Breast Cancer

Article Title:
Empowering Self-advocacy for Breast Health: A Successful Educational Campaign on Breast Cancer Risk and Screening Recommendations July 2025

Authors:
Teena Burchianti, MSN, APRN, ANP-BC, OCN®, Julie Bradley, MD, MHCDS, et al.

Why this is important:
Early detection of breast cancer can improve outcomes for individuals, yet there are disparities in awareness and breast cancer screenings. This article summarizes a campaign by UF radiation oncologists that promoted a simple online breast cancer risk calculator, along with a website and app that was promoted through various media outlets with the goal of educating individuals on breast cancer risk and screening options. This campaign reached over 673,000 individuals.

Article Title:
Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy in Early-Stage Breast Cancer: ASCO Guideline Clinical Insights June 2025

Authors:
Raymond Mailhot, MD, MPH, et al.

Why this is important:
A panel of breast cancer experts invited by the American Society of Clinical Oncology, including Dr. Raymond Mailhot from UF Health Proton Therapy Institute, reviewed the research to find out when lymph node biopsies were necessary for early-stage breast cancer. The new guideline provides an update for certain breast care patients, who may be able to avoid more intense surgery.

Pediatric Cancer

Article Title:
Preoperative Radiotherapy in Patients With Localized Ewing Sarcoma Enrolled on AEWS1031: A Report From the Children's Oncology Group May 2025

Authors:
Daniel Indelicato, et al.

Why this is important:
Ewing sarcoma is a rare form of bone cancer found often in young children and adults. While treatment often begins with surgery, there may be cancer cells found that could not be removed. This study tested the use of low-dose radiation prior to surgery and found that there was a higher percentage of no evidence of cancer cells following surgery, resulting in improved outcomes for the rare, aggressive cancer.

Article Title:
Assessing Acute and Long-Term Toxicities of Proton Radiation Therapy in Pediatric Pelvic Tumors: Findings From the Pediatric Proton Consortium Registry July 2025

Authors:
Daniel Indelicato, et al.

Why this is important:
Ongoing research to understand the short-term and long-term side effects of radiation, including proton beam therapy, is critical to understanding which patients may have risk factors that increase their chance of side effects. This study found that when treating pediatric tumors in the pelvic area, there was an increase in gastrointestinal side effects when the abdomen received radiation. The use of the newest method of delivering proton therapy – pencil beam scanning – decreased the chances of an increase in gastrointestinal toxicity.

Article Title:
Rosai-Dorfman Disease: The Role of Radiation Therapy June 2025

Authors:
Daniel Indelicato, et al.

Why this is important:
While Rosai-Dorfman Disease is not classified as cancer, the cells act like the blood cancer, leukemia. Dr. Indelicato worked with third-year University of Florida radiation oncology resident, Dr. Elizabeth Thompson, and others to identify the potential role for radiation to help patients who present with visible lumps and skin growths in the lymph nodes, which may be uncomfortable.

Article Title:
Association between brain substructure dose and scholastic performance in pediatric brain tumor survivors who received radiotherapy July 2025

Authors:
Raymond Mailhot, MD, MPH, Daniel Indelicato, MD, Julie Bradley, MD, MHCDS, Nancy Mendenhall, MD, FACR, FASTRO, et al.

Why this is important:
To help pediatric cancer survivors be successful in school and in life during and after radiation treatment, researchers need to be able to measure the effect of radiation dose to a child’s brain. Dr. Raymond Mailhot and his team were able to link state testing results from The Florida Department of Education for some of their patients directly to their treatment plans. This data linking school performance to radiation treatment is the first of its kind and will help guide future treatment planning and survivorship support for childhood cancer survivors. 

Improving Cancer Treatment for Patients

Article Title:
Bridging the proton gap: A proton therapy consultation service for Canadian radiation oncologists June 2025

Authors:
Daniel Indelicato, MD, Perry Johnson, PhD, et al.

