Letter from the Editor-in-Chief

Endeared Friends, all #Brachymen and #WomenWhoCurie, The second wave of the COVID-19 threat is on its raise. This fall is uncertain in terms of our possibilities to serve our patients as we normally could. In Poland, for instance, the SARS-CoV-2 claimed about two and a half thousand victims since the outbreak in March, which is sad. On the other hand, cancer takes two thousand oncological patients a week! Our daily practice is being changed due to safety regulations. It is often difficult to cope with these rules, as they take us away from patients and vice versa, cause social distance, consume our time, and progress the level of stress at work. But #WeAreBrachy, #WeDoBrachy. And that was the reason why the Polish Brachytherapy Society members have met in Katowice, attending this year’s world’s only congress of brachytherapy. Our 7th Biannual Conference went smoothly, safely, and fruitfully. WE DID IT! And we would do it again. Please, find more details in the Presidential Di-gest by Dr. Piotr Wojcieszek. Also, please pay attention to the obituary attached, in which Piotr says goodbye to the un-forgettable late Dr. Brygida Białas (1959-2020) – R.I.P. I decided to open the JCB 5/2020 issue with a very interesting and important results of interventional radiotherapy used as an exclusive treatment for primary nasal vestibule cancer. Luca Tagliaferri et al. confirmed that interstitial brachytherapy could be considered as a definitive treatment in this relatively rare indication. Excellent oncological and cosmetic outcomes speak for themselves. With this knowledge, the patients should be informed about the possible avoidance of surgery, with the most probable cosmetic changes on their faces. Korean investigators from CHA University submitted their findings on the feasibility and early toxicity of focal or partial LDR brachytherapy in prostate cancer patients. As suggested, it was comparable to the whole prostate LDR-BT concerning the short-term biochemical recurrence and toxicities. A completely different approach for the LDR seeds is presented by a Chinese group. In the prospective single-arm pilot study, endovascular implantation of 125I seed strands combined with stent placement for locally advanced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma with vascular invasion was suc-cessfully explored. Antonio Cassio Pellizzon et al. (Sao Paulo, Brazil) added to the literature their findings on HDR-BT using the Leipzig applicators for non-melanoma localized skin...


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