The new Medical Licensing Regulations 2025 (Ärztliche Approbationsordnung, ÄApprO) will soon be passed by the Federal Council (Bundesrat) and will be implemented step by step by the individual faculties in the coming months. The further development of medical studies essentially involves an orientation from fact-based to competence-based learning and focuses on practical, longitudinal and interdisciplinary training. Radiation oncology and radiation therapy are important components of therapeutic oncology and are of great importance for public health, both clinically and epidemiologically, and therefore should be given appropriate attention in medical education. This report is based on a recent survey on the current state of radiation therapy teaching at university hospitals in Germany as well as the contents of the National Competence Based Learning Objectives Catalogue for Medicine 2.0 (Nationaler Kompetenzbasierter Lernzielkatalog Medizin 2.0, NKLM) and the closely related Subject Catalogue (Gegenstandskatalog, GK) of the Institute for Medical and Pharmaceutical Examination Questions (Institut für Medizinische und Pharmazeutische Prüfungsfragen, IMPP). The current recommendations of the German Society for Radiation Oncology (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Radioonkologie, DEGRO) regarding topics, scope and rationale for the establishment of radiation oncology teaching at the respective faculties are also included.

Background: The conversion of glutamic acid into γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is catalyzed by the glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD). Antibodies against this enzyme have been described in neurological disorders, but the pathophysiological role of these antibodies is still poorly understood. We hypothesized that anti-GAD autoantibodies could diminish the GABA content in the slice and facilitate epileptic activity. Methods: Cerebrospinal fluids (CSF) from two patients containing anti-GAD (A and B) were injected into the rat hippocampus in vivo. Hippocampal slices were prepared for electrophysiological field potential recordings in order to record recurrent epileptic discharges (REDs) in the CA1 region induced by the removal of Mg 2+ and/or by adding gabazine. As control groups, we injected an anti-GAD-negative human CSF or saline solution, and we used non-operated naive animals. Results: RED frequencies were significantly higher in the Mg 2+ -free solution than in the gabazine-containing solution. The average frequency of REDs in the last 10 min and the average duration of REDs in the last 5 min did not show significant differences between the anti-GAD-B-treated and the control slices, but in the Mg 2+ -free solution, anti-GAD-A had significantly higher epileptic activity than anti-GAD-B. Conclusions: These results indicate that anti-GAD has distinct effects on the development of spontaneous epileptic activity.

Background: High-dose-rate radiotherapy has shown promising results with respect to normal tissue preservation. We developed an ex vivo model to study the physiological effects of experimental radiotherapy in the rodent esophageal smooth muscle. Methods: We assessed the physiological parameters of the esophageal function in ex vivo preparations of the proximal, middle, and distal segments in the organ bath. High-dose-rate synchrotron irradiation was conducted using both the microbeam irradiation (MBI) technique with peak doses greater than 200 Gy and broadbeam irradiation (BBI) with doses ranging between 3.5–4 Gy. Results: Neither MBI nor BBI affected the function of the contractile apparatus. While peak latency and maximal force change were not affected in the BBI group, and no changes were seen in the proximal esophagus segments after MBI, a significant increase in peak latency and a decrease in maximal force change was observed in the middle and distal esophageal segments. Conclusion: No severe changes in physiological parameters of esophageal contraction were determined after high-dose-rate radiotherapy in our model, but our results indicate a delayed esophageal function. From the clinical perspective, the observed increase in peak latency and decreased maximal force change may indicate delayed esophageal transit.

Radiation pneumonitis is one of the most common toxicities following SBRT for lung cancer. Although local control rates are good, a recurrent tumour is difficult to distinguish from radiation pneumonitis due to similar size and morphology. Therefore, early detection of a recurrent tumour is challenging, and moreover, it is crucial for affected patients, as early detection enables curative salvage therapy. Promising data exists to solve these challenges for late recurrences, for example, the analysis of high-risk CT features allows prediction of recurrence after 12 months. But particularly in cases of early recurrences and radiation pneumonitis, comprehensive data are lacking. Therefore, the aim of this study was to review the existing literature with special regard to radiological response assessment after stereotactic body radiotherapy and risk factors for predicting radiation pneumonitis or local recurrence.

Hintergrund Die kombinierte Therapiemodalität (CMT) mit 2 Zyklen ABVD (Adriamycin [Doxorubicin], Bleomycin, Vinblastin und Dacarbazin) und mit konsolidierender Involved-field-Radiotherapie (IF-RT) stellt den aktuellen Therapiestandard des Hodgkin-Lymphoms im frühen günstigen Stadium dar. Dennoch wird die Rolle der Strahlentherapie in diesem Lymphomstadium immer wieder infrage gestellt. Eine Positronenemissionstomographie nach 2 Zyklen ABVD (Interim-PET, PET-2) könnte helfen, individuell das Therapieergebnis vorherzusagen und damit einen risikoadaptierten Behandlungsweg zu ermöglichen. Patienten und Methoden Zwischen November 2009 und Dezember 2015 wurden Patienten im Alter von 18 bis 75 Jahren mit einem neu diagnostizierten Hodgkin-Lymphom im frühen günstigen Stadium (ohne Risikofaktoren) für die hier diskutierte, internationale, randomisierte Phase-III-Studie rekrutiert. Die Randomisierung erfolgte im Verhältnis 1:1. Die Patienten erhielten entweder den Therapiestandard mit 2 × ABVD und 20 Gy IF-RT (CMT) oder es wurde eine Positronenemissionstomographie(PET)gestützte Behandlung durchgeführt, bei der bei negativer PET-2 auf die IF-RT verzichtet wurde.