HYPOTHESIS Immediate transverse rectus abdominis myocutaneous breast reconstruction combined with postoperative radiation therapy after mastectomy is safe and effective. DESIGN Retrospective case series. SETTING University-based teaching hospital. PATIENTS From January 1, 1996, through December 31, 2003, 252 patients underwent mastectomy and immediate transverse rectus abdominis myocutane...

Previous experiments with PTK787/ZK222584, a specific inhibitor of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR) tyrosine kinases, using irradiated human FaDu squamous cell carcinoma in nude mice, suggested that radiation-damaged tumor vessels are more sensitive to VEGFR inhibition. To test this hypothesis, the tumor transplantation site (i.e., the right hind leg of nude mice) was irradia...

Clinical deterioration during or after radiation of the central nervous system may be due to progression of, or a complication induced in, the lesion being treated. Deterioration may also be due to an adverse effect of the radiation on nervous tissue or vessels within the beam, to alteration in the blood-brain barrier, thus influencing the effects of drug therapy, or to a superimposed catastrop...

AIM To characterize the interaction of tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) and ionising radiation in six sarcoma, lymphoma and carcinoma cell lines. MATERIALS AND METHODS Cells were characterized regarding annexin V/propiduim iodine affinity and caspase-3 status after application of TNF-alpha, radiation, or combined treatment. RESULTS Three cell lines showed similar results with additi...

Radiation-induced late brain injury consisting of vascular abnormalities, demyelination, white matter necrosis, and cognitive impairment has been described in patients subjected to cranial radiotherapy for brain tumors. Accumulating evidence suggests that various degrees of cognitive deficit can develop after much lower doses of ionizing radiation, as well. The pathophysiological mechanisms und...

Introduction: Surgical resection and chemotherapy alone have proven to be insufficient in treatment of patients with primary and metastatic brain tumors. As a result, the various forms of radiotherapy, such as external-beam radiation, radiosurgery have become important therapeutic adjuncts. The appearance of a new enhancing lesion after radiation treatment may represent tumor recurrence, radiat...

Radiation optic neuropathy is a devastating form of vision loss that can occur months to years after radiation therapy for tumors and other lesions located in close proximity to the visual pathways. We present the case of a 24-year-old woman who underwent external beam radiation for treatment of a tectal pilocytic astrocytoma, and 5 years later she developed bilateral radiation optic neuropathy...

The focal and diffuse cerebral white matter injury can be caused by treatment with radiation therapy for cranial tumors. However, the literature rarely describes a MRI finding in radiation-induced delayed extensive cerebral injury. Our objective was to report a rare case who had a delayed extensive hyperintensity injury in brain on MRI after radiation therapy due to nasopharyngeal cancer. A MRI...