Research

The Medici Foundation is a proud supporter of clinical research and scholarly activities. The objective is to identify new and innovative techniques that will lead to improvements in cancer treatment and quality of life for patients. Over the past 8 years we have helped support the publication and presentation of over 40 articles and posters. Below are a few of the topics we have endorsed and continue to support the development of in any way possible.

2018 Research

  • 5-year Results of Post-Prostatectomy Patients Administered a Hydrogel Rectal Spacer Implant in Conjunction with Dose Escalated External Beam Radiation Therapy.

    This paper published in Journal of Radiation Oncology, details the long-term (5-year) results of utilizing a hydrogel rectal spacer implant in patients whom had rising PSA (biochemical recurrence) following radical prostatectomy.

  • Long-Term Toxicity of High Dose Rate Brachytherapy in Prostate Carcinoma Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

    This letter published in Clinical Oncology, details the long-term (5-year) results of high-dose-rate brachytherapy combined with external beam radiotherapy for treating prostate cancer patients with a comorbidity of inflammatory bowel disease.

2017 Research

  • Three year outcomes of 324 prostate carcinoma patients treated with combination high-dose rate brachytherapy and intensity modulated radiation therapy, Published in Translational Cancer Research
  • Preliminary Results of Biochemical Relapse-Free Survival and Normal Tissue Toxicities in 69 Post-Prostatectomy Patients Administered a Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) Rectal Spacer in Conjunction with Dose Escalated External Beam Radiation Therapy

2016 Research

  • Accelerated Partial-Breast Irradiation (APBI) using High-Dose-Rate Interstitial Brachytherapy for Ductal Carcinoma In-Situ (DCIS), Brachytherapy
  • Accelerated Partial-Breast Irradiation (APBI) using High-Dose-Rate Interstitial Brachytherapy for Invasive Ductal Carcinoma (IDC) Brachytherapy
  • Combination HDR Brachytherapy and IMRT For The Treatment Of Prostate Cancer (Poster at World Congress of Brachytherapy)
  • Post-Prostatectomy Patients Undergoing Salvage High Dose External Beam Radiation with the Usage of a Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) Spacer (58th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (Boston, MA)
  • Polyethylene glycol hydrogel rectal spacer implantation in patients with prostate cancer undergoing combination high-dose-rate brachytherapy and external beam radiotherapy (Brachytherapy Journal)

2015 Research

  • American Radium Society in Kauai, Hawaii on May 2-5, 2015
    Absence of Infection from Injection of a Rectal Spacer into the Anterior Peri-Rectal Fat Space presented at the American Radium Society in Kauai, Hawaii on May 2-5, 2015. (Poster of Distinction Award Winner)Rectal Spacer Injection in Post-Prostatectomy Patients Undergoing High Dose Salvage External Beam Radiation presented at the American Radium Society in Kauai, Hawaii on May 2-5, 2015.
  • Combined Modality Radiation Therapy (High Dose Rate Brachytherapy and IMRT) for Treatment of Prostate Cancer: Extensive studies have been performed on the combined modality technique for prostate cancer treatment. Results have proven that HDR (insertion of a temporary radioactive source into prostate) followed by IMRT (radiation therapy delivered from multiple angles around the patient) results in extremely high cure rates over that of IMRT alone. Having a department that is equipped with an outpatient surgical center allows the physician to perform this implant in the same building where the patient will then receive their IMRT, giving the patient a continuity of care that is unfound in any other freestanding radiation therapy center in the country. The newest research study will expand on proven data regarding combination radiation therapy. The study will include almost 500 patients that have been treated over the past 10 years evaluating both prostate cancer control rates for all Gleason score/PSA combinations along with side effects from treatment to better characterize the toxicity profile of the treatment. This research project will involve an ongoing collection of data and will expand as the years pass. Preliminary results are in agreement with those previously published and show that side effects are minimal to non-existent.
  • Rectal Spacer Technology: We helped a clinic be on the forefront of the use of spacer material in prostate irradiation. The spacer material allows the rectum to “move” out of harm’s way by injecting a hydrogel into the prostate-rectum interface in order to deliver tumorcidal doses to the prostate for prostate cancer treatment. We have supported, to date, the largest population of patients in the country to utilize this material with amazing results. Patients that may have previously been subjected to rectal irritation or diarrhea as a side effect from treatment are now cruising through treatment with little to no problems. In regards to research on this hydrogel we have helped 10 research posters be accepted to national conferences, two oral presentations given at symposiums and two journal articles published in International Journals. Unfortunately the gel is currently uncovered by insurance and is therefore an out of pocket expense. The Medici Foundation helps support patients that may have otherwise been unable to afford the technology.
  • Partial Breast Irradiation: We have also helped support eight studies regarding Partial Breast Irradiation for breast cancer. Local radiation administered at the tumor site is reduced from six weeks of therapy to five days. For the patients that qualify for this modality it is a dramatic reduction in the amount of time spent in treatment with similar cure rates and physical results. The future in breast cancer treatment is in accelerated treatments, meaning that if deemed safe the course of therapy will be decreased while the dose is increased. It is pertinent that we stay on the forefront of this technology.