures such as the cranial nerves IX–XII. By traversing the foramen lacerum, the nasopharynx interconnects directly or by lymphatics with the middle cranial fossa.