Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma of the Breast by Race and Ethnicity.

Importance: The incidence rate of primary breast anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL), a complication associated with breast implants, is rapidly rising in the US. Comprehensive studies on the racial and ethnic epidemiologic characteristics of ALCL in the US are lacking, despite evidence of worldwide geographic variability.

Objective: To characterize the incidence rates of breast ALCL by race and ethnicity in the US.

Rectal spacer use and overall long-term healthcare costs: payer perspective.

Introduction: Rectal spacers (RS), when used in prostate cancer (PCa) patients treated with radiotherapy (RT), reduce radiation dose to the rectum. While RS incur additional upfront cost, they may result in long-term cost-savings by reducing toxicity-related adverse events and associated medical costs. This study examined long-term pattern of insurer-paid healthcare costs among patients with and without polyethylene glycol hydrogel RS use.

Evaluation of the ESMO-Magnitude of Clinical Benefit Scale version 1.1 for the treatment of extracranial oligometastatic non-small cell lung cancer with radiosurgery.

Background: The European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) magnitude of clinical benefit (MCBS) version 1.1 is an evaluation scale that was developed to evaluate the magnitude of clinical benefit reported in clinical research studies of cancer treatments. The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) and the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO) created joint guidelines for the use of local therapy in the management of extracranial oligometastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Rectal spacer use and bowel, urinary, and sexual dysfunction diagnosis and related procedures among men receiving prostate radiotherapy: US county-level analysis.

Purpose: Clinical studies demonstrate the protective function of rectal spacers to mitigate side effects of radiotherapy (RT) in prostate cancer (PCa) patients. However, large-scale real- world evidence is lacking. This study evaluates the association between rectal spacer use and the prevalence of bowel, urinary, and sexual dysfunction diagnoses and related procedures among PCa patients receiving RT in the US at the county level.

National Institutes of Health Funding to Support Radiation Oncology Research: A Comparative Trend Analysis Over a Decade, 2011-2021.

Purpose: Funding to support radiation oncology discovery and research is essential for advancement in therapeutic strategies to improve outcomes for patients with cancer. We aimed to comprehensively characterize trends in National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding that supports radiation oncology research over time to identify trends, successes, and areas for improvement.

Methods And Materials: We queried the NIH Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tools Expenditures and Results database to identify all awarded grants to support radiation oncology research conducted by principal investigators at academic centers, using 3 individual years as representative samples (2011, 2016, and 2021).

Salvage Radiosurgery After Brachytherapy for Locally Recurrent Prostate Cancer With Real-Time Adaptive Motion Management Using Previously Implanted Brachytherapy Seeds as Fiducial Markers.

Locally recurrent prostate cancer after radiotherapy is a difficult clinical scenario. Focal therapy with stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) is a promising treatment option. In this case report, we present the case of a male patient who underwent low dose rate (LDR) brachytherapy many years ago and experienced a prostate-specific membrane antigen positron emission tomography (PSMA PET) avid local recurrence of prostate cancer with rising prostate-specific antigen (PSA).

Bowel Disorder Incidence and Rectal Spacer Use in Patients With Prostate Cancer Undergoing Radiotherapy.

Importance: The polyethylene glycol-based hydrogel spacer (PHS) system temporarily separates the rectum from the prostate in patients undergoing radiotherapy (RT) for prostate cancer (PCa).

Objective: To compare incidence of bowel disorders and related procedures in patients receiving RT with and without PHS.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This retrospective cohort study used 4 datasets: Medicare 5% Standard Analytic Files, Medicare 100% Standard Analytic Files, Merative MarketScan Commercial Database, and Premier Healthcare Database.

Mediators of Racial Inequities in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Care.

Background: Black patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are more often diagnosed at a later stage and receive inadequate evaluation and treatment compared to White patients. We aimed to identify factors representing exposure to structural racism that mediate the association between race and NSCLC care.

Methods: We queried Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare for non-Hispanic Black and White patients ≥ 67 years diagnosed with NSCLC from 2013 to 2019.

Inappropriate Denials for Radiation Therapy in Medicare Advantage Plans.

Purpose: Radiation oncologists are known to be burdened with prior authorization and insurance denials more than other medical specialties. This analysis sought to use publicly available data and determine whether Medicare Advantage plans are inappropriately denying radiation therapy (RT) services more than other health services.

Methods And Materials: Data from the Appeals Decision Search on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services website were extracted from 2022 through June 2024.

Radiation Therapy for the Treatment of Osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis is a common cause of pain and disability in the United States. Many patients experience pain that is refractory or unable to be treated by traditional treatments such as exercise, physical therapy, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and/or cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors. For patients with medically refractory disease, intra-articular corticosteroid therapy, hyaluronic acid, or surgery can be considered.

Peer-to-Peer Phone Calls and Letters Appealing Insurance Denials of Service: Practical Tips and Resources.

The approval of radiation oncology care by insurance companies is burdensome for providers. In this topic discussion, we attempt to provide practical recommendations for how to deal with peer-to-peer phone calls as well as how to improve the timeliness and quality of subsequent letters of appeal.

Site-specific patterns of early-stage cancer diagnosis during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused widespread disruptions in cancer care. We hypothesized that the greatest disruptions in diagnosis occurred in screen-detected cancers. We identified patients (≥18 years of age) with newly diagnosed cancer from 2019 to 2020 in the US National Cancer Database and calculated the change in proportion of early-stage to late-stage cancers using a weighted linear regression.

Updated Analysis of Comparative Toxicity of Proton and Photon Radiation for Prostate Cancer.

Purpose: Previous comparative effectiveness studies have not demonstrated a benefit of proton beam therapy (PBT) compared with intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) for prostate cancer. An updated comparison of GI and genitourinary (GU) toxicity is needed.

Methods: We investigated the SEER-Medicare linked database, identifying patients with localized prostate cancer diagnosed from 2010 to 2017.

Practical Considerations for the Treatment of an Adrenal Metastasis With Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy.

The purpose of this paper is to summarize 3 methods for treating adrenal metastases with stereotactic body radiation therapy. This article is not meant to provide consensus guidelines but rather to present 4 practical examples of treatment techniques using different treatment platforms from 3 institutions.

Practical Implications of the American Society for Radiation Oncology Radiation Oncology Case Rate Program Proposal for Radiation Oncologists.

The American Society for Radiation Oncology has proposed the Radiation Oncology Case Rate Program (ROCR) to advocate for fair reimbursement for radiation oncologists. ROCR would replace Medicare fee-for-service with a case rate payment for each of the 15 most common cancer types treated with external beam or stereotactic radiation therapy. This topic discussion attempts to provide a concise overview of the practical implications for radiation oncologists should the ROCR payment program be legislated by Congress and subsequently implemented by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services.