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The recent coronavirus pandemic has greatly impacted research and academia in various ways. While it introduced new challenges and adversity, it has also presented some opportunities. Long-term physical and mental health issues, the need for research design/methodology adaptation and the isolation from the research community, have all been important barriers to radiography researchers worldwide. This work summarizes the main challenges associated with conducting research during the pandemic, as well as opportunities through adaptations of research workflows and routines. We also suggest ways forward to sustain research capacity, while ensuring integrity and quality. The personal reflections and lived experiences of our diverse group of radiography researchers were captured in a summative table. Our comments aligned with similar experiences expressed within the wider literature. Effective leadership and the ability to demonstrate resilience in such challenging situations are highlighted as ways to overcome such crises. Some practical solutions are also provided, which can be adopted not only by radiography researchers, but also by the wider research community in healthcare and beyond.

Rationale This systematic review aims to synthesise the outcomes of different strategies of incorporating functional biological markers in the radiation therapy plans of patients with glioblastoma to support clinicians and further research. Methods The systematic review protocol was registered on PROSPERO (CRD42021221021). A structured search for publications was performed following PRISMA guidelines. Quality assessment was performed using the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale. Study characteristics, intervention methodology and outcomes were extracted using Covidence. Data analysis focused on radiation therapy target volumes, toxicity, dose distributions, recurrence and survival mapped to functional image-guided radiotherapy interventions. Results There were 5733 citations screened, with 53 citations (n = 32 studies) meeting review criteria. Studies compared standard radiation therapy planning volumes with functional image-derived volumes (n = 20 studies), treated radiation therapy volumes with recurrences (n = 15 studies), the impact on current standard target delineations (n = 9 studies), treated functional volumes and survival (n = 8 studies), functionally guided dose escalation (n = 8 studies), radiomics (n = 4 studies) and optimal organ at risk sparing (n = 3 studies). The approaches to target outlining and dose escalation were heterogeneous. The analysis indicated an improvement in median overall survival of over two months compared with a historical control group. Simultaneous-integrated-boost dose escalation of 72–76 Gy in 30 fractions appeared to have an acceptable toxicity profile when delivered with inverse planning to a volume smaller than 100 cm$$^3$$ 3 . Conclusion There was significant heterogeneity between the approaches taken by different study groups when implementing functional image-guided radiotherapy. It is recommended that functional imaging data be incorporated into the gross tumour volume with appropriate technology-specific margins used to create the clinical target volume when designing radiation therapy plans for patients with glioblastoma.

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by radical cystectomy (RC) and pelvic lymph node dissection is the standard radical management for muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC). However, major pelvic surgery is not suitable for all patients and combined modality therapy (CMT) offers an alternative for patients who want to retain their bladder. Brachytherapy (BT), as part of CMT, has been offered in selective cases of bladder cancer.To evaluate the clinical effectiveness of BT for solitary urinary bladder tumours in terms of survival, local recurrence (LR) rates, and adverse events.A systematic review was conducted using defined search terms using online databases. Articles that discussed the use of BT as part of multi-modality treatments for MIBC were included.Searches returned 112 articles of which 20 were deemed suitable for analysis. In all, 15 of the 20 articles reported overall survival (OS) at 5 years, 2747 patients were at risk and 1670 were alive after 5 years (60%): seven studies reported OS at 10 years, with 817 patients at risk and 350 alive at 10 years (42%). Disease-specific survival at 5 years was reported in four studies, with 371 patients at risk and 279 alive (75%) at 5 years. LR rates were reported across all 20 studies and ranged from 0% to 32%.Brachytherapy as part of CMT for MIBC is not a standard technique. It is an effective treatment in experienced centres for a selected patient population who wish to preserve their bladder. In such patients, CMT-BT is well tolerated with an acceptable safety profile.