Alexandra L. Hanlon

Defining the optimal radiation dose with three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy for patients with nonmetastatic prostate carcinoma by using recursive partitioning techniques

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of dose and its interaction with known prognostic variables, including pretreatment prostate specific antigen (PSA), Gleason score (GS), and T classification, on patients with nonmetastatic prostate carcinoma treated with three‐dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3DCRT) alone using recursive partitioning analysis.

The relationship of increasing radiotherapy dose to reduced distant metastases and mortality in men with prostate cancer.

The association of increasing radiotherapy (RT) dose with reduced biochemical failure (BF) is accepted widely. However, there is little direct evidence that dose escalation has an impact on distant metastasis (DM) or overall mortality (OM). These associations were examined in the current study.

Evidence of increased failure in the treatment of prostate carcinoma patients who have perineural invasion treated with three‐dimensional conformal radiation therapy

The detection of perineural invasion (PNI) in the diagnostic transrectal biopsy of the prostate is associated with a 93% frequency of extracapsular disease extension in patients treated by prostatectomy for adenocarcinoma of the prostate. Extracapsular extension is associated with an inferior outcome compared with that of patients who have organ‐confined disease. This study examined the association of PNI and treatment failure in a consecutive series of patients treated with three‐dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3DCRT) alone.

Validation of a treatment policy for patients with prostate specific antigen failure after three‐dimensional conformal prostate radiation therapy

The objective of this report was to present an outcomes validation for the Fox Chase Cancer Center (FCCC) management policy for patients who demonstrate prostate specific antigen (PSA) failure after receiving three‐dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3DCRT).

A gleason score of 7 predicts a worse outcome for prostate carcinoma patients treated with radiotherapy

In most reported surgical series, prostate carcinoma patients with a Gleason score of 7 have had worse outcomes than those with other moderately differentiated cancers. Because of variations in reporting grade and grouping Gleason scores, radiation series have conflicting results.

Routine mammography is associated with earlier stage disease and greater eligibility for breast conservation in breast carcinoma patients age 40 years and older

Reduction in breast carcinoma mortality is a major benefit of screening mammography and has been demonstrated in multiple randomized clinical trials and service screening programs. Another benefit from screening is that it allows the patient a wider choice of treatment options, particularly the possibility of conservation surgery. The current study analyzed the impact of mammography in the staging and treatment of breast carcinoma.

Histopathologic review of prostate biopsies from patients referred to a comprehensive cancer center

Clinicians at the Fox Chase Cancer Center (FCCC) base prostate carcinoma treatment decisions regarding need to treat, field size, total dose, and adjuvant hormonal therapy on known prognostic factors including clinical stage, Gleason score (GS), perineural invasion (PNI), and pretreatment prostate specific antigen levels. The pathology of every patient is reviewed at FCCC to confirm a diagnosis of malignancy. The objective of this study was to define differences between pathologic reviews and their impact on treatment between outside institutions and FCCC.

Modeling postradiation prostate specific antigen level kinetics

The goals of this study are twofold: 1) to describe the postradiation kinetics of nonrecurring prostate carcinoma based on prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels in men who remain biochemically free of disease; and 2) to determine predictors of all three components of the resulting piecewise exponential model based on pretreatment and treatment characteristics.

Does a delay in external beam radiation therapy after tissue diagnosis affect outcome for men with prostate carcinoma

Physicians involved in the care of men diagnosed with prostate carcinoma must assess the urgency of treatment. For those men who choose external beam radiation therapy (EBRT), the delay from the time of biopsy to treatment may be stressful. There are limited data on the consequences of radiation treatment delay. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the effect of time to treatment (TTT) on outcomes.

Analyzing predictive models following definitive radiotherapy for prostate carcinoma.

As we approach the 21st century, clinically useful predictive models for prostate carcinoma are urgently needed to stratify patients reliably for future treatment strategies. Recently, many investigators have developed models that employ prostate specific antigen (PSA)‐based constructs or groupings in an attempt to predict outcome accurately following definitive radiotherapy. This investigation was conducted to determine which of these models provides the closest fit to independent clinical outcome data measuring biochemical freedom from failure (bNED control), thereby warranting further exploration.