T E Merchant

..Pediatr Blood Cancer 2013; 60: 1037-1043. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc...

..Carbon-11 methionine ((11)C MET) has little uptake under normal conditions. We prospectively investigated the uptake of (18)F FDG and (11)C MET PET in patients with craniopharyngioma prior to proton therapy...

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..To estimate the rate of disease control after conformal radiation therapy using reduced clinical target volume (CTV) margins and to determine factors that predict for tumor progression...

..Wide-local excision combined with radiation therapy is effective in achieving local tumor control with acceptable morbidity and good functional outcomes for most patients...

..To report disease control for patients with recurrent ependymoma (EP) treated with surgery and a second course of radiation therapy (RT(2))...

..The goal of this study was to determine the influence of hydrocephalus on intelligence quotient (IQ) in children with infratentorial ependymoma before and after the administration of focal radiation...

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..The purpose of this study was to report our experience using episcleral plaque brachytherapy (EPBRT) to treat retinoblastoma and to demonstrate its applicability in multimodality treatment...

..To determine the effects of 15 Gy on bone growth as a function of time and age by comparing clavicle length before and after asymmetric mantle irradiation in pediatric patients...

..We modeled hearing threshold levels (HTL) after CRT in children with localized primary brain tumors (ependymoma, low- or high-grade astrocytoma, craniopharyngioma, or CNS germinoma) by using cochlear dose and clinical variables...

..To prospectively evaluate pediatric patients with localized primary brain tumors for evidence of endocrinopathy before radiotherapy (RT)...

..To assess sustained attention, impulsivity, and reaction time during radiotherapy (RT) for pediatric patients with localized primary brain tumors...

..This review presents historical and current practices used to treat ependymoma, and is intended to provide an information framework for caregivers so that they can assist parents in the decision-making process...

..To assess the effects of radiation dose-volume distribution on the trajectory of IQ development after conformal radiation therapy (CRT) in pediatric patients with ependymoma...

..Future research in the treatment of this tumor, that afflicts fewer than 200 children in the US each year, will focus on molecular biology, clarifying risk factors for tumor control and late effects, and testing novel agents...

..A Phase II trial of conformal radiation therapy (CRT) for craniopharyngioma was conducted to determine whether the irradiated volume could be safely reduced to decrease effects on cognitive function...

..Growth hormone deficiency (GHD) after radiation therapy negatively affects growth and development and quality of life in children with brain tumors...

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..Justification for PBT in pediatric patients should be realized once the costs of treating acute symptoms, growth hormone deficiency, orthopedic deformities, and secondary malignancies are studied and reduced...

..We conducted a phase II trial of conformal radiation therapy (CRT) to estimate disease control by using a 10-mm clinical target volume (CTV) margin...

..We conducted a prospective trial to evaluate late effects in pediatric patients with low-grade glioma (LGG) treated with conformal radiation therapy (CRT)...

..To identify risk factors associated with incomplete neurological recovery in pediatric patients with infratentorial ependymoma treated with postoperative conformal radiation therapy (CRT)...

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..To determine whether proton radiotherapy has clinical advantages over photon radiotherapy, we modeled the dose characteristics of both to critical normal tissue volumes using data from patients with four types of childhood brain tumors...

..Conformal RT to less than the entire posterior fossa (PF) after craniospinal irradiation might reduce neurocognitive sequelae and requires evaluation...

..Early and accurate evaluation of these functions should be considered for all patients to provide parents and caregivers with the information necessary to plan intervention and mitigate the consequences of tumor and treatment...

..To review our institution's experience in the treatment of craniopharyngioma and assess the merits of initial therapy with limited surgery and irradiation...

..31)P MRS phospholipid profile data provide statistical correlations among histologic features and molecules known to play important roles in cellular communication, regulation, and processes unique to malignant tissues...

..To review the use of brachytherapy (BRT) to treat soft-tissue sarcoma (STS) in pediatric patients at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital...

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..These data provide a statistical correlation between histopathologic features and molecules known to play an important role in cellular activities and processes unique to malignant tissues...

..We retrospectively examined the clinical characteristics, treatment, and outcome for 25 patients with Ewing sarcoma treated with limited surgery and low-dose irradiation...

..To provide evidence that radiation therapy alone in the form of craniospinal irradiation (CSI) and a boost to the primary site of disease provides effective disease control and limited additional morbidity for patients with CNS germinoma...

..To investigate the influence of histologic grade on progression-free survival (PFS) after irradiation (RT) for pediatric patients with localized ependymoma...

..Patients with disseminated EP, MPEP, JPA and nonpilocytic astrocytoma may achieve long-term progression-free survival with craniospinal irradiation...

..To retrospectively review the treatment and outcome of pediatric patients with desmoid tumor who received radiation therapy at a single institution...

..Conformal radiotherapy (CRT) techniques allow for a more accurate determination of hypothalamic dosimetry. We correlated the dosimetry of the hypothalamus and the peak GH value after CRT in children with localized primary brain tumors...

..The purpose of this study was to document the ocular preservation rate after 36 Gy external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) for retinoblastoma...

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..Serial quantitative MR measures of NAWMV may provide a neuroanatomical substrate for assessing functional impact of CSI on normal brain function following treatment for medulloblastoma...

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..It is important to document the extent of disease accurately prior to the initiation of radiation therapy, since a subset of these patients progress rapidly outside of the field of irradiation...

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..Smaller volumes of the brainstem (1-10 mL) may be irradiated to maximum doses of 59 Gy for dose fractions <or=2 Gy; however, the risk appears to increase markedly at doses >64 Gy...

..CONCLUSIONS: Patients with femoral ESFT are at high-risk for fracture. If fractures occur after the completion of therapy, recurrence or second malignancy should be suspected...

