ASTRO Journals

Ronald Chen, MD, MPH, FASTRO, hosts a conversation on the background, methodology, primary recommendations, and implications of the updated External Beam Radiation Therapy for Palliation of Symptomatic Bone Metastases: An ASTRO Clinical Practice Guideline. Alongside Tracy Balboni, MD, MPH, and Sara Alcorn, MD, they discuss recent data and changes to practice patterns such as increased use of advanced treatment approaches (e.g., stereotactic radiation) and reirradiation. The guidelines address five key questions in this context, built upon a systematic review of the available literature and with assessment of evidence quality and recommendation strength.

Our Editor in Chief Sue Yom hosts a discussion of two related articles, "Diagnostic CT-Enabled Planning (DART): Results of a Randomized Trial in Palliative Radiation Therapy" and its accompanying editorial, "'Sim-free' Palliative Radiation Therapy Greatly Reduces Time Burden for Patients." Guests are Melissa O'Neil, MSc, MRT(T), an Advanced Practice Radiation Therapist and Leader of the Rapid Response Clinic at London Health Sciences Center in Canada, who was the first author of the DART trial publication, as well as Dr. Katrina Woodford, Lead Radiation Therapist Clinician Scientist at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Honorary Senior Fellow at the University of Melbourne and Adjunct Senior Lecturer at Monash University, and first author of the accompanying editorial.

Practical Radiation Oncology associate editor Laura Dover, MD, MSPH of Birmingham, Alabama hosts a conversation on the recent past, the realized present and the aspirational future of the American Board of Radiology (ABR) certifying exams for Radiation Oncology. Her guests are the Radiation Oncology Associate Executive Director at the ABR Michael Yunes, MD and the Director of Communications for the ABR David Laszakovits, MBA.

Sue Yom, our Editor in Chief, hosts a discussion of two related articles, Temporal Evolution and Diagnostic Diversification of Patients Receiving Proton Therapy in the United States: A Ten-Year Trend Analysis (2012-21) from the National Association for Proton Therapy and Improving Access to Proton Therapy in the United States and Around the World, from the July 15, 2024 issue. Guests are first authors Dr. William Hartsell, former Medical Director of the Northwestern Medicine Proton Center, now practicing in the Advocate and Alexian systems in the Chicago area, and Dr. Derek Tsang, Associate Professor at the University of Toronto and Clinician Investigator in the Radiation Medicine Program at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre.

Editor-in-Chief, Robert Amdur, MD, discusses lymph node management in patients with vulvar cancer. The foundation for this discussion is a paper published in the May 2024 issue of PRO titled "Navigating the Complexities of Lymph Node Management in Vulvar Cancer: Insights and Perspectives." (2024, Issue 3, May/June, PMID: 38336276). This paper is a Topic Discussion that summarizes key studies and then explains the authors current policy regarding radiotherapy to the regional lymphatics in operable and inoperable cases.
Related articles
Contouring Inguinal and Femoral Nodes; How Much Margin is Needed Around the Vessels?
Consensus Recommendations for Radiation Therapy Contouring and Treatment of Vulvar Carcinoma

Editor in Chief Sue Yom hosts a discussion of An Economic Analysis of SC.24: A Randomized Study of SBRT Compared with Conventional Palliative RT for Spinal Metastases. Guests are first and second author Dr. Marc Kerba, clinical associate professor in the Department of Oncology at the University of Calgary and radiation oncologist at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre, and Dr. Richard De Abreu Lourenco, Professor with the Centre for Health Economics Research and Evaluation at the University of Technology Sydney.

Practical Radiation Oncology associate editor Majid Al-Othman, MD, of Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare hosts a conversation on Summary of Cardiac Computed Tomographic Imaging in Cardio-Oncology: An Expert Consensus Document of the Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography. Two of the authors, Sarah A. Milgrom, MD, of University of Colorado and Jean L. Wright, MD, Johns Hopkins University to highlight the practical aspects of the paper for clinicians and recommendations that are relevant to radiation oncology.

Sue Yom, our Editor in Chief, leads a discussion of Overview and Recommendations for Prospective Multi-institutional Spatially Fractionated Radiation Therapy Clinical Trials, a critical review from AAPM and NRG Oncology. Guests are first author Dr. Heng Li, Associate Professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology and Molecular Radiation Sciences at Johns Hopkins University and Chief Proton Physicist of the Johns Hopkins National Proton Center, supervising author Dr. Stanley Benedict, Professor and Vice Chair of Clinical Physics in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of California Davis, and co-author Dr. Nina Mayr, Professor in the College of Human Medicine at Michigan State University.

Editor-in-Chief, Robert Amdur, MD, discusses using SBRT dose schedules to re-irradiate large volume recurrences of locally advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer that has progressed following high-dose radiotherapy with conventional fractionation. The discussion is based on a paper published in the May 2024 issue of PRO titled "Thoracic Reirradiation with Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT) for Recurrent Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC)” (2024, Issue 3, May/June, PMID 38387781).

Editor-in-Chief Sue Yom hosts Dr. Ralph Ermoian, Associate Professor from the University of Washington and Dr. Kilian Salerno, Associate Research Physician from the National Cancer Institute, our two successive Pediatric/Sarcoma Section Editors who supervised the PEdiatric Normal Tissue Effects in the Clinic (PENTEC) peer review process for our journal. We also welcome two representatives from the PENTEC group, Dr. Louis Constine, Professor of Radiation Oncology and Pediatrics and Vice Chair in Radiation Oncology from the University of Rochester and Dr. Soren Bentzen, Professor and Division Director of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics in Epidemiology and Public Health at the University of Maryland. We discuss several papers from this landmark 12-year effort, including Comparison of Risks of Late Effects from Radiotherapy in Children versus Adults: Insights from the QUANTEC, HyTEC and PENTEC Efforts; Neurocognitive Effects and Necrosis in Childhood Cancer Survivors Treated with Radiotherapy: A PENTEC Comprehensive Review; Risks of Spinal Abnormalities and Growth Impairment After Radiation to the Spine in Childhood Cancer Survivors: A PENTEC Comprehensive Review; and Risk of Subsequent Neoplasms in Childhood Cancer Survivors after Radiation Therapy: A Comprehensive PENTEC Review.