Oncologist* (employment OR compensation OR salar*)

Craniospinal irradiation (CSI) is a vital therapeutic approach utilized for young patients suffering from central nervous system disorders such as medulloblastoma. The task of accurately outlining the treatment area is particularly time-consuming due to the presence of several sensitive organs at risk (OAR) that can be affected by radiation. This study aimed to assess two different methods for automating the segmentation process: an atlas technique and a deep learning neural network approach. Additionally, a novel method was devised to prospectively evaluate the accuracy of automated segmentation as a knowledge-based quality assurance (QA) tool...

PURPOSE: Patients are typically diagnosed with both hypertension and fibrosarcoma. Medical oncologists must prescribe suitable anti-hypertensive medications while considering anti-tumor drugs. Recently, immunotherapy has become prominent in cancer treatment. Nonetheless, it is unknown what role anti-hypertensive medications will play in immunotherapy. METHODS: We examined the effects of six first-line anti-hypertensive medications on programmed cell death protein 1 antibody (PD1ab) in tumor treatment using a mouse model of subcutaneous fibrosarcoma...

INTRODUCTION: This paper presents a novel approach to automate the segmentation of Organ-at-Risk (OAR) in Head and Neck cancer patients using Deep Learning models combined with Ensemble Learning techniques. The study aims to improve the accuracy and efficiency of OAR segmentation, essential for radiotherapy treatment planning. METHODS: The dataset comprised computed tomography (CT) scans of 182 patients in DICOM format, obtained from an institutional image bank...

IMPORTANCE: Older adults with advanced cancer are less likely to tolerate treatment with cytotoxic chemotherapy compared with younger patients due to their aging-related conditions. Hence, oncologists sometimes opt to employ primary treatment modifications (deviation from standard of care) during the first cycle of chemotherapy. OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between primary treatment modification and treatment tolerability in older adults with advanced cancer who were starting new palliative chemotherapy regimens...

This review aims to provide an understanding of the diagnostic and therapeutic challenges of uveitis associated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI). In the wake of these molecules being increasingly employed as a treatment against different cancers, cases of uveitis post-ICI therapy have also been increasingly reported in the literature, warranting an extensive exploration of the clinical presentations, risk factors, and pathophysiological mechanisms of ICI-induced uveitis. This review further provides an understanding of the association between ICIs and uveitis, and assesses the efficacy of current diagnostic tools, underscoring the need for advanced techniques to enable early detection and accurate assessment...

What are the factors that physicians could consider in an academic radiation oncology practice job offer? In this minireview, we discuss how prospective academic faculty could evaluate the "big 3" domains: (1) the compensation, including the direct and indirect payments; (2) the daily job, including aspects of the clinic, research, and education; and (3) the location, including geography, atmosphere, environment, and culture. If a prospective academic radiation oncologist believes that the academic practice is "great" in at least 2 of the 3 and "good" in the remaining 1, then they should likely sign the contract...

PURPOSE: Little is known about the specific needs during training for hematology/oncology providers practicing in community-based settings. We conducted a national survey of hematologists/oncologists employed in community or academic-community hybrid settings to delineate their educational needs. METHODS: An electronic questionnaire was developed and distributed nationally through professional organizations. We primarily assessed whether survey participants received any specific training during fellowship for community-based practice...

In treating diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), oncologists have traditionally relied on the chemotherapy backbone of R-CHOP as standard of care. The two dangers that the hematologist must navigate between are the aggressive disease (Charybdis that in the absence of therapy systematically destroys all the ships) and the toxicity of the therapies (Scylla with its six monstrous heads that devours six crew members at a time), and hematologists have to navigate very carefully between both. Therefore, three different strategies were employed with the goal of improving cure rates: de-escalating regimens, escalating regimens, and replacement strategies...

PURPOSE: The effect of climate-driven events, such as wildfires, on health care delivery and cancer care is a growing concern. Patients with cancer undergoing radiation therapy are particularly vulnerable to treatment interruptions, which have a direct effect on survival. We report the results of a study characterizing the effect of wildfires on radiation oncology clinics and their patients. METHODS AND MATERIALS: A survey of California radiation oncologists was used to evaluate emergency preparedness and the effect of wildfires on the delivery of radiation therapy services between 2017 and 2022...

BACKGROUND: Cancer imposes a substantial economic burden due to treatment costs, supportive care, and loss of productivity. Besides all the affecting factors, major concerns lead to significant financial burdens of cancer treatment, bringing unwanted huge unbearable direct and indirect treatment costs. The aim was to explore the nature of additional mobility/travel required for accessing health care for cancer patients and also to assess financial burden due to additional mobility/travel costs for cancer treatment...

