For the recurrence of head and neck cancer after operation and radiotherapy, the local control of radioactive seed implantation is good, and it has a certain palliative effect. This study aims to investigate the acute and late side effects of a three-dimentional printing non co-planar template (3D–PNCT) for computed tomography (CT)-guided radioactive 125I seed (RIS) implantation in recurrent cancer of the head and neck. Between January 2016 and December 2016, forty-two patients with local recurrent malignant tumors of the head and neck received 3D–PNCT-assisted RIS implantation. The prescribed dose was 110–160 Gy. Preoperative planning design, production of individual guide plates, RIS implantation, postoperative dose evaluation, and follow-up were completed for all patients. Side effects in the skin, mucous membranes, blood and spinal cord were evaluated. All patients underwent surgery successfully. Duration of follow-up was 4–14 (median, of 8.5) months. The activity of a single RIS was 0.34–0.7 (median, 0.6) mCi. The number of RIS was 10–126 (median, 34). The number of implantation needles was 4–31 (median, 11). The mean D2cc (dose to the most exposed 2-cc volume) and D0.1cc (dose to the most exposed 0.1-cc volume) of the skin were 24.9 (7.1–85.5) and 47.5 (9.4–167.2), respectively, whereas those of the spinal cord were 8.4 (4.5–33.3) and 14.2 (13.6–63.0), mucosa were 35.1 (4.2–82.8) and 87.0 (6.6–214.1), parotid glands were 16.2 (12.8–19.7) and 29.8 (26.1–33.4) and those of the trachea were 17.9 (2.5–45.9) and 32.7 (3.9–83.9), respectively. No case had an acute reaction of grade ≥ 3. Three cases had a grade-1 skin reaction. Blood toxicity did not occur, nor spinal-cord injury. Xerostomia was not aggravated than that of before brachytherapy. One case had a grade-3 nerve response. 3D–PNCT-assisted RIS implantation can provide good accuracy for positioning. For local recurrent malignant tumor of head and neck, there were no obvious adverse reactions.

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the clinical feasibility and performance of CT-based auto-segmentation models integrated into an All-in-One radiotherapy workflow for rectal cancer. Methods: This study included 312 rectal cancer patients, with 272 used to train three nnU-Net models for CTV45, CTV50, and GTV segmentation, and 40 for evaluation across one internal ( n = 10), one clinical AIO ( n = 10), and two external cohorts ( n = 10 each). Segmentation accuracy (DSC, HD, HD95, ASSD, ASD) and time efficiency were assessed. Results: In the internal testing set, mean DSC of CTV45, CTV50, and GTV were 0.90, 0.86, and 0.71; HD were 17.08, 25.48, and 79.59 mm; HD 95 were 4.89, 7.33, and 56.49 mm; ASSD were 1.23, 1.90, and 6.69 mm; and ASD were 1.24, 1.58, and 11.61 mm. Auto-segmentation reduced manual delineation time by 63.3–88.3% ( p < 0.0001). In clinical practice, average DSC of CTV45, CTV50 and GTV were 0.93, 0.88, and 0.78; HD were 13.56, 23.84, and 35.38 mm; HD 95 were 3.33, 6.46, and 21.34 mm; ASSD were 0.78, 1.49, and 3.30 mm; and ASD were 0.74, 1.18, and 2.13 mm. The results from the multi-center testing also showed applicability of these models, since the average DSC of CTV45 and GTV were 0.84 and 0.80 respectively. Conclusions: The models demonstrated high accuracy and clinical utility, effectively streamlining target volume delineation and reducing manual workload in routine practice. Trial registration: The study protocol was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Peking University Third Hospital (Approval No. (2024) Medical Ethics Review No. 182-01).

Rationale: Salivary duct carcinoma (SDC) is an aggressive form of cancer, with cutaneous metastasis being a rare occurrence. Furthermore, cutaneous metastasis of SDC secondary to a scald is even rarer, and to the best of our knowledge, our case represents the first such instance. Considering the involvement of the fingers in the metastatic site, which may affect limb function and quality of life, we present this case to explore the reason why scald could lead to distant recurrence and better treatment options. Patient concerns: An 85-year-old man diagnosed with SDC in the parotid gland found enlarged masses at the fingertips as a consequence of a burn, 6 years after his initial treatment. Diagnoses: Cutaneous metastasis of SDC in the parotid gland and left thumb loss due to surgery. Interventions: Radiotherapy was offered, targeting at the masses on the fingers, with dose at 15 Gy in 3 fractions, 12 Gy in 3 fractions, 15 Gy in 3 fractions for both hands and additional 21 Gy in 7 fractions only for left hand. Outcomes: The tumors shrank after 2 months of radiotherapy and the patient recovered well. Side effects included nail hyperplasia and paronychia. Lessons: Connections between scald and distant metastasis of malignant tumors in this case needed further investigation. Considering reserving function of the fingers while dealing with metastasis, radiotherapy is recommended rather than surgery.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains a leading cause of cancer-related mortality, and detecting circulating tumor cells (CTCs) is crucial for early diagnosis and metastasis monitoring. Conventional staining-based cytology is costly, time-consuming, and often compromises sample integrity. In this study, we employed a combined digital holography (DH) and fluorescence imaging approach to develop a virtual staining framework for transforming quantitative phase imaging (QPI) data into interpretable pseudo-stained images. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first application of such a framework to colorectal cancer CTC detection. In our experiments, green fluorescent protein (GFP)-labeled HCT116 cells—generated through lentiviral transfection—were mixed with peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) to create training datasets. The trained network achieved 99% classification accuracy and demonstrated strong generalization to unseen donors. This DH–fluorescence-based virtual staining method preserves cell integrity while enabling rapid, label-free, and low-cost liquid cytology diagnostics, highlighting its potential for non-invasive cancer detection and monitoring.