Letter from the Editor-in-Chief

Dear Colleagues, Friends, and Brachytherapy Fellows,
It has already been a year, since I accepted the proposal of leading the Journal as the Editor-in-Chief. From the very beginning, it was my great honor and privilege. Now, I would like to cordially thank all the Section Editors and Reviewers for believing in me, in the Journal, and in brachytherapy itself. I thank you all for your day-to-day work with the manuscripts, your sincere comments, valuable remarks, and suggestions. All that helped to release six full interesting and noticeable issues of our Journal in 2019, which I consider as a great success of all of us.
Here, I would like to notice that the last issue contains an invited Letter-to-Editor written by Prof. Tomasz Pospieszny from the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Poland. His interesting summary of Maria Skłodowska-Curie’s input to nuclear physics and brachytherapy foundations have met its desired response. It is my pleasure to present the first issue of the Journal of Contemporary Brachytherapy this year. The JCB 1/2020 opens with Carl Salembier’s results of a prospective Uro-GEC phase-II trial. As co-authors from the Netherlands and UK claim, the history of transurethral resection of the prostate should not be a contra-indication for transperineal low-dose-rate 125I prostate brachytherapy. Following, there is the paper from Japan on the clinical outcomes of low-dose-rate brachytherapy for intermediate-risk prostate cancer. This study highlights excellent outcomes achieved with BED ≥ 200 Gy.
The next five consecutive manuscripts are on gynecological malignancies, three of which are physics contributions.
Najeeb Crossley et al. (USA) concludes in their study that in small volume cervical tumors (< 30 ccs), hybrid applicators may offer improved organs at risk sparing compared with conventional tandem and ring applicators, and may increase the proportion of patients meeting EMBRACE II OAR goals.
A group from Turkey presents a 3D printer-based novel intensity-modulated vaginal brachytherapy applicator, which meets the requirements in quality-control tests.
Another group from Japan evaluates and presents a new bi-valve vaginal speculum applicator, designed for gynecologic interstitial brachytherapy.
In addition, a second Turkish group shares its experience on dosimetric comparison of two different cervical applicators and rectal retraction methods that are used in inverse...


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