PURPOSE: One-table treatments with treatment imaging, preparation and delivery occurring at one treatment couch, could increase patients' comfort and throughput for palliative treatments. On regular C-arm linacs, however, cone-beam CT (CBCT) imaging quality is currently insufficient. Therefore, our goal was to assess the suitability of AI-generated CBCT based synthetic CT (sCT) images for target delineation and treatment planning for palliative radiotherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: CBCTs and planning CT-scans of 22 female patients with pelvic bone metastasis were included...

Oncologists and applied mathematicians are interested in understanding the dynamics of cancer-immune interactions, mainly due to the unpredictable nature of tumour cell proliferation. In this regard, mathematical modelling offers a promising approach to comprehend this potentially harmful aspect of cancer biology. This paper presents a novel dynamical model that incorporates the interactions between tumour cells, healthy tissue cells, and immune-stimulated cells when subjected to simultaneous chemotherapy and radiotherapy for treatment...

PURPOSE: Many studies on cancer patients investigate the impact of treatment on health-related quality of life (QoL). Typically, QoL is measured longitudinally, at baseline and at predefined timepoints thereafter. The question is whether, at a given timepoint, patients who return their questionnaire (available cases, AC) have a different QoL than those who do not return their questionnaire (non-AC). METHODS: We employed augmented inverse probability weighting (AIPW) to estimate the average QoL of non-AC in two studies on advanced-stage cancer patients...

Background: Increased childhood cancer survival rates have spurred a new body of research pertaining to the cancer-survivorship continuum. Literature suggests a lack of research and guidelines for care at the end of treatment (EOT). To improve the transition to survivorship and determine any posttreatment challenges, this study explored the experiences of childhood cancer survivors (CCSs), parents/caregivers, and pediatric oncology health care professionals (HCPs) at EOT. Method: This study employed a mixed methods design...

IMPORTANCE: High-deductible health plans (HDHPs) have grown rapidly and may adversely affect access to comprehensive cancer care. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association of HDHPs with out-of-pocket medical costs and outpatient physician visits among patients with cancer. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Using 2003 to 2017 data from the deidentified Optum Clinformatics Data Mart database from individuals with employer-sponsored health coverage, adults aged 18 to 64 years with cancer who were enrolled in low-deductible (≤$500 annually) health plans during a baseline year were identified...

BACKGROUND: The proportion of women among healthcare and biomedical research professionals in neuro-oncology is growing. With changes in cultural expectations and work-life balance considerations, more men aspire to nonfull-time jobs, yet, leadership positions remain dominated by men. METHODS: The European Association of Neuro-Oncology (EANO) disparity committee carried out a digital survey to explore gender balance and actions suitable to promote gender equality...

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to develop a model that automatically predicts the neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) response for patients with locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC) based on T2-weighted MR images and clinical parameters. METHODS: A total of 138 patients were enrolled, and T2-weighted MR images and clinical information of the patients before treatment were collected. Clinical information included age, stage, pathological type, squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) level, and lymph node status...

BACKGROUND: Breast-conserving surgery with synchronous 50-kV X-ray intraoperative radiation therapy (TARGIT-IORT) is a convenient form of partial breast irradiation; however, the existing literature supports a wide range of local control rates. OBJECTIVES: We investigated the treatment effectiveness and toxic effects of TARGIT-IORT in a patient cohort aged 64 years or older with low-risk breast cancer. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis...

OBJECTIVE: Prior to radiation therapy planning, accurate delineation of gross tumour volume (GTVs) and organs at risk (OARs) is crucial. In the current clinical practice, tumour delineation is performed manually by radiation oncologists, which is time-consuming and prone to large inter-observer variability. With the advent of deep learning (DL) models, automated contouring has become possible, speeding up procedures and assisting clinicians. However, these tools are currently used in the clinic mostly for contouring OARs, since these systems are not reliable yet for contouring GTVs...

PURPOSE: Gastroenteropancreatic Neuroendocrine Carcinoma (GEP-NEC) in children is an exceptionally rare and aggressive form of cancer. We aimed to conduct a population-based cohort study to predict overall survival (OS) in pediatric patients with GEP-NEC. METHODS: The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database was employed to identify all pediatric patients with GEP-NEC diagnosed between 2000 and 2019. To create survival curves based on various criteria, Kaplane-Meier estimations were utilized...