..To determine the validity of this hypothesis, we compared the rate of detection of LMD between concurrent lumbar CSF cytology and spinal MRI performed at diagnosis in patients with medulloblastoma or PNET...

..CONCLUSIONS: Multiagent chemotherapy alone does not ensure a cure for multifocal intraocular retinoblastoma. Supplemental focal therapy is needed to control disease progression...

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..This hybrid neural network analysis of subtle brain volume differences with magnetic resonance may constitute a direct measure of treatment-induced brain damage...

..Despite measures to reduce radiation dose and treatment volume, the volume that receives the highest dose continues to have the greatest effect, which supports current volume-reduction efforts...

..To evaluate vincristine and carboplatin with intensive focal treatments in the management of intraocular retinoblastoma...

..In this article, we investigate the role of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF) in the initiation of acute damage to the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and brain tissue following radiotherapy (RT) for CNS tumors...

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..Younger patients exhibited substantial problems with the development of reading skills...

..Cognitive dysfunction in children is largely seen for whole brain doses of >or=18 Gy. No substantial evidence has shown that RT induces irreversible cognitive decline in adults within 4 years of RT...

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..To test the hypotheses that memory and attention deficits are prevalent in survivors of childhood medulloblastoma (MB) and that these deficits are associated with problems with academic achievement...

..If brain T1 is a surrogate for radiation effect, reducing the volume of normal white matter receiving more than 20 Gy could be an important treatment planning goal...

..These findings provide a target to reduce radiation-related permeability and cell adhesion and potentially the side effects of radiation in the CNS...

..To determine the effect of cochlear dose on sensorineural hearing loss in pediatric patients with brain tumor treated by using conformal radiation therapy (CRT)...

..Survival is often marked by neurologic deficits, panhypopituitarism, diabetes insipidus, cognitive deficiencies, and behavioral and social problems...

..A retrospective review of patients with cutaneous or subcutaneous ES was conducted to analyze outcome and patterns of failure...

..We have evaluated the potential for intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) to reduce dose to surrounding normal tissues in children with retinoblastoma confined to the globe of the eye...

..The expression of the intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM-1) and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) in the mouse brain was compared after single-dose and fractionated whole-brain irradiation...

..High-grade astrocytomas are rare in young children, but have been reported to have a better prognosis than similar tumors in older patients...

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..To evaluate the efficacy of chemoreduction using vincristine and carboplatin in preventing or delaying external-beam radiotherapy (EBRT) or enucleation in patients with intraocular retinoblastoma...

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..Because of this tumor typically arises within the 4th ventricle and can invade the brainstem, patients are at risk for significant neurological impairment...

..We evaluated the impact of clinical and neuroimaging parameters and primary therapy on overall (OS) and progression-free (PFS) survival and on neuroendocrine and neurocognitive outcome in children with H and/or C tumors...

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..To describe the pattern of survival and late mortality among contemporary long-term survivors of pediatric CNS tumor...

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..The internal margin needs further investigation before PTV reduction can be made. Ultrasound localization was highly variable and not correlated to CBCT shifts...

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..Although the heterogeneity of prognostic factors in our patients made assessment of treatment outcome more difficult, the addition of 6 cycles of temozolomide after radiotherapy did not seem to alter the poor outcome of these patients...

..The usefulness of CSF cytology in the general follow-up evaluation of pediatric patients with ependymoma remains uncertain...

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..In the current study, the authors assessed the characteristics and estimated the cumulative incidence of IH among children with BSG...

..We conducted a retrospective review to identify factors that might predict for locoregional tumor control and its impact on overall survival...

..To assess the effect of radiation dose on local tumor control of the Ewing sarcoma family of tumors in 79 patients with localized disease treated at a single institution...

..Survivors with a history of radiation exposure to temporal brain regions are at increased risk for impairment in memory and social functioning...

..Survivors of childhood LGG experience substantial long-term adverse effects that continue to increase well beyond the 5-year survival time point...

..We aimed to investigate the effectiveness of risk-adapted radiotherapy followed by a shortened period of dose-intense chemotherapy in children with medulloblastoma...

..Because the motion did not affect the dose to the CTV, the 3-mm PTV margin used is sufficient to account for intrafractional motion, given the patient is properly localized at the start of treatment...

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..To demonstrate the safety and efficacy of limited margin radiotherapy in the local control of pediatric and young adult patients with high-grade nonrhabdomyosarcoma soft tissue sarcoma (NRSTS)...

..To model the effects of external beam irradiation on the developing flat bones of pediatric patients undergoing radiation therapy (RT) for tumors involving the musculoskeletal system...

..Academic competence was chosen as the primary outcome measure given it is a measure of applied cognitive abilities in a child's natural setting...

..Despite improved therapies, 30-40% of patients with Ewing tumors (ET) experience recurrence and have a poor prognosis. The authors analyzed factors prognostic of survival in patients with recurrent ET...

..Our results demonstrate that this method is sensitive to changes in these properties of the BBB...

..Further efforts to limit neurocognitive sequelae have included design of clinical trials to test the effectiveness of cognitive, behavioural, and pharmacological interventions...

..Local failure rates for patients who received combined surgery and RT were reviewed to determine outcome and prognostic factors...

..To estimate the incidence and long-term outcome of brain tumor related seizures in children and to identify risk factors for adverse seizure outcome...

..Although late-delayed reactions are thought to be permanent, in this study the authors sought to characterize transient brain lesions (TBLs) in the late-delayed period that completely resolved without imaging or neurological sequelae...

..To describe the clinical features, response to therapy, and outcome of pediatric patients with initially unresected nonmetastatic nonrhabdomyosarcoma soft tissue sarcoma (NRSTS)...