Why this is important:
When certain communities have limited access to proton therapy, it is helpful to have data to determine which patients could benefit the most from traveling long distances for proton beam treatment. This article outlines the proton therapy consultation service that has been set up between Dr. Daniel Indelicato and Canadian radiation oncologists. It is based on the data from treatment plans that showed the benefit of curative radiation doses to the target, while sparing high doses of radiation to critical tissues which could cause significant side effects. As a result, many people who could greatly benefit from proton therapy were able to access this life-saving treatment.

Prostate Cancer

Article Title:
Modelling of a double-scattering proton therapy nozzle using the FLUKA Monte Carlo code and analysis of linear energy transfer in patients treated for prostate cancer June 2025

Authors:

Nancy Mendenhall, MD, FACR, FASTRO, Curtis Bryant, MD, MPH, Perry Johnson, PhD, et al.

Why this is important:
Understanding the actual linear energy transfer of protons and how protons affect the tissue using different methods of delivering the proton beam is crucial to continually improving treatment plans for patients. Combining the knowledge of our physicians with radiation oncologists and medical physicists in Denmark and Norway, more data was generated to improve dose calculations for prostate cancer patients.

Head and Neck Cancer

Article Title:
International Consensus Guideline on Delineation of the Clinical Target Volumes (CTV) at Different Dose Levels for Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma (2024 Version) May 2025

Authors:

William Mendenhall, MD, FACR, et al.

Why this is important:
Treating nasopharyngeal cancers in the upper part of the throat behind the nasal cavity can be difficult due to the proximity to critical structures in the mouth and nose. Dr. Bill Mendenhall is among an international group of expert radiation oncologists who updated their consensus guidelines on improving treatment plans for patients to limit the short and long-term side effects for these patients, which may lead to unplanned hospitalizations and the use of feeding tubes. Thanks to this updated review of the latest research and outcomes, more precise treatments can be offered to patients.

Gynecological Cancers

Article Title:
Understanding hydronephrosis occurrence by an individual-kidney level analysis of all events post-chemoradiotherapy for locally advanced cervical cancer May 2025

Authors:

Lucas Gomes Sapienza, MD, PhD, et al.

Why this is important:
Radiation oncologists are constantly looking at ways to reduce side effects from radiation treatment while still providing enough radiation to cure cancers. For people with locally advanced cervical cancer, one potential side effect is swelling of the kidneys, or hydronephrosis. This article discusses ways to improve radiation for cervical cancer based on the data analyzed about the rates, causes and other factors surrounding incidence of hydronephrosis.

Hodgkin Lymphoma  

Article Title:
Curative Treatment of Pediatric Hodgkin Lymphoma With Doxorubicin, Bleomycin, Vinblastine, and Dacarbazine and Consolidation Radiotherapy: A Systematic Review and Suggested Recommendations June 2025

Authors:

Raymond Mailhot, MD, MPH, et al.

Why this is important:
This publication reviewed the research on outcomes for pediatric patients treated with radiation for Hodgkin lymphoma after receiving chemotherapy. Reviewing the data, researchers were able to identify which patients could most benefit from radiation as a part of their treatment plan. Two thirds of patients with higher risk Hodgkin lymphoma could benefit from radiation, along with approximately half of the patients with lower risk disease, sparing many pediatric patients the need for radiation.

Article Title:
Comparison of Contemporary Radiotherapy Approaches in Combined Modality Treatment on Pediatric High-Risk Classic Hodgkin Lymphoma Study: AHOD 1331 June 2025

Authors:

Raymond Mailhot, MD, MPH, et al.

Why this is important:
This article discusses the results of the AHOD 1331 clinical trial looking at the use of a combination of therapies, including chemotherapy and radiation, along with an antibody drug for children with high-risk Hodgkin lymphoma. The use of proton therapy as the radiation treatment of choice for patients on the trial increased throughout the trial due to the ability of proton therapy to limit the radiation dose to the patient’s heart, breast and lung tissue. While long-term follow up is essential, the initial results showed promising outcomes in survival rates and side effects.