Members of the Department of Radiation Oncology at Montefiore Einstein Center for Cancer Care (MECCC) and Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University’s NCI–designated Albert Einstein Cancer Center will present new study findings at the 56^th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) revealing the impact socioeconomic status has on radiation treatment compliance, predictive indicators for clinical outcomes and on radiation therapy duration and dosing recommendations. ASTRO is being held September 14 – September 17 in San Francisco.

“Our team’s abstracts focus on how to enhance radiation planning for locally-advanced cancers, particularly in the liver and lung, which represent approximately 250,000 new cancer diagnoses each year,” said Shalom Kalnicki, M.D., professor and chair, Department of Radiation Oncology, MECCC and Einstein. “We will show the effect a patient’s socioeconomic status has on radiotherapy compliance, a significant problem for many people across the country. These studies represent our commitment to overcoming treatment barriers and providing new hope to people impacted by cancer in all its forms.”

This year’s conference will feature oral abstracts and poster presentations made by nationally and internationally renowned radiation oncologists and physicists. Findings will focus on prognostic markers for clinical outcomes and refining personalized therapies for liver tumors, non-small cell lung cancer, head and neck cancers and cervical cancer.

Following is a sample of Montefiore-Einstein studies to be presented at the meeting, which are embargoed until the time of presentation. Investigators are available for interviews specific to the data or to comment on topics of interest coming out of ASTRO 2014.

1. Socioeconomic Status and Radiotherapy Noncompliance in an Urban Academic Cancer Center – Presented by Madhur Garg, M.B., B.S., professor of Clinical Radiation Oncology, Einstein. Oral Presentation. Tuesday, September 16 at 2:30PM. Health Services Research 1, Presentation #136.
2. Local Control Following Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy for Liver Tumors: A Preliminary Report of the AAPM Working Group for SBRT – Presented by Wolfgang A. Tomé, Ph.D., FAAPM, DABR, professor of Radiation Oncology, Einstein and director of the Division of Medical Physics, Montefiore. Oral Presentation. Monday, September 15 at 4:15PM. GI 4 – Pancreas & Liver, Presentation #106.
3. Metabolic Tumor Volume on FDG-PET Predicts Clinical Outcomes Following Chemotherapy for Locally Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Secondary Analysis – Presented by Nitin Ohri, M.D., assistant professor of Radiation Oncology, Einstein and attending physician, Department of Radiation Oncology, Montefiore. Oral Presentation. Wednesday, September 17 at 3:00PM. Lung 4 – Lung Imaging and Locally Advanced Disease, Presentation #318.
4. Liver Sinusoidal Endothelial Cell Transplantation Ameliorated Radiation-induced Liver Deformation And Sulfur Colloid SPECT Defect In Mouse Livers Following Partial Liver Irradiation – Presented by Rafi Kabarriti, M.D., Department of Radiation Oncology, Montefiore. Oral Presentation. Sunday, September 14 at 1:15PM. Physics 1 – Imaging for Response Assessment. Presentation #1.
5. Does Systemic Therapy Matter After Stereotactic Radiosurgery for Brain Metastases from Lung Cancer? – Presented by Shyamal Patel, M.D., Department of Radiation Oncology, Montefiore. Poster Presentation. Monday, September 15 at 5:30PM. Presentation #2229.
6. Clinical Outcomes Among Cervical Cancer Patients Treated with 3D Conformal Brachytherapy Treatment Planning: Does Prescribing to Tumor Volume Versus Point A Correspond to Equivalent Outcomes – Presented by Rebekah Young, M.D., Department of Radiation Oncology, Montefiore. Poster Presentation. Monday, September 15 at 5:30PM. Presentation #